It’s difficult avoiding food or drinks which contain acid when you are on the go and need grab something fast. The main acidic beverage is coffee, which, while being the stuff of the gods, wreaks havoc on the systems of people with gastrointestinal conditions, such as IBS, GERD, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD), and people suffering from Interstitial Cystitis (IC).
Coffee gets a bad rap, not just for its acidic content, but its caffeine as well. However, susceptible people who think trying out a decaf to fulfill their craving might be in for the unpleasant reaction set off by decaf’s still-high acid content.
Some people like those over-the-counter acid-reducers such as Pepcid and Tagamet, but they work by inhibiting the release of stomach acid instead of lowering the food’s acid, and that leads to less beneficial digestion. In fact, counterintuitively, some people with acid-reflux and other digestive problems find that taking a little natural apple cider vinegar mixed into a glass of water (don’t try it straight, you’ll burn your throat!) relieves symptoms of discomfort.
However, people with IC tend to not tolerate acid well at all, and usually can’t consume things like vinegar without triggering a flare. Some ICers swear by Prelief, which is a tablet made of a specific type of calcium that appears to reduce the acidic content of the food while not affecting natural stomach acid needed for good digestion. I think Prelief works okay, but it’s not as portable for me, as the tablets crumble easily and carrying around the whole bottle seems impractical.
I recently found another product, JAVAcid, which contains natural ingredients to help protect your system from too much acid, while reducing some of the acid in the food itself. It’s highly portable, in single-serving packages that look like long sugar packets you find in some coffee shops. I can’t really taste it at all in coffee, which surprised me because the main ingredients include inulin and DGL licorice.
The ultimate test came when I poured some directly into a glass of water at a restaurant and had it that way. Even though the water browned up a little like I had just poured a glass of pond water, I could only barely taste anything in it. My friend sitting across the table from me who detests licorice tried it and couldn’t taste a thing.
As a student, I find myself in coffee shops to study with other students, and now I can order that decaf latte, add some JAVAcid, and not feel the consequences later. I’m even finding that while I’m currently in an IC flare, adding a packet to my water bottle helps soothe my symptoms, as well.
For those concerned about ingredients, here’s what the JAVAcid “How It Works” page has to say about their product:
JAVAcid contains only: Inulin Fiber (Prebiotic), Deglycerized Licorice root extract (DGL), Fibersol 2 (Resistant Maltodextrin), Vitamin D3 and Calcium Carbonate.
If you want to check it out for yourself, they offer a free sample package of 5 – just go to their website to find out more about ordering. It may *look* like you are paying for it, but you won’t be as long as you enter the offer code.
While it won’t cure your ails, you might get to enjoy that cup of coffee, tea, or acidic food as long as you supplement with some JAVAcid. And they offer a subscription plan so you save as well as make sure you don’t run out.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
