How to Stop Acid Reflux Spoiling Your Cup of Coffee
Most people will experience a bit of heartburn once in a while and often taking an antacid will relieve the discomfort so you can forget about it. But if you get heartburn frequently, or it feels more severe than just a bit of discomfort, then you are likely to be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD is a condition of the digestive system in which contents of the stomach flow backward, up into the esophagus, which is the swallowing tube.
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Causes of acid reflux
Along with spicy food and alcohol, coffee can also trigger the burning sensation of acid reflux. But even only drinking coffee occasionally, can still cause acid reflux, because caffeine contains natural acids. Between 42 million and 64 million adults suffer from GERD, but the good news is that it is possible to control your symptoms and still enjoy your regular cup of coffee. There are a number of acid-reducing techniques you can experiment with that could help prevent the possibility of acid reflux.
Avoiding the natural acid in coffee
Change to cold brewing
Using cold water instead of hot water to extract the flavor from the beans can be effective in minimizing the acid in the coffee. According to coffee experts, the best coffee for cold brew is coffee of medium or rough quality. These coffees are inexpensive mixes from 100% arabica.
Eggshells
Believe it or not, adding eggshells to coffee can reduce the acid content. The alkaline in eggshells neutralizes the acid in coffee beans and also decreases the bitter taste. You just need to wash and crush the eggshells and put them in with the coffee grounds in your coffee maker.
Tame your beans
A coffee tamer will help to reduce the amount of acid by around 90%, but still, keep the full coffee flavor.
Choose coffee with low acid
These offer the best of both worlds – non-acidic coffee. There isn’t any compromise on taste and reduces the discomfort of acid reflux.
Switch to dark roast
A dark roast coffee will have less acid so it is an easy way to reduce the risks.
Go low
Where the coffee beans are grown can make a huge difference to the acid content of the coffee. When they are grown at low elevations they will be less acidic.
A pinch of salt
Mixing a sprinkle of salt with the coffee beans helps to neutralize the acid.
It may take some trial and error to be able to find the right method that works for you, and you might have to use a couple of techniques. But the time and effort will be worth it if it means you can enjoy your cup of coffee without any pain or discomfort.
