Hummus and Acid Reflux

Acid reflux, a painful condition that can cause burning in the chest and behind the breastbone, typically stems from eating certain foods, and hummus could be a culprit. People who enjoy eating hummus could potentially still incorporate the dip into their diet by following a low-acid hummus recipe.

Acid Reflux Symptoms and Characteristics

Acid reflux — or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — is a condition characterized by the regurgitation of stomach acid back into the esophagus, according to the Cleveland Clinic. This causes pain that ranges from slight irritation near the heart region to severe burning in the chest and neck.

Occasional GERD is normal, especially if you eat something you’re not used to or more food than you typically consume. However, you should talk to your doctor if you experience any of the following, according to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders:

• Your heartburn occurs more than twice a week.
• You feel like your heartburn is getting worse than when the condition first started.
• You wake up at night in pain.
• You find swallowing difficult.
• Your heartburn causes a disruption in your quality of life because the pain interferes with your regular activities.

Your doctor will confirm your acid reflux with pH monitoring, which measures levels of acid moving back into the esophagus.

You should also be vigilant of other evidence of GERD you might experience. According to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, GERD might be present with other symptoms, such as belching, nausea, bloating, and a sudden excess of saliva.

You could find symptom relief by using proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, which reduce acid that builds up in your stomach. You can purchase these over-the-counter treatments under the names omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR), and esomeprazole (Nexium), according to the Mayo Clinic.

In addition, you can manage reflux disease through certain lifestyle changes and behaviors, which include the following, according to Harvard Health Publishing:

• Eating more slowly
• Removing foods like spicy meals, fatty meals, chocolate, garlic, tomatoes, coffee, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and mint from your diet, which tend to exacerbate GERD-related symptoms
• Sleeping with your head raised
• Losing weight if advised and maintaining a body mass index (BMI) that’s in the healthy range
• Quitting smoking

Hummus Heartburn

Hummus is a dip classically made with chickpeas, a heavy dose of garlic, oil, lemon, and tahini, although the ingredients vary. The significant amounts of both oil and tahini paste in hummus means that this food is fairly high in fat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that if you eat a 2-tablespoon (tbsp) serving of store-bought hummus, you can expect to consume 2.5 grams (g) of fat, which is about 4 percent of the daily value. This isn’t much overall, but if you have a hard time stopping at a single serving, the fat content and garlic could trigger your acid reflux.

By creating your own homemade hummus, you can make variations to the traditional recipe and reduce the amount of fat and spice. For example, consider replacing some of the olive oil and tahini paste with fat-free yogurt, says the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Because you should avoid spicy foods with GERD, any spices used in hummus recipes, such as garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes, should be removed. This makes for a much tamer version for your stomach.