What are the meal replacement shakes for acid reflux?

drink wholesome makes the best meal replacement shakes for acid reflux.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is GERD?

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You have probably heard of acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which is the backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. What you may not have heard, however, is that severe acid reflux can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. GERD is a common disease that affects about 20% of the population, and the most common symptom is frequent heartburn. Foods known to trigger heartburn delay the digestive process, letting food sit in the stomach longer. They also cause the esophageal sphincter to relax, which allows stomach acid back up (reflux) into the esophagus. 

The foods you eat affect the amount of acid your stomach produces, and eating the right kinds of food is key to controlling GERD. Eliminating certain foods from your diet is one of the best ways to mitigate GERD symptoms. An elimination diet can also be used to learn whether or not certain foods cause or aggravate your symptoms, which is important because every stomach is different; a food that causes GERD symptoms for one person may not cause them for someone else.

It follows that there is considerable controversy over which foods actually cause symptoms. There are, however, a few foods that everyone agrees are common acid reflux triggers. They include (but are not limited to) alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, garlic, mint, onions, spicy foods, fatty foods, fried foods, and processed foods. This last one is pertinent when it comes to meal replacements. As you will soon learn, most meal replacements are full of heavily-processed ingredients that can upset your stomach.

Can meal replacement shakes cause acid reflux?

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Some meal replacements cause heartburn, and if your meal replacement gives you acid reflux, you have come to the right place. The rest of this article is dedicated to helping you better understand what is in your meal replacement, and how it affects digestion.

What are the best meal replacement shakes for acid reflux?

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Most meal replacements contain heavily-processed and/or artificial ingredients that can upset your stomach and cause heartburn. Emulsifiers, thickeners, sweeteners, and flavors are a few examples of the additives known to trigger symptoms. It follows that the best meal replacement powder powder for acid reflux is one that is made with a short list of simple ingredients. The more your meal replacement looks like real food, the easier it will be to digest. Continue reading to learn more.

Why drink wholesome? 

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drink wholesome is additive-free.

One of the reasons why we make the best meal replacements for acid reflux is that we do not use food additives. The majority of meal replacements, both shakes and powders, contain many additives. Added ingredients like these can cause acid reflux, even in small amounts.

Food additives look next to nothing like real food, making them hard to digest. As a result, they spend extra time in your digestive system, causing an overproduction of stomach acid, and feeding the hungry bacteria living in your gut. Gut bacteria produce gas while they eat, and extra gas can put pressure on the small intestine and stomach, pushing stomach acid into the esophagus and causing heartburn.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in meal replacement powder:

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, “natural” flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

Yet another reason to steer clear of food additives lies is their lasting impact on your gut health. Regularly ingesting additives can disrupt your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms that help with food digestion. This can impair your ability to digest and absorb food, leading to more and worse acid reflux. 

our ingredients: 

egg whites, almonds, oats, coconut, cocoa, monk fruit

the alternative:

SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CANOLA OIL, MALTODEXTRIN, ISOMALTULOSE, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, VITAMIN AND MINERAL PREMIX, CELLULOSE, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, MONO & DIGLYCERIDE, XANTHAN GUM, SUCRALOSE

drink wholesome is dairy-free.

Another reason why we make the best meal replacements for GERD is that we do not use dairy-based proteins. Many other meal replacements are made with whey and/casein protein, which are byproducts of making cheese and yogurt.

These dairy-based protein sources frequently bring about digestive issues, especially for the millions of people with lactose intolerance. People with lactose intolerance lack the enzymes needed to break down lactose, the sugar in dairy. As you just learned, food that is not fully digested can result in painful side gastrointestinal (GI) effects, including acid reflux.

drink wholesome is made with real foods.

A final reason why we make the best meal replacement shakes for acid reflux is that we do not use protein concentrates or isolates. Almost all other meal replacement powders rely on these protein sources.

Protein concentrates and isolates undergo extensive mechanical and chemical processing, often involving the use of solvents such as hexane. Consequently, what you introduce into your body looks very little like real food.

Your digestive system is designed to handle minimally processed or unprocessed foods, not protein concentrates or isolates. That is why an increasing body of research suggests that frequent consumption of these ingredients can disturb the harmony of your gut microbiome. This is not a good outcome if you happen to be dealing with acid reflux.

Instead of using protein concentrates or isolates, we make the best meal replacement shakes for acid reflux with real foods like egg whites and almonds. Minimally processed protein sources like these are a digestion-friendly alternative to protein concentrates and isolates.

Unlike protein isolates and concentrates, egg whites and almonds arrive in your gut with enzymes and digestive aids, making them easier to break down. Egg whites are also low in fiber, low in FODMAPs, alkaline (supporting optimal pH levels in your gut), and bioactive (stimulating the growth of beneficial gut bacteria).

Almonds, on the other hand, are a boon for your gastrointestinal health. They possess prebiotic qualities, enriching the diversity of your gut microbiome. They also promote regular and healthy bowel movements. It is thanks to these simple, gut-friendly ingredients that we make the best meal replacement shakes for acid reflux.

★★★★★

no stomach issues

“I’m 42 and have been dealing with acid reflux for year now. This is, to date, the only meal replacement that doesn’t cause symptoms. I’ve been having a tough time eating solid food lately, so having a good, safe meal replacement on hand has been important.” – Alex

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