The cocoa powder in chocolate is acidic and may cause your symptoms to increase. Cocoa can cause the intestinal cells that relax the esophageal sphincter to release a surge of serotonin. When this muscle relaxes, gastric contents can rise.
8 Foods that make acid reflux worse
Chocolate — Everyone's favorite treat comes with a dark side; chocolate contains caffeine, cocoa, and plant chemicals that can all trigger heartburn. Also, a chemical in cocoa relaxes the LES, making it easier for stomach contents to leak into your esophagus.
Water is a neutral acid- base, with a pH of 7.0, and chocolate products have pH levels close to neutral, between 6.3 and 6.7 (whole milk has a pH of 6.7, which no one thinks of as acidic).
Compared with ingestion of a dextrose control solution of similar volume, osmolality, and calories, postprandial ingestion of chocolate resulted in a significant increase in acid exposure in the first postprandial hour in patients with esophagitis.
Cocoa butter contains several different fatty acids, primarily oleic acid, stearic acid and palmitic acid. In melted chocolate, the fatty crystals are separate.
Brewed cacao has near alkaline pH levels if you're into that kind of thing. Basically, it's significantly less acidic than coffee and is not a likely culprit for digestive disasters.
Other dairy products like butter, hard cheeses, cottage cheese, and ice cream are also acid-forming. Yogurt and buttermilk are alkaline-forming foods despite having low pH levels between 4.4 and 4.8.
The bottom line. Many doctors would advise against eating chocolate if you have acid reflux. As with many other conditions, your reflux will likely be unique to you. This means that what triggers and what improves acid reflux symptoms can vary depending on the person.
Bananas. “Bananas are generally considered to be alkaline in nature and not acidic,” says Patrick Takahashi, MD, a gastroenterologist at St.
Milk is presumed to be alkaline, although it actually comes in at between pH 6.5 and 6.7 which makes it slightly acidic Therefore, it can neutralize stomach acid to some degree but not as much as you might assume.
Traditionally, chocolate has been viewed as a potential trigger for gut symptoms like pain, cramping, bloating, gas and diarrhea. This is because chocolate, particularly milk chocolate, contains a lot of sugar, including lactose, milk proteins and fat – all of which can cause symptoms in susceptible persons.
Yogurt that is not too sour is also excellent for acid reflux, because of the probiotics that help normalize bowel function. Yogurt also provides protein, and soothes stomach discomfort, often providing a cooling sensation. It is easy to choose foods by looking them up to see how acidic they are.
Yogurt, though acidic in nature, is a low acid-forming food, because it does not affect the acid-alkaline balance of the body.
Milk and dairy products are high in fat and tend to make heartburn worse. When you have frequent GERD symptoms, like heartburn, eating high-fat dairy products like cheese can aggravate your symptoms. Furthermore, cold dairy products like ice cream can actually numb and inhibit the lower esophageal sphincter's function.
Water. In general, drinking water can help balance the pH of a particularly acidic meal, which may help to lower the risk of acid reflux. Studies show that drinking mineral water with a high hydrogen carbonate content can help to alleviate the frequency and severity of acid reflux.
Just like food, if you drink a lot of liquid, even water, this can put more pressure on the stomach and the LES and makes it much more likely for acid reflux to happen. Lower your liquid intake as you're approaching bedtime. Try to stop half an hour before you get in bed.
2. Bananas. This low-acid fruit can help neutralize stomach acid by coating an irritated esophageal lining. And not only are bananas alkaline, they're also rich in pectin — a soluble fiber that helps keeps food flowing nicely through the digestive tract.
Milk and other dairy foods are not acid producing and do not make the body acidic. Systemic or blood pH is not influenced by diet. Milk, cheese and yoghurt are the richest sources of calcium in the Australian diet while also supplying phosphorus, protein and other bone building nutrients.
There are different types of blueberries, and the pH level also varies. However, the scale usually falls between 3.11 and 3.35. As a result, these fruits are classified as acidic. However, there is no danger in enjoying blueberries in moderation.
The acids contained in honey (which we'll explore more below) make it relatively acidic (probably more so than you might guess): “Honey contains a number of acids which include amino acids (0.05-0.1%) and organic acids (0.57%, range: 0.17-1.17%). The average pH of honey is 3.9 (with a typical range of 3.4 to 6.1).”