Is Plain Yogurt (3.5%) Acidic or Alkaline?
Yogurt, plain (3.5%) (raw) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion. Not quite alkaline. Plain yogurt has a PRAL of +0.5 per 100 g, just inside the acid-forming range and practically at the line to neutral, while Greek yogurt, at +0.2, is actually neutral.
Classification
At +0.5, plain yogurt with 3.5% fat sits right at the threshold of the acid-forming range, because milk protein and phosphorus only barely outweigh the milk's minerals. The fat content plays no role in the calculation. A 150 g bowl brings less than one point, and a few sweet cherries or mirabelle plums in it reverse that right away.
In the Dairy category, plain yogurt (3.5%) (raw) ranks #18 of 25, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Kefir (+0.2), Sour cream (+0.2), Greek yogurt (+0.2). More acid-forming are Yogurt, low-fat (1.5%) (+0.8), Condensed milk, sweetened (+0.9), Sheep milk (+1.1).
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.
What balances plain yogurt (3.5%)
One container of plain yogurt (150 g) of plain yogurt (3.5%) adds +0.8 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is plain yogurt (3.5%) 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: Yogurt, plain (3.5%) (raw) has a PRAL of +0.5 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets one container of plain yogurt (150 g) of plain yogurt (3.5%)?
One container of plain yogurt (150 g) of plain yogurt (3.5%) adds +0.8 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 10 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid plain yogurt (3.5%) on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Yogurt, plain (3.5%) is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Yogurt, Plain (3.5%) logged, balance checked.
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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.