What to drink for acid reflux: 5 drinks that help, and what to avoid

Acid reflux is stomach acid getting past the valve at the top of the stomach and into the oesophagus, where it burns. Most people get it now and then after a big, late or fatty meal; some get it most days, and that's a different conversation (see the end of this article). What you drink matters more than most people expect, both the things that help and the things that set it off. Here are the 5 drinks with the best case behind them, the ones to cut, and the habits that do more than any drink.

Why drinks matter

The valve between oesophagus and stomach (the lower oesophageal sphincter) is a ring of muscle, and a surprising number of things relax it: caffeine, alcohol, mint, chocolate and large fatty meals among them. Carbonation stretches the stomach and pushes acid upward. Anything that does the opposite, dilutes the acid, neutralises it briefly, or just avoids relaxing the valve, helps. That's the whole logic of the list below.

1. Bicarbonate of soda in water

Sodium bicarbonate is the oldest antacid there is: it neutralises acid on contact, which is why it's still an ingredient in several pharmacy antacids. For occasional heartburn, dissolve ¼ teaspoon completely in a glass of water and sip it. The fizz encourages a burp, which also eases that over-full feeling. Relief is usually quick.

The rules: it's a sodium salt, so it counts towards salt intake; keep it occasional, not daily; take it at least 2 hours away from prescription medicines; and skip it if you have kidney or liver disease or high blood pressure, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or for a child under 5, unless a doctor or pharmacist says otherwise. More isn't better, and the old "1 teaspoon in a glass" advice is 4 times what you need. For the full picture, including what bicarb can't do, read our bicarbonate of soda guide.

2. Water, and plenty of it

The least exciting answer and often the most useful. A glass of still water after a meal dilutes stomach acid and helps clear any that has reached the oesophagus back down. Keep it still; sparkling water stretches the stomach and can make things worse. Cold or room temperature doesn't matter.

3. Ginger or chamomile tea

Ginger has a long record for settling nausea and helping the stomach empty, which takes pressure off the valve. Chamomile is mild and caffeine-free, which is most of its value here. Brew either weak, drink it warm rather than hot, and leave out the honey if sweet things set you off. Skip anything with mint in it: peppermint is one of the best-documented valve relaxers and makes reflux worse, however soothing it sounds.

4. Low-fat milk or plant milk

Milk is a mixed case. It coats and briefly buffers, so a small glass can take the edge off, but full-cream milk's fat slows stomach emptying and can bring the burn back worse an hour later. If milk helps you, make it low-fat, or an unsweetened oat or almond milk, and keep the glass small.

5. Aloe vera juice

The one on this list with the thinnest evidence, included because so many people ask. Aloe is soothing on contact and a few small trials have reported less heartburn with a decolourised, purified juice. Buy one labelled for drinking (the whole-leaf latex is a laxative, which you don't want), start with a small amount, and judge it by whether it helps you. It's not a substitute for the habits below.

Drinks that make reflux worse

• Coffee and other caffeinated drinks, including strong tea and energy drinks. Caffeine relaxes the valve.
• Alcohol, especially wine and beer, and especially with a meal.
• Fizzy drinks, sweet or sugar-free, including sparkling water. The gas does the damage.
• Citrus and tomato juice: already acidic, and they irritate an oesophagus that's sore.
• Peppermint tea and anything mint-flavoured.
• Hot chocolate and chocolate milk. Chocolate relaxes the valve and is usually fatty.

The habits that do more than any drink

The research is consistent that these beat any single remedy. A 2021 study that followed nearly 43,000 women found that 5 habits together were linked to about 37% fewer reflux symptoms: a normal body weight, not smoking, daily moderate exercise, no more than 2 cups of coffee, tea or fizzy drink a day, and a diet built around vegetables, fruit and whole grains rather than processed food. Each habit on its own helped a little; together they helped a lot.

• Finish eating 3 hours before bed. Lying down with a full stomach is the single most common trigger for night-time reflux.
• Raise the head of the bed by 15 cm to 20 cm with blocks under the legs. Extra pillows don't work; they bend you at the waist and add pressure.
• Smaller meals, more often. A full stomach pushes on the valve.
• Lose a little weight if you're carrying extra around the middle. This is the best-evidenced lifestyle change of all: even a modest loss reduces symptoms.
• Loosen the waistband. Tight belts and shapewear press on the stomach.
• Find your own triggers. The usual list is fatty and spicy food, onions, garlic, chocolate and the drinks above, but it varies. A week of notes tells you more than any list.
• Deal with the stress. Stress doesn't make more acid, but it makes you feel it more and pushes you towards the habits that cause it. Our stress article has the things that worked for me.

When it's more than heartburn

Reflux more than twice a week for several weeks is called GORD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in the UK spelling; GERD in the US), and it needs a doctor, not a home remedy, because acid sitting in the oesophagus over years can damage it. See a doctor promptly, rather than reaching for bicarb, if you have trouble or pain swallowing, you're losing weight without trying, you're vomiting, your stools are black, or the "heartburn" comes with chest pressure, breathlessness or pain spreading to the arm or jaw, which can be a heart problem and is an emergency.

Frequently asked questions

How much bicarbonate of soda for heartburn?
¼ teaspoon dissolved completely in a glass of water, occasionally. Not daily, not more than that at a time, and not at all if you're in one of the groups listed above.

Is pharmaceutical-grade bicarb different from baking soda?
Chemically identical: both are sodium bicarbonate. The grade is about purity and consistency, which matters more for something you swallow than for something you bake with. Baking powder is different (bicarb plus a dry acid) and isn't for this.

Does alkaline water help reflux?
It's mildly alkaline, so it can briefly take the edge off, much as still water does. There's no good evidence it does more than that, and it doesn't change your body's pH (see our alkaline diet article).

Does apple cider vinegar help?
It's acid. Some people swear by it; the evidence is anecdotal, and for a sore oesophagus it's as likely to sting as to help. If you try it, dilute it heavily.

Can I use bicarb instead of my prescribed reflux medicine?
Not without talking to the doctor who prescribed it. Those medicines are prescribed for reasons that can include protecting the oesophagus, and stopping them is a decision to make together.

The sources

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for GER and GERD. The trigger-food and lifestyle list. View →
• Mehta RS et al. (2021). Association of diet and lifestyle with the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms in US women. JAMA Internal Medicine 181:552–554. 42,955 women; the 5 habits. View →
• Ness-Jensen E, Hveem K, El-Serag H, Lagergren J (2016). Lifestyle intervention in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 14:175–182. Systematic review: weight loss and head-of-bed elevation best supported. View →

Find out more

• Bicarbonate of soda: facts, health benefits and safe uses
• The alkaline diet: what it can and can't do, and where bicarb fits
• Tips to reduce stress naturally
• 6 health benefits of staying hydrated

This article is general information, not medical advice. Frequent reflux, or any of the warning signs above, needs a doctor.

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