Consuming acidic foods and drinks such as jellybeans, tomatoes, or coffee may cause a burning feeling that makes you feel like a dragon on the verge of bursting into flames.

Unfortunately, that searing agony isn’t caused by dragon’s breath; it’s just heartburn, a symptom of acid reflux. It occurs when the acid in your stomach begins to irritate your esophagus.

This article will present a list of typical acidic foods that you should avoid, especially if you have acid reflux symptoms.

What Triggers Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux might be caused by your nutrition, stress level, or medical history. Whatever the cause, the food you eat might aggravate your symptoms and make you feel much worse.

Depending on the pH value, food may be acidic (pH level 0-6.9), alkaline (pH level 7.1 to 14), or neutral (pH 7). We’ve compiled a list of typical acidic foods to avoid from four categories: fruits, drinks, dairy, and snacks. Check out our list to check whether your diet is causing heartburn.

Acidic Foods to Avoid if You Suffer from Acid Reflux

Acidic Fruits

Fruits are nearly entirely acidic because they contain organic acids such as malic and citric acids, which give them their distinct sweet-sour flavor. When you have acid reflux symptoms, it may be best to avoid them.

They do, however, contain vital elements such as vitamins and minerals, as well as being high in natural fibers. If you don’t want to lose out on their health advantages, eat them in moderation or alongside alkaline meals.

From the most acidic to the least acidic, here’s a list of fruits to avoid if you have heartburn.

Lemons are quite acidic, as you will see. For vinaigrettes, we recommend substituting tomato or orange juice for the lemon juice, or skipping it entirely.

Cantaloupes, watermelons, and melons have a pH range of 5.5 to 6.5 and may be ingested in moderation. Coconut, with a pH of 7, is the only fruit that is not acidic. It is often eaten with other fruits to balance acidity.

Acidic Beverages

As difficult as it is for us to admit, the most delectable liquids we drink with our meals and snacks are acidic. We’ve collected a list of drinks that may be harmful if you have acid reflux.

Keep in mind that, like Pepsi, the pH of Coca Cola may vary based on the taste. Diet Coca-Cola, for example, has a pH of 3.2, but Cherry Coke has a pH of 2.5.

The pH of all alcoholic drinks varies based on fermentation time and additives. White wines, for example, have a pH of approximately 3, while red wines have a pH of around 3.8.

The origins of a specific brand of tea or coffee may affect the pH level of your beverage, although they are generally acidic. It also matters how you serve the beverage. Sugar will increase the acidity of your drink, however milk will lower the acidity since it is closer to 7 on the pH scale.

Carbonated beverages induce heartburn and should be avoided if you have acid reflux symptoms.

Combine watermelon juice or coconut water with sparkling water to produce a carbonated beverage replacement. They’re lower in calories, and they’ll satisfy your appetite for fizzy beverages in a healthy, equally tasty manner.

Acidic Dairy Products

Dairy, despite its delicious forms such as cheese and milk, has some strange effects on our bodies. We’re not simply talking about acid reflux here!

Dairy products have a high fat content, which may aggravate acid reflux symptoms. They are also high in lactic acid, which might be harmful to your health if you are lactose sensitive or intolerant.

Lactose intolerance is a major cause of acid reflux, so please visit your doctor if you are suffering symptoms after consuming dairy products.

Here is a list of acidic dairy items to avoid.

Depending on the brand and the length of the fermentation process, the pH of dairy products may vary somewhat.

Even though milk has a pH close to 7, which is neutral, it includes lactic acid, which may aggravate your symptoms.

Should You Try Non-dairy Options?

If you are thinking about moving to non-dairy alternatives, you should extensively examine the acidity levels of the various options. Most vegan cheeses have an acidic pH level (varying from 4.1 to 4.6), making them an unsuitable substitute. Similarly, the pH level of vegan yogurt (such as soy yogurt) ranges between 4 and 4.5.

You might choose nondairy milk since most brands are on the neutral side. Coconut milk and oat milk have pH ranges of 6.5 to 7 and 6.7 to 6.9, respectively.

With a pH of 6, almond milk is slightly more acidic than the other two, but it is still better than ordinary milk since it lacks lactic acid.

Acidic Snacks

We need food; that is all. They soothe us, take us on a wonderful trip, and help balance our blood levels before and after meals.

Because the category is broad and the alternatives are limitless, we’ll focus on the most frequent ones to avoid if you have acid reflux. Here is a list of sweet and savory foods that you should avoid.

Because of the fruit flavour, jelly beans are quite acidic. They should certainly be avoided if you have acid reflux.

Similarly, fried meals such as potato chips and french fries include a lot of processed fats that might cause gastrointestinal discomfort. If you are having symptoms, you should avoid ingesting them.

Despite having a higher pH, chocolate is still acidic enough to irritate your stomach. Beef jerky, which is high in fat and processed meat, may induce heartburn and increase acid reflux.

Conclusion

When having acid reflux symptoms, it is advised to avoid acidic meals. Acidic fruits, fizzy drinks, dairy goods, and sugar and chocolate-containing snacks might aggravate your symptoms.

For non-acidic dairy products, consider almond milk or almond milk replacements. Whole grain and pH-neutral foods, such as popcorn, may be used as snacks.

In terms of beverages, you may manufacture your own by combining mineral water (pH 7.1 to 7.5) and coconut water. Coconut is a non-acidic fruit (pH of 7) that is safe to consume.