Is Sea Salt Acidic or Alkaline?
Sea salt (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Sea salt comes to −2.0 because, besides sodium chloride, it contains traces of magnesium and calcium from seawater, and sodium doesn't appear in the PRAL formula. With just a few grams a day, this is meaningless: 5 g adds about −0.1. It has no alkaline advantage over iodized salt, which is even a little lower per 100 g.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, sea salt (raw) ranks #44 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Cress (−3.1), Nutmeg powder (−3.2), Red wine vinegar (−3.3). More acid-forming are Apple cider vinegar (−2.0), Mushroom gravy (−1.8), Thousand island dressing (−1.7).
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 sea salt 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: Sea salt (raw) has a PRAL of −2.0 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much sea salt do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of sea salt adds −0.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of sea salt roughly offsets one of them.
Why is sea salt alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Sea salt provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.0).
Sea Salt 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 Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces 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.