Is Wild Blueberry Acidic or Alkaline?
Wild blueberry (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Wild blueberries bring some potassium with very little protein, landing at a slightly alkaline −1.3. That's no more than a mild plus on the alkaline side. Blackberries or apricots score much lower. A handful in yogurt or quark takes away some of the dairy's acid load, but it can't fully offset it.
In the Fruit category, wild blueberry (fresh) ranks #75 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Cranberry (−1.4), Apple sauce (−1.6), Watermelon (−1.7). More acid-forming are Mangosteen (−1.0), Rambutan (−0.8), Lingonberry, sweetened (−0.4).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is wild blueberry 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: Wild blueberry (fresh) has a PRAL of −1.3 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much wild blueberry do I need for a noticeable effect?
One piece or a handful (120 g) of wild blueberry adds −1.6 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of wild blueberry roughly offsets one of them.
Why is wild blueberry alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Wild blueberry provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.3).
Wild Blueberry 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 Fruit: Fruit 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.