Tea Time for Heartburn Relief

Time for tea? More like time for relief from acid reflux and heartburn in Atlanta and Macon.

Soda, coffee, red wine, whole milk—it seems that every day brings another type of beverage that you shouldn’t be drinking with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It’s true that many different types of drinks can cause heartburn, and Macon and Atlanta residents need to be careful to moderate their consumption unless they want to end up with an evening full of acid reflux.
Let’s take a step away from the thoughts on all you can’t be having and think instead on what you can be adding to your diet. Decaffeinated green and herbal teas are low-calorie, low-acid and low-heartburn beverages that you can enjoy without the looming threat of acid reflux.

Why Tea?

Tea is made with the leaves of special plants and water. The flavor and nutrients of the leaves are absorbed into the water as it steeps, so you get the nutritional benefits of the plants without actually ingesting them.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you brew tea for heartburn relief:

• Not all teas are decaffeinated. When you are purchasing a tea for acid reflux relief, make sure to find an herbal blend or green tea that is caffeine-free. Some teas are chemically decaffeinated, but there are plenty of teas that are naturally caffeine free and are beneficial for heartburn relief.
• Avoid mint infused teas. Mint has the potential to trigger acid reflux, so it is best to find an herbal blend that is free of spearmint, peppermint and any other sort of mint variety.
• Skip the add-ins. One of the health benefits of tea is its naturally low-calorie content. Unfortunately, this can be destroyed by adding sugar, cream and honey to tea. Many herbal tea varieties are already incredibly sweet, so try enjoying the beverage as-is before adding more ingredients to it.
• Tea is great hot and cold. You don’t need to sip a cup of hot tea to get these health perks. Any tea can be turned to an iced beverage by simply steeping several bags in a small amount of water and then adding plenty of cold water and ice. The concentrated tea-infused water will be stronger than normal, so will carry the flavor when more water and ice are added.

The next time you feel a bit of heartburn coming on, try having a cup of tea before the pain becomes overwhelming. Calming your nerves about the potential bout of reflux might help reduce your heartburn.