Is Whole Milk Powder Acidic or Alkaline?
Whole milk powder (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Whole milk powder comes in at −6.0, in the alkaline range, and clearly lower than skim milk powder. Drying concentrates milk's calcium and potassium so much that they clearly outweigh protein and phosphorus; the fat itself doesn't count. At 483 kcal per 100 g, it's energy-dense, but in milk chocolate or baking mixes you only use small amounts.
In the Dairy category, whole milk powder (dried) ranks #1 of 25, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Whey (liquid) (−1.9), Skimmed milk powder (−0.9), Whipping cream (−0.2).
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 whole milk powder 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: Whole milk powder (dried) has a PRAL of −6.0 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much whole milk powder do I need for a noticeable effect?
A cup (150 g) of whole milk powder adds −9.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of whole milk powder roughly offsets one of them.
Why is whole milk powder 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. Whole milk powder provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−6.0).
Whole Milk Powder 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 Dairy: Dairy 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.