Stomach pain sucks, so take a few minutes to learn about the least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients. Trust us, one day you will be thankful that you learned this information.
I’ve never had a stomach ulcer, and that’s not something I would ever like to experience in my lifetime. A stomach ulcer (also known as a peptic ulcer) is basically a sore you get in the lining of your stomach, or esophagus or small intestine. Apparently, 1 out of 10 Americans will experience one at some point in their life. While many believe that stress and eating habits result in stomach ulcers, doctors disagree. While they say this was the theory for a long time, they now believe that bacterial infections are the leading cause of stomach ulcers, according to WebMD. Other factors like excessive alcohol use, overuse of painkillers, smoking and psychological stress may “promote the development of ulcers.”
If you find yourself unlucky enough to have a stomach ulcer, you can usually tell by nausea or vomiting, pain in the stomach, bloating, pain from eating and a number of other symptoms. In most cases, ulcers can be treated by antibiotics or other prescriptions, but if you do have one, you certainly want to minimize your intake of acidic food and drinks because that will just make you even more miserable.
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Many people who suffer from ulcers might be put under stomach ulcer diet restrictions, which sucks because who wants a restricted diet? So what are the best foods to eat when you have an ulcer? Doctors suggest leafy veggies, broccoli, yogurt, apples, olive oil, berries and probiotic-rich foods are good because they help reduce and fight off the bacteria that causes the ulcers in the first place. While none of these items are full meals, they are great snacks for ulcer patients. Some of these easiest fruits to digest for constipation or upset stomach may also be useful (as long as they’re low in acidity). Diving deeper into the “stomach ulcer diet menu,” what you drink is just as important as what you eat. Pretty much any non-acidic drinks or those with low acidity will help. If you must drink alcohol (we’re not judging here) take a look at our article on the least acidic alcoholic drinks.
Now that we’ve told you the best foods for stomach ulcers (and some alcoholic drinks), we’ll get to this list of the best non-alcoholic drinks for you. For our methodology, we could only go for pH levels of soft drinks. That is because pH levels show how acidic or basic/alkaline a liquid is. A 7 on the pH scale is considered to be neutral, and the higher you get from 7, the more basic your substance is. On the other hand, the lower you go from 7, the higher the acidity of the substance. So, a 1 on the pH scale would be something extremely acidic, and a 10 would be very alkaline or basic. So, basically, a stomach ulcer patient should avoid acidic soft drinks at all costs and try to drink neutral or low acid drinks, meaning that we will be looking for drinks that have near neutral pH level, or in other words a pH level around 7. Several reliable websites like Shelton Dentistry, Live Strong, and the American Dental Association have done extensive research on this matter, and we sought help from them. Now for the ranking, we went with pH levels obviously, and the closer a drink is to the neutral mark, the higher it has been ranked on our list. Please be mindful of the fact that we are not considering any other parameters other than the pH level, because that is really the most important factor for someone suffering from the stomach ulcer.
Since everything is said and done, it is now time to get our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients started.
10. Red Diamond Tea Fresh Brewed Sweet Tea
pH level: 5.04
We are starting off our list with Red Diamond’s fresh brewed Sweet tea, which has a pH level of around 5.04. Although at this level of pH, the drink could be considered acidic, it is not acidic enough to hurt someone with a stomach ulcer. If you love tea, then you should give this product a go. We will not claim that this is the best product in the market, but you will definitely not get sicker by drinking it in moderation, considering your stomach ulcer.
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9. Starbucks Medium Roast
pH level: 5.11
At number 9 on our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients, we have medium roast coffee from Starbucks. If you love coffee and Starbucks in particular, you should definitely give the medium roast coffee a try since it has an acceptable level of pH value, which is why it’s on our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients.
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8. Milo’s No Calorie Famous Sweet Tea
pH level: 5.18
Again on our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients, we have another sweetened tea. To be honest, you can expect to see more tea and coffee in this particular list because pretty much every other beverage tends to have high acidic pH levels, and such drinks should be avoided by anyone suffering from the stomach ulcer. Milo’s no calorie sweet tea is another alternative for the tea lovers. If you are thinking about shedding a few pounds, you might want to give this drink a try.
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7. Canada Dry Club Soda
pH level: 5.24
Sodas or carbonated beverages tend to be quite acidic, and as we have mentioned before the more acidic the drink, the more it’s going to hurt your ulcer. However, Canada Dry Club Soda seems to be an exception. If you love drinking soda, then this is an excellent alternative for you. Canada Dry has quite a few products, but we are talking about their club soda specifically. If you have to drink soda, then we definitely recommend this one, which is why we put it on our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients.
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6. Black Coffee
pH level: 5.70
This one is a bit different, as we went with the generic black coffee. In general, black coffee tends to have pretty low acidity; thus you do not need to switch your favorite brand of black coffee for the sake of your stomach ulcer. So basically, you can keep drinking your black coffee without the fear of upsetting your ulcer. However, there are other substances in coffee that might cause harm to your body if you are not careful.
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4. Yoo-hoo
pH level: 6.01
We are halfway through our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients. And at the 5th place, we have Yoo-hoo. It certainly does not need any introduction, since this chocolate drink has been in operation since the 1920s. If you love chocolate flavored drinks, then you have definitely heard of Yoo-hoo. The good news is, you do not have to stop drinking Yoo-hoo if you have a stomach ulcer. As you can see, Yoo-hoo has a pH level of 6.01. At this level of pH, it is still considered to be acidic, but to be honest, it should not make your ulcer worse.
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4. Red Diamond Unsweet Tea
pH level: 6.01
We are continuing our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients with another product from the diverse product line of Red Diamond. This time it is unsweet tea, so basically if you are looking to cut down on calories, this product is for you. Being sugar high is not an ideal condition for anyone, with or without a stomach ulcer. If you are concerned with your calorie intake, then give this product a try, and you just might find your new favorite tea brand.
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3. Red Diamond Sugar Free Decaffeinated Tea
pH level: 6.30
We have now stepped into the realm of the top three in our list of least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients. The first runner-up is yet another tea from Red Diamond, and we promise this is the last Red Diamond product to be featured on this list. As you can see from the title, this tea is sugar-free and also decaffeinated. This is the go-to tea for the most health conscious among us. Indeed being health conscious is a good thing, and you should definitely pick up useful habits that will help you in the long run. And going decaf and also sugar-free is a good idea.
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2. Starbucks Caramel Latte
pH level: 6.36
When it comes to coffee, you can rely on Starbucks for good. Their latte product line is really good for you, if you are suffering from stomach ulcer — well, it at least won’t make it worse. If you love a latte then you will not have to make any adjustments on account of your stomach ulcer, you are free to drink your favorite latte without the fear of making it worse.
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1. Borden Vitamin D Milk
pH level: 6.90
The final entry in our list is the Borden Vitamin D Milk. This is a great product overall considering it’s the milk that has been boosted with vitamins for extra effectiveness. Milk is good for stomach pain from ulcers, and this specific brand of milk seems to have a near neutral level of pH value, which is optimal if you are trying to avoid acidic drinks. Pretty much any milk will be your best bet though when it comes to the least acidic drinks for stomach ulcer patients.
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