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If you’ve found yourself reaching for an antacid tablet lately, you’re not alone. Over half of
American adults suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, and approximately a third experience symptoms at least once a week. With that number growing every year, it’s no wonder antacid and acid-suppressing medications have become a massive, multi-billion-dollar global industry!
However, these medicines only mask the symptoms. They don’t address the root cause of acid reflux, which most people assume is simply too much stomach acid.
The truth is, stomach acid isn’t the enemy. It’s an essential part of healthy digestion, helping your body break down food, absorb key nutrients, and defend against harmful bacteria. But if stomach acid is designed to help your body, why does it sometimes feel like it’s working against you when that familiar burning sensation creeps up?
The answer may surprise you.
Let’s take a look at what really causes acid reflux, the different ways stress affects digestion, and how supporting gut health as a whole can help you feel your best.
What Causes Acid Reflux?
Your stomach was designed to handle highly acidic digestive juices, but the esophagus is far more sensitive. So when stomach acid works its way into the esophagus, it can cause reflux symptoms including:
- Indigestion
- Bloating
- Frequent burping
- Burning sensations in the chest
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bad breath
- Tooth decay
- Abdominal pain
- Difficulty swallowing
The problem isn’t the amount of stomach acid, but where this acid ends up. The lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which acts as a valve between the esophagus and stomach, is designed to keep stomach acid where it belongs. But when it doesn’t close completely or relaxes at the wrong time, acid can travel up into the esophagus. Some underlying issues such as obesity, hiatal hernias, or pregnancy can cause this malfunction. For many of us, this can also happen:
- After an especially large meal
- With certain foods and drinks
- When lying down too soon after eating
- During periods of stress or anxiety
These triggers may increase reflux symptoms, but they don’t mean your body is producing too much acid. They’re simply contributing to the conditions that allow stomach contents to move where they don’t belong. But while this explains when reflux happens, it doesn’t fully explain why. It’s important to look beyond the symptoms to understand the root cause, starting with rethinking the common myth that reflux is caused by too much acid.
Is Too Much Acid the Problem?
The idea that your body is producing too much stomach acid is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding acid reflux. I’ve said it before: most reflux isn’t caused by too much stomach acid; it’s caused by too little.
Stomach acid helps break down protein, absorb important nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, and calcium, activate digestive enzymes, and defend against harmful bacteria that enter through food. When your stomach doesn’t produce enough acid, food isn’t fully digested and remains in the stomach longer than it should. Instead of moving smoothly through the digestive tract, that partially digested food can start to ferment. The result is pressure buildup that pushes stomach contents back up into the esophagus, causing reflux.
Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) is often mistaken for high stomach acid, leading doctors to prescribe antacids, PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors), and H2 blockers. But if low stomach acid is responsible for your reflux, these medications may actually be contributing to the underlying cause.
Signs of Too Little Stomach Acid
If you find yourself bloating after meals, seeing undigested food in stools, feeling full after only a few bites, or frequently burping, low stomach acid could be to blame. These are all signs that your digestive system might not be breaking down food as efficiently as it should.
Research suggests stomach acid production declines with age due to a natural decline in acid-producing cells in the stomach. Pair that with chronic stress, mineral deficiencies, poor diet choices, and years of using antacids, and it’s no wonder digestion becomes less efficient over time.
But when we reach for medication to alleviate reflux symptoms, we may unintentionally make the underlying problem worse by further lowering our stomach acid and weakening the digestive process. In many cases, they’re masking the symptoms, not addressing why reflux is happening.
If you’re looking to support stomach acid production with some natural remedies for acid reflux instead, try drinking lemon water or diluted apple cider vinegar before meals to help kickstart your digestive system. Eat slowly, and chew thoroughly. You can also support healthy mineral levels with Acid-Kicking Minerals to make sure your body has the minerals it needs to function properly.
Important note: Do not stop taking any prescription medications, including PPIs, without your doctor’s approval.
How Diet and Lifestyle Influence Acid Reflux
While some people have underlying medical conditions that impact the function of their LES, the foods and habits that make up our daily routines can also have a major impact on digestion. Eating large meals, lying down too soon after eating, carrying excess weight in the abdominal area, stress, smoking, and certain foods and beverages can all contribute to reflux.
Let’s dig a little deeper into how diet and lifestyle play a part in reflux.
Common Foods That Cause Acid Reflux
Many notice reflux getting worse after eating a highly processed meal, fried foods, or too many sugary treats. Even your morning cup of coffee could be contributing to reflux, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up that daily dose of caffeine or switch to a low-acid coffee brand. Coffee Alkalizer neutralizes the acidity of coffee to support gut comfort and reduce reflux.
Alcohol is another quiet culprit when it comes to reflux, but you can still enjoy your favorite drinks without suffering by adding a few drops of our Acid-Kicking Alcohol Alkalizer to help reduce next-day fatigue and nausea!
Ten of the worst foods that cause acid reflux are:
- Fried foods
- Fast foods
- Pizza
- Tomato sauce
- Spicy foods
- Coffee
- Chocolate and sugary desserts
- Peppermint
- Alcohol and carbonated beverages
- High-fat dairy products
But as I’ve said before, it’s not about giving up the foods you love. We just need to find better alternatives and add the right tools to support our bodies. Take a look at my recent post for more on these 10 Worst Foods for Acid Reflux and What to Eat Instead, and check out the 10 Best Foods to Support Healthy Digestion!
Food Sensitivities
Many people experience acid reflux because of undiagnosed food sensitivities. Some of the most common sneaky triggers are:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Soy
- Seed oils
If you suspect a food sensitivity could be to blame, try an elimination diet, removing common allergens for 3–4 weeks and reintroducing foods one at a time to pinpoint what foods are the problem.
Chronic Stress and Reflux
As I share in Get Off Your Acid, stress is the #1 cause of acid in your body. When you are experiencing chronic stress, your adrenal glands produce hormones that put your body in a state of “fight or flight.” The result? Your body becomes more acidic.
After all, during periods of stress, your body assumes you need energy, and you need it fast. Your body doesn’t know where the stress is coming from – it just senses danger! Cortisol floods your system, digestion slows down as energy is diverted elsewhere, and this decreased digestion means undigested food particles, bacteria, yeast, and toxins enter the blood where they don’t belong.
Stress is something that we’ll always have in our lives in one form or another. But more important than the amount of stress we’re experiencing is how we help our body adapt to stress. Support your body with plenty of mineral reserves and alkaline superfoods like our Acid-Kicking Greens, relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing, regular movement, quality sleep, and chiropractic care to help your nervous system stay balanced.
Healing the Root Cause
Too much stomach acid isn’t to blame for your reflux symptoms. Instead of casting stomach acid as the enemy in this story, we need to recognize the important role it plays in healthy digestion and work to support it, not suppress it. The goal is simple: create an environment where your digestive system can function the way it was designed to.
To support healthy digestion, start addressing the whole picture. Nourish your body with whole, nutrient-rich foods, manage stress, and give your digestive system the tools it needs to get the most out of what you eat.
Challenge yourself to take on one new healthy habit at a time. It can be as simple as starting daily meditation, incorporating more protein into your diet, or adding a scoop of Acid-Kicking Greens to your daily smoothies. Remember, you don’t have to give up the foods and drinks you love. It’s all about balance and giving your body the support it needs. Moderation, not deprivation.
Reflux is just the symptom, but poor digestion is the problem. Healing doesn’t happen overnight. Every choice that supports your digestion, however small, is another step towards feeling your best.
