Top Ways to Treat Heartburn Without Antacids

If you are reading this, it's likely you suffer from heartburn like I do and want to know alternative ways to get the painful heartburn stop without using antacids. I have suffered from heartburn since I was in my teens, mainly due to the type of foods I ate back then. I used to take antacids several times a day until I decided there must be cheaper methods, I was right and they work just as well!

Note: It's normal to have heartburn from time to time, however, if you experience it frequently you should see your doctor make sure it's not something serious.

I have not tried all the methods in this list personally, but have heard they work from friends and family. My preferred method is using Mustard as it usually works almost instantly 9 out of 10 times.

Eat 1-2 spoons full of yellow mustard (may work with others, but have not tested it). This helps relieve your heartburn by neutralizing the acidic pH levels in your stomach. Mustard is an alkalizing food and contains vinegar (a weak acid).

Simply drink a glass of water while eating a slice or two of bread. The water helps dilute the acid in the stomach in the same way you add cans of water to concentrated juice, the more you add the more diluted it gets. Eating the bread helps absorbs the acid.

Drink 3-5 cups of coconut water throughout the day on a regular base. Coconut water contains enzymes and amino acids that help aid digestion. It helps remove toxins from the bloodstream keeping it clean, which also helps digestion. Coconut water has many additional benefits as well.

Drink a glass of water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Baking soda is a natural antacid, mixed with a glass of water it can help neutralize the acid levels in your stomach and relief your heartburn caused by acid reflux and indigestion.

Using a little apple cider vinegar has been known to relieve the pain of heartburn caused by acid reflux in the similar way Mustard does. It helps neutralize the unbalanced acidic pH levels in your stomach.

Most antacids contain Magnesium Hydroxide, which helps to relieve the pain of heartburn caused by acid indigestion. You can usually find Magnesium pills in the vitamin section of the store or pharmacy. In addition to taking as suggested on the label, you can chew a tablet for quicker heartburn relief.

One would think lemon juice would make heartburn worse, however, it can actually relieve the symptoms of indigestion, bloating, gas, and cramping among many other benefits. Squeeze 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice into a glass of cool or warm (not hot) water.

Note: Packaged and pasteurized lemon juice does not aid in health! They are fine for flavor, however, for the health benefits, you should always purchase fresh lemons.

Below are some foods and drinks that are known to give you heartburn caused by acid indigestion. However, everybody is different so food that causes it for one person, may not for the other. The best way to find out what triggers symptoms for you is to test one food out at a time until you know what does and doesn't give you the symptoms of heartburn.

• Tangy citrus fruits: Oranges, grapefruits, orange juice, all these are common creators of heartburn.
• Tomatoes: They have a high acidic level and are known for causing heartburn. The same goes for tomato-based products (ketchup, sauces, etc).
• Spicy Foods: If spicy foods give you heartburn, avoid spicy foods for a while, then you can try reintroducing spicy foods at a mild rate to see if it still causes the symptoms.
• Peppermint and Alcohol: Both of these can trigger heartburn as they allow the sphincter to open which allows stomach acid to escape and cause heartburn.
• Caffeine: Consuming too much caffeine can trigger acid reflux.

• Chocolate: *sigh*, unfortunately, chocolate can also trigger acid indigestion as it relaxes the sphincter allowing it to open like peppermint and alcohol. This allows the stomach acid to flow up into the esophagus.

How often do you have heartburn?

Have you ever used a method that worked not listed above?