5 Coffee Hacks For Acid Reflux
5 Coffee Hacks For Acid Reflux
For everyone who deals with reflux, there are a number of really frustrating limitations to what you can eat or drink. Unfortunately, many times the drink that triggers reflux is coffee. That’s why we’ve come up with 5 Coffee Hacks for Acid Reflux.
Personally, I love coffee. I crave coffee. I don’t drink a ton of it, but I definitely drink it every day, and every stinking day I get hit with that burning sensation we’re all familiar with. Even as I’m drinking it I’m thinking to myself “Happy now, sad later”.
A Couple of Reasons Why Coffee Cause Acid Reflux
Number one: caffeine can cause the Lower Esophageal Sphincter to relax which can allow acid to back up.
Number two: the high acidity of coffee can cause your already acidic stomach to produce MORE acid. It can be difficult to figure out which mechanism is affecting you, but experimenting is the key.
So, I started doing some research into coffee alternatives and coffee hacks for acid reflux. In the hopes, that maybe I can keep my favorite morning routine without paying a price.
Non-Coffee Alternative Hacks:
Ok, let’s talk about these 5 coffee hacks for acid reflux. First, let’s begin with non-coffee alternatives. If you’re a coffee snob (raising my hand), then these may not be for you, but they may be a great option to keep you in a coffee-adjacent routine without heartburn.
Non-Coffee Alternative Hack #1: Tea
Tea can be a great switch for some people looking to address both acidity and caffeine, but it’s not as simple as that. Different teas have very different levels of acidity and caffeine.
The three main categories of tea are black, green, and herbal. Black tea has roughly half the caffeine of coffee, but only slightly less acidity. Green tea has about ¼ of the caffeine and is slightly alkaline, which is great in terms of acidity. Herbal teas are caffeine-free and usually have neutral acidity, but watch out for anything with lemon or rosehip- major acidity!!
Here’s a recipe for a Caffeine-Free Dandelion Tea Latte that we love!
Non-Coffee Alternative Hack #2: Chicory
Chicory has a long and interesting history of use as a coffee replacer. First popularized in France during an 1800s era coffee shortage, it was a staple during the American civil war, and today still remains a New Orleans specialty.
When dried and roasted the chicory root has a flavor very similar to coffee, but often described as “nuttier and earthier”. Chicory is caffeine free and a source of a fiber called inulin, a type of prebiotic that promotes the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
So, chicory tastes like coffee AND has gut health properties? Win, win!!
Want to try a chicory coffee? Here’s a good one!
Non-Coffee Alternative Hack #3: Mushrooms
Yes, indeed. There are quite a few companies out there right now blending mushrooms with such ingredients as cacao, decaf coffee, maca, and tea for a flavorful, caffeinated, and healthy coffee drink.
For the most part, these blends are low acid and come in different levels of caffeine strength, but you may have to do some experimenting with different brands to see what suits you.
Check out La Republica Mushroom Coffee
5 Coffee Hacks for Acid Reflux
Ok, enough of this non-coffee nonsense, if you’ve read this far you want the good stuff. You want to drink REAL coffee that tastes like REAL coffee and makes you feel like REAL coffee is supposed to make you feel, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. But, there are 5 coffee hacks for acid reflux.
Coffee Hack For Acid Reflux #1: Buy a low-acid coffee.
Different coffee beans and different roasts can have wildly varying amounts of acidity. Here’s why: coffee beans are only as acidic as the soil they were grown in. Beans harvested in high-elevation volcanic soil tend to be much higher in acidity.
Think Guatemala, Peru, and Ethiopia. So, conversely, coffee grown at lower altitudes like Brazil, Hawaii, or Costa Rica will tend to have lower acidity. Be aware- low-altitude beans have a different flavor than their more elevated cousins.
Coffee Hack For Acid Reflux #2: Try a Dark Roast
For some reason this is the opposite of what it seems like should be true, but here’s what happens: As coffee is dark roasted it develops a chemical compound called NMP, and two other compounds C5HT and CGA begin to decrease. Researchers found that the balance of higher NMP and lower C5HT and CGA caused the stomach to produce less acid. Science, right?!
Coffee Hack For Acid Reflux #3: Change Up Your Brew Method
Different styles of brewing can reduce the acidity released from the beans. Temperature seems to be a big difference maker here with Aeropress and drip style brewing at lower temperatures and thus releasing less acidity. For the lowest acid cup consider cold brew. This simple method creates a beautiful nuanced flavor with almost 70% less acidity than hot brewed coffees.
If you’re not familiar with Aeropress, here it is on Amazon
Coffee Hack For Acid Reflux #4: Pay Attention To The Water
If the main ingredient in coffee is water, let’s be sure we’re using the good stuff. Sometimes tap waters are pH adjusted at levels that are above the neutral range. A simple home filtration system can ensure that your water isn’t already acidic before you start adding coffee to it.
Coffee Hack For Acid Reflux #5: Try Something Weird
Here are a couple of weird things that are proven to reduce coffee’s natural acidity:
- Add a few crushed eggshells to the grounds before you brew. Seriously! The alkaline nature of egg shells is known to offset the pH of the mix and result in a lower acid brew. One note, you definitely want to make sure they’ve been washed so there isn’t any “eggy” flavor. Ew.
- Try a ¼ teaspoon of baking soda in the grounds before brewing. Remember 7th-grade science? As a base, baking soda can be added to acidic substances to neutralize their acidity. This is why, when dissolved in water, baking soda is a natural antacid remedy. You may need to toy with this one to make sure you don’t affect the coffee flavor too much.
Ok ok, what do we all want? We want to eat and drink whatever we want with zero consequences. Am I right? The reality is that sometimes our journey to healing reflux requires that we shift our rhythms and change some things.
Fortunately, that doesn’t mean we have to give up our joie de vivre (or our coffee). It just means we may have to experiment and find a few new ways of being that bless our minds, soul, AND body. My fellow coffee snobs, you can do this! Try these 5 Coffee Hacks for Acid Reflux and let us know what you think, what you learn, and how it goes!
Looking for more helpful resources? Try these…
Download our eBook, “How To Eat, Sleep, and Breathe Your Way To Less Acid Reflux”
Top 5 Supplements for GERD and Acid Reflux
Check out more of our tasty low-acid recipes!
Skillet Turkey Meatballs in Mushroom Gravy
Hi there. What about people who use pods for Keurig machines or Nespresso. Can we simply add the baking soda in the water? and if so, how much should we be adding?
thanks so much.
Stephanie
Great question! We’ve got a review coming out of low-acid K-cups, so that may be a good option. You can actually add the baking soda directly to the coffee after you’ve made a cup. Just a pinch- like 1/16th of a tsp.
I purchased the Aeropress and what a difference! I had to go to the website to figure out how to use it (the first time was a bomb). I can drink my favorite dark, flavored coffee without creamer! It was smooth and tasted so much better! Thank you for the suggestion!
The Aeropress is a little tricky. So glad you got it! It’s been a game changer for a lot of people. The coffee does taste a lot “smoother”. 🤷♂️
I agree! Thanks to the comments on here I purchased an Aeropress and just love it! I’ve been able to drink my coffee black for the first time in years too! There’s a good video the inventor of the Aeropress has on YouTube which is very helpful in explaining how to use it. Even though the coffee is less acidic, I do limit myself to one cup in the morning and perhaps one later in the afternoon. And I only drink decaf now.