Worst Foods for Acid Reflux During Pregnancy (& Natural Remedies That Work) 

Pregnancy cravings are no joke. One week it’s tacos, the next it’s orange juice, and sometimes it’s both in the same sitting (don’t ask me how I know). The problem? Every craving seemed to come with a side of acid reflux or fire-breathing heartburn. By my second trimester, I’d basically become a walking reflux machine.

At first, I blamed myself. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone for the spicy curry (even though my craving demanded it). But soon I realized it wasn’t just the food. Between hormones loosening everything up, a baby pressing on my stomach, and digestion slowing to a crawl, I could get heartburn from even just a single slice of plain toast.

The truth? Some foods really do make it worse, and once you know the culprits, you can dodge the worst offenders (or at least prepare with remedies when you can’t resist). 

Here’s your guide to the worst foods for acid reflux during pregnancy and the natural, pregnancy-safe fixes that help.

At a Glance: Worst Foods for Acid Reflux During Pregnancy

Here’s a quick cheat sheet of the most common triggers and some gentler swaps that won’t have you sitting upright at 2 a.m.

Why Pregnancy = Reflux City

Up to 80% of pregnant women deal with heartburn and acid reflux, and it’s not just because of cravings. Three things gang up on you at once:

• Hormones: Progesterone relaxes your lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the “lid” that normally keeps acid in your stomach.
• Baby real estate: As your uterus grows, it squishes your stomach and forces acid upward.
• Slower digestion: Food lingers longer in your stomach, giving reflux more time to strike.

Put that together, and even foods you normally tolerate (like oatmeal or apples) can betray you. 

The Worst Foods for Acid Reflux During Pregnancy

Let’s break down the offenders one by one. These are the foods most likely to turn a normal dinner into a midnight reflux episode.

Spicy Foods

• Irritate the esophagus lining
• Increase stomach acid production
• Worse at night if eaten before bed

Pregnancy cravings and spicy food go hand in hand. Unfortunately, the burn you feel on your tongue is nothing compared to the fire that comes later in your chest. Spicy foods can irritate the lining of your esophagus and ramp up acid production, making them a double trigger.

I learned this the hard way after demolishing a plate of enchiladas at 10 p.m. The heartburn kept me awake until sunrise. Swapping jalapeños for milder herbs (like basil or dill) gave me enough flavor without the reflux fallout.

Tomatoes & Tomato-Based Sauces

• High in natural acids
• Easily cause throat burn
• Common in “comfort food” meals

Pizza. Pasta. Chili. All the good things. And yet, tomatoes are one of the most acidic foods out there, making them a top pregnancy heartburn trigger. Even a small bowl of tomato soup set me off during my second trimester.

I started swapping tomato sauce for creamy pesto or roasted red pepper sauce, and it made a world of difference. Roasted peppers give you a similar color and richness without the acid overload.

Citrus Fruits & Juices

• Highly acidic
• Quickly irritate the throat
• Juices concentrate the acid

Nothing sounds better in the morning than a glass of orange juice, until the burn kicks in. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are acidic enough to trigger reflux almost instantly.

I swapped OJ for watermelon and honeydew, which were hydrating and sweet without torching my throat. Bananas became my go-to “morning fruit” when citrus was off the table.

Chocolate

• Relaxes LES
• Contains caffeine
• Common late-night craving

This one hurt. Chocolate isn’t just acidic; it also contains caffeine and a compound that relaxes the LES. Translation: acid slips through more easily, and you get the double whammy of burn and jitters.

I switched to fruit-based desserts or the occasional carob bar when I couldn’t take it anymore. Was it the same? No. Did it save me from pacing the kitchen at 3 a.m. with acid reflux? Yes.

Fried & Fatty Foods

• Delay gastric emptying
• Increase pressure on stomach
• Trigger reflux even hours later

Greasy foods slow digestion, which means your stomach stays full longer and pushes harder against your LES. Burgers, fries, and fried chicken are some of the worst culprits.

Air-frying potatoes and baking chicken gave me the “crunch” without the full reflux backlash. Not the same as takeout, but a decent compromise.

Caffeine (Coffee, Tea, Soda)

• Relaxes LES
• Stimulates stomach acid
• Often worsens sleep disruption

That morning cup of coffee? Yeah, it betrayed me. Caffeine relaxes the LES and stimulates acid production, which is a nightmare combo during pregnancy. And sadly, caffeinated sodas are no better.

Switching to chamomile tea or caffeine-free alternatives helped, though I’ll admit decaf coffee was a pale substitute.

Carbonated Drinks

• Expands stomach with gas
• Adds pressure to LES
• Common hidden trigger

Sparkling water seemed like a safe alternative until I realized the bubbles were making things worse. Carbonation creates gas, which expands your stomach and shoves acid upward.

Once I ditched the fizz, my heartburn episodes cut in half. Infused still water (I like a mix of cucumber and strawberries) gave me flavor without the fizz-fueled reflux.

Onions & Garlic

• Relax LES
• Common in many recipes
• Sneaky culprits in sauces

I love cooking with garlic and onions, but both relax the LES and can trigger reflux. Even “hidden” amounts in soups and sauces were enough to set me off.

Shallots and fresh herbs became my new flavor base. They gave me depth without the next-day burn.

Peppermint

• Relaxes LES
• Misleading “soothing” reputation

Peppermint tea is often marketed as soothing, but for reflux, it’s the opposite. Peppermint relaxes the LES and makes acid more likely to creep upward.

I learned to swap peppermint tea for chamomile, which calmed things down instead of making them worse.

