Is Rum Acidic or Alkaline?
Rum (prepared) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Protein and minerals stay behind during distillation, so rum comes in at +0.1 per 100 ml and is neutral. Only alcohol and water end up in your glass. The alcohol itself isn't part of the PRAL formula. At 214 kcal per 100 ml, though, rum is high in energy, and in a cocktail, juices and syrup determine the rest of the balance.
In the Drinks category, rum (prepared) ranks #74 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Brandy (+0.1), Fruit brandy (schnapps) (+0.1), Whisky (+0.1). More acid-forming are Vodka (+0.2), Eggnog (+0.3), Coke (+0.5).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rum acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Rum (prepared) has a PRAL of +0.1 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does rum count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At +0.1 per 100 ml, rum is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Rum logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Drinks: Drinks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.