How to Decrease Stomach Acid: Can Natural Remedies Help?

A number of foods can trigger acid symptoms. These are sometimes unique to each person, but there are some common culprits that tend to cause heartburn or GERD. Try to limit or eliminate these items from your diet to avoid triggering your symptoms.

1. 1
   Avoid fatty, fried, and processed meals. These foods digest more slowly and trigger more acid production. Reduce your intake of fried or processed foods, or items high in saturated fats like red meat. ^[10]

   • Try other cooking methods instead of frying. Grilling, broiling, or baking all reduce the saturated fat content in foods.
2. 2
   Consume fewer acidic fruits and vegetables. In particular, citrus fruits like lemons and oranges and tomatoes can increase your stomach acid. Try to limit the number of these items in your diet. ^[11]

   • Products that use these ingredients, like tomato sauce or orange juice, could also bother you, so try to avoid these.
   • Some people tolerate raw tomatoes better than cooked ones, so try eating tomatoes raw to see if this helps you.
3. 3
   Limit your intake of chocolate and mints. Chocolate, spearmint, and peppermint tend to trigger acid pain. Avoid these items altogether if they bother you. ^[12]
4. 4
   Add mild spices to your foods. Spicy foods are a common heartburn trigger, especially ingredients like cayenne or red pepper. Flavor your food with milder spices like sweet chili powder or black pepper instead. ^[13]

   • You might be able to tolerate small amounts of spice, so add some little by little if you like spicy food. This way, you can discover your tolerance limit.
5. 5
   Use less garlic on your food. Garlic is a common heartburn trigger, including fresh and powdered varieties. If you notice heartburn after eating foods with garlic, then try reducing the amount of garlic you use or eliminating it altogether. ^[14]

   • If you're at a restaurant, you could tell the server that you're sensitive to garlic and need the chef to use less in your dish.
6. 6
   Drink uncarbonated beverages. Even sugar-free seltzer could trigger acid reflux by pushing acids into your esophagus. It’s best to avoid all carbonated beverages while you’re eating so you can digest your meal without any problems. ^[15]

   • You might be able to drink carbonated beverages in between meals, since there will be less acid in your stomach when you aren’t eating.
7. 7
   Reduce your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Both of these items can trigger acid reflux, so control the amount that you drink. Limit your caffeine consumption to 2-3 drinks per day, and don’t have more than 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day. ^[16]

   • If either of these items triggers your symptoms, you might want to cut them out altogether.
8. 8
   Keep track of foods that trigger your symptoms. While some foods commonly trigger acid reflux symptoms, the condition is still personal to each person. Some foods might bother you and some might not. The best thing to do is make a list of the foods that make your symptoms worse and avoid them. ^[17]
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Besides managing your diet, there are several other lifestyle changes you can make to reduce the amount of acids in your stomach. Overeating and moving around too much after you eat are common reasons for heartburn, so be mindful of how full you feel while you’re eating. With these additional management techniques, you could prevent heartburn from starting after you eat.

1. 1
   Eat slowly to avoid overeating. Eating too fast is a common way that people end up overeating, so slow down during your meals. Take a bite and chew it completely before swallowing. Don’t lift up another bite until you’ve swallowed the previous one. ^[18]

   • A common trick for making yourself eat slowly is counting the number of times you chew each bite. Try this if you have trouble slowing down while you eat.
2. 2
   Stop eating when you feel full. Don’t force yourself to continue eating when you start feeling full. Otherwise, you’ll end up overeating and triggering heartburn. ^[19]

   • If you’re at a restaurant, ask for a box to take your food home. This way, you’ll avoid overeating and have a snack for later.
3. 3
   Have more small meals instead of larger ones. Larger meals put more pressure on your stomach and can trigger heartburn. Instead of 3 large meals each day, try having 5 smaller ones. This prevents you from getting too full during your meals. ^[20]

   • An ideal meal size is about 400-500 calories. This would keep your daily caloric intake around 2,000-2,500 calories. ^[21]
4. 4
   Stand or sit upright for 2 hours after you eat. Laying backwards pushes acid into your esophagus and can trigger heartburn. Rather than laying back, sit or stand upright so gravity pulls the acids downward instead. ^[22]
5. 5
   Wait 2-3 hours to exercise after you eat. Exercising too soon after eating can upset your stomach. Allow a few hours before exercising to make sure you’ve digested the meal enough. ^[23]

   • The exact amount of time to wait depends on the exercise you’re doing. Your stomach should be empty for endurance exercises like running. However, if you’re lifting weights, there won’t be as much up and down motion, so you don’t have to wait as long.
6. 6
   Wear loose-fitting clothes so you don't compress your stomach. Tight clothing can press down on your stomach and force acid into your esophagus. Wear clothing that doesn't press down on your stomach or abdomen to avoid acid pains. ^[24]
7. 7
   Sleep on an incline to prevent nighttime reflux. Sleeping flat could cause acid to flow backwards. If you regularly suffer from nighttime heartburn, try placing an extra pillow under your shoulders so your body tilts upward instead. ^[25]

   • You could also get an adjustable bed that tilts upward to make sleeping on an angle easier.
8. 8
   Maintain a healthy bodyweight. Being overweight puts more pressure on your stomach, so talk to your doctor to find out if you should lose weight. If so, then design a diet and exercise regimen to reach and maintain a healthy bodyweight. ^[26]
9. 9
   Quit smoking or avoid starting altogether. Smoking significantly increases your risk of developing acid reflux or GERD. It’s best to quit as soon as possible or avoid starting altogether. ^[27]

   • Secondhand smoke can also cause problems like these, so don’t let anyone smoke in your home.
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There are many reported home remedies for heartburn, but many of them aren’t very effective. A few, however, do have some science behind them. If you try to manage your heartburn but still experience a flare-up, then these remedies might help. Try them out for yourself to see if they work. If not, you can take an antacid tablet instead.

1. 1
   Sip ginger tea when you feel heartburn coming on. Ginger naturally soothes the stomach, so some ginger tea could help relieve GERD symptoms. Brew a cup and sip it if you feel some acid pains starting. ^[28]

   • Ginger tea comes in teabags, or you could brew your own by boiling a small piece of fresh ginger and straining it out.
2. 2
   Drink baking soda and water to neutralize acid. Baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, is alkaline and can neutralize stomach acids. This is why it’s used in many antacid medications. Stir 1/2 teaspoon into a glass of water and drink the whole thing. You can repeat this 3-4 times per day if you need to. ^[29]

   • You should check with your doctor before using this treatment to make sure it’s safe for you.
3. 3
   Try honey and lemon water to soothe your stomach. This could also neutralize stomach acids. Squeeze a spoonful of fresh lemon juice into a glass of water and dissolve a spoonful of honey into it. Sip on this mixture to see if it improves your symptoms. ^[30]

   • You could also mix honey and lemon into ginger tea for a combined treatment.
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