Processed Snacks & Sweets

• High fat and sugar
• Spike digestion and reflux
• Easy to overeat, especially at night

Chips, candy, and pastries combine high fat and sugar with little nutritional value. They overload your digestive system and fuel reflux like nothing else.

Switching to plain crackers, yogurt, or fresh fruit gave me something satisfying without the burn.

When Everything Feels Like a Trigger for Acid Reflux

Here’s the hard truth: sometimes it’s not about the food at all. By the time your baby is pressing on every square inch of your stomach and hormones have your digestion on slow-mo, even “safe” foods like plain toast or oatmeal can set off reflux.

When it feels like everything triggers heartburn or acid reflux, the best approach isn’t to starve yourself (seriously, don’t). It’s to focus on how you eat, not just what you eat:

• Stick to smaller, more frequent meals so your stomach never gets too full.
• Leave 2–3 hours between your last meal and bedtime to give digestion a head start.
• Elevate your head and torso when resting; gravity really does make a difference.
• Layer in pregnancy-safe remedies (see below) so you’re not battling symptoms empty-handed.

If everything feels like a trigger all the time, it’s also worth checking in with your OB or midwife to make sure nothing else is going on.

Natural Remedies That Can Help Acid Reflux When You’re Pregnant

Let’s face it, sometimes you’re going to eat the pizza, or the chocolate, or both. That’s when it helps to have a stash of natural, pregnancy-safe remedies that calm things down.

1. Reflux Gourmet Rescue Gel

I didn’t believe a dessert-flavored gel could help reflux. The Vanilla Caramel Rescue and Mint Chocolate Rescue are delicious. A teaspoon after dinner became my ritual, and I appreciated that there were no side effects, just sweet relief.

Reflux Gourmet works by using kelp-derived alginate to form a raft-like barrier that physically blocks reflux. Unlike meds, it doesn’t mess with your acid production; it just keeps the acid where it belongs. It’s safe for pregnancy and daily use.

2. Reflux Gourmet Gum

If you aren’t in the mood for a gel, chew gum. The Reflux Gourmet Gum is sugar-free, gluten-free, and surprisingly tasty. It also doubles up on acid reflux relief by boosting saliva (your natural antacid) while delivering a light alginate coating.

It gave me enough relief to get through without whipping out a tube of gel. Bonus: it also helped nausea on rough days.

3. Sea-Band Ginger Gum

This one is an anti-nausea gum, but it turned out to help with acid reflux. Ginger calms both nausea and mild reflux, and chewing keeps saliva flowing.

During my first trimester, when I was battling nausea and reflux, this gum got me through grocery runs without disaster. I alternated it with the berry-flavored Reflux Gourmet Gum. 

4. RefluxRaft

RefluxRaft was the brand I wanted to love. The Lemon Ginger and Berry flavors worked, but the texture was thick, like medicinal honey. Their Midnight Berry PM formula with melatonin helped me sleep better, even though the dreams were vivid and wild.

That said, I appreciated the herbal boost (ginger and licorice) on days I wanted something beyond plain alginate. It didn’t work as consistently as Reflux Gourmet, but it was a decent back-up.

5. Khelp

If texture is your dealbreaker, Khelp is your answer. Pop two capsules after meals or before bed, and they dissolve into an alginate gel once inside your stomach. No flavors, no sticky spoons, just discreet protection.

I leaned on these for bedtime reflux. They worked especially well for my throat-based reflux (LPR), which left me hoarse in the mornings before I found Khelp.

6. Gaia Herbs Reflux Relief

The Gaia Herbs Reflux Relief chewable blends marshmallow root, chamomile, licorice, and aloe. The flavor is herbal-sweet, and it’s gentle enough for soothing throat irritation or light reflux flare-ups.

I used it alongside alginate therapy, never as a replacement. Because it contains licorice and chamomile, I always double-checked with my OB before daily use, but as a supplement, it felt calming and supportive.

7. DGL Licorice

Regular licorice root is a pregnancy no-go, but DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) removes the risky compound. What’s left is a chewable tablet that coats your esophagus and stomach lining with a mild sweetness.

On nights when my throat felt raw, this was my fix. It didn’t shut off acid, but it made the burn so much more tolerable.

8. Marshmallow Root

No, not the s’mores kind. Marshmallow root is a demulcent herb that coats irritated tissue and calms inflammation. I tried it as a weak tea on my OB’s advice, and it felt like a gentle buffer for my esophagus.

It’s not a miracle cure, but paired with diet tweaks, it gave me more comfort than I expected. There’s also capsules if the tea isn’t your style. 

Always worth running past your provider before adding it, though.

9. Coconut Water

It’s cooling, hydrating, and naturally alkaline. Coconut water won’t stop a major reflux flare, but sipping half a glass after dinner helped take the edge off mild burn. It was especially handy during hot summer days when I was a bit dehydrated.

If you have gestational diabetes, just watch the natural sugars. Otherwise, it’s a refreshing and gentle fix.

FAQs About Heartburn Triggers and Remedies

Pregnancy Heartburn Doesn’t Get the Last Word

Pregnancy heartburn is brutal, and giving up favorite foods makes it even tougher. The key isn’t total deprivation, it’s knowing your triggers, swapping smartly, and keeping natural remedies on hand when cravings win.

Because let’s be honest: you’re going to eat the chocolate eventually. The trick is having a plan to calm the fire after. With alginate gels, ginger gum, coconut water, and a wedge pillow, you don’t have to white-knuckle your way through nine months of reflux.