Drinking coffee can cause some people to suffer from heartburn. This is called acid indigestion or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) which is when stomach acid rises and damages the esophagus. It often makes doing anything painful and uncomfortable for the sufferer.
To manage your acid reflux, we must first identify what exactly causes the condition. Everyone has a different GERD trigger, and most people usually have multiple triggers. This is what makes identifying them difficult.
To solve this, you should try experimenting and focusing on one potential trigger each time. If you think that your acid refluxes are caused by coffee, try stopping or limiting the amount of coffee you drink for a week and see the result.
There are a number of things that can cause GERD. Let’s dive into it so you can identify them later on.
Dietary Triggers
The amount of acid in your stomach is greatly influenced by the food you eat. Consuming unhealthy things like fatty food, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and sugar will cause your stomach acid levels to rise.
However, you not only need to avoid unhealthy food but also make sure to consume enough healthy ones. Adding healthy, natural acids (such as by eating an apple after a meal) has been proven to reduce or completely stop heartburn in some people.
Physical Reasons
Some mechanical causes can also result in acid indigestion:
- Laying down immediately after eating
- Exercising immediately after eating
- Often wear tight clothing that constricts the abdominal area
- Eating too often
- Eating too fast
Drinking Coffee That Minimizes GERD
Do you think that caffeine is the main trigger for your GERD but you still want to enjoy a cup of joe every once in a while?
No worries, we got you covered.
Here are some changes you can make to limit your acid reflux:
- Use decaf coffee beans that were processed using the mountain water method. Using water to facilitate extraction will reduce the amount of acid in your coffee.
- Switch to Sumatran and Mexican coffee beans. They are famed for their low acidity and are commonly enjoyed by those suffering from GERD.
- Switch to dark roast; the darker it is, the lower the acidity.
- Try brewing with the Toddy coffee brew system. This method is well known for producing excellent and affordable water extract coffee that is low in oil and acidity.
