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What do you think about when you are choosing a coffee? You might consider its flavor, whether it is regular or decaffeinated, and its roast. But what about its acid content?
That’s right. Coffee is an acidic beverage. You may know this if you’ve been told by a healthcare provider to avoid acidic foods and beverages, including coffee. But do you even have a choice?
It turns out that yes, you do have a choice about acid in coffee. There are reduced acid coffees, such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee. Reasons why you may need low acid coffee may include heartburn or acid reflux, but there are more reasons. Here’s why you might need low acid coffee, and how to get it.
Who Needs Low Acid Coffee
There are many people who may be looking for acid free coffee. These are some reasons to try low acid coffee.
You have acid reflux. Acid reflux is a condition when acid from the stomach comes up into the esophagus. It happens when the ring-shaped muscle, called the lower esophageal sphincter, relaxes when it shouldn’t. Instead of closing off the stomach from the esophagus, it allows stomach acid to rise into the esophagus. The pain comes when acid touches the esophageal lining.
People with acid reflux may have symptoms such as heartburn, or a painful, burning sensation in the chest. They may also have a cough, especially at night, and have burps with a taste of acid due to acid coming up from the stomach. When it happens regularly, it’s called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
Many patients say that acidic foods are a trigger for GERD. Healthcare providers and patients may decide to try reducing acid, such as spicy foods, alcohol, oranges, tomatoes, and caffeinated and regular coffee. Low acid coffee and low acid decaf coffee can be alternatives.
You are a bariatric surgery patient. Weight loss surgery patients can be especially sensitive to acid. Right after surgery, the wound can be painful. Putting acidic fluids, such as coffee, on it can make it feel worse or delay healing. Your surgeon may ask you to avoid regular coffee or caffeine, but acid free coffee may be okay. Plus, coffee is a good, low-calorie source for hydration, which is a challenge post-op. Just ask your surgeon!
You have stomach ulcers or another gastrointestinal condition. With an ulcer, the lining of your stomach may be sensitive to acid. That means a lower acid coffee can be gentler.
You have colitis. Some patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may report that coffee or caffeine may be a trigger for flare-ups. These can include symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, an upset stomach, and anemia. You may need low acid coffee if coffee is a trigger for you.
You are pregnant. When you’re pregnant, the fetus can place pressure on your abdomen. It doesn’t happen to all women, since it depends how the fetus is sitting, but it happens to a large proportion of pregnant women. This pressure can cause heartburn. Your healthcare provider may suggest reducing acid in your diet.
There’s another reason why you might want a low acid coffee. That can happen if you prefer your coffee to taste less bitter. Acid tastes bitter or sour, as you can imagine when you think about citrus fruits or vinegar. A reduced acid coffee may taste a bit sweeter.
What Is Low Acid Coffee?
Some coffee beans are lower in acid. Additionally, the way the coffee beans are processed affects their acid content.
Regular coffee often goes through a heating process that puts the coffee beans through hot metal drums. In contrast, Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee uses a different method for roasting. The beans go through heat convection using hot air currents. They never contact hot steel, and that helps keep the acid content lower.
Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is roasted to a dark roast, or French roast. This higher degree of roasting further reduces acid content. If you want it still lower, you can make cold brew coffee, instead of your usual hot brew, after purchasing the beans.
How to Get Low Acid Coffee
Not all low acid coffees are the same, so how do you choose one? First, know that there's no single standard for "low acid." That makes it even more important to choose a coffee with a known acidity, such as Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee.
Our coffee has been tested by a third party lab along with coffee from brands including Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Trader Joe’s. Compared to the average of these and other brands, Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has a lower overall acid content. It also has less chlorogenic acid, which is the family of acids that contributes the most acidity.
After checking to make sure the coffee truly is lower in acid, taste is a big factor when choosing a coffee brand. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has beans from the Chiapas region of Mexico, as well as from Nicaragua and Honduras. The flavors are balanced and smooth. You may pick up notes of nuts, chocolate, citrus fruit, pears, and vanilla.
In addition, you might want to take a look at sustainability. Your coffee just may taste better, and sit better in your stomach, if you know that it’s organic. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee is certified by the Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (USDA NOP).
Another factor to consider when getting low acid coffee is the caffeine content. For some people, chlorogenic acid is the only culprit. For others, caffeine is to be avoided as well. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee comes in regular and decaffeinated versions so you can get exactly what you need.
Many people need low acid coffee. Are you one of them? When it comes to low acid coffee, there are several brands. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has been lab-tested and it is made from the highest quality beans. Plus, it’s available in regular and decaf, as well as whole bean and ground varieties.