Why Does Peanut Butter Give Me Heartburn?

Peanut butter is a delicious topping used on many sandwiches and recipes. However, some people who eat it may experience heartburn.

Unfortunately, Peanut butter can contain ingredients that may worsen your heartburn risk and even cause acid reflux reactions. 

Understanding why peanut butter gives you heartburn can help you make better dietary choices. It can also ensure that you don’t suffer severe acid reflux symptoms.

Furthermore, knowing safer peanut butter types can help you choose a brand that suits your needs. 

The high-fat and acid content in some peanut butters may worsen your heartburn risk.

Other additives, like vegetable oil, may also worsen your heartburn symptoms. Buying safer and healthier alternatives can help avoid this danger. 

Now that you have a simple answer, it is essential to learn more about this topic. We include the answers to many vital questions to make it easier to understand peanut butter and heartburn.

These include various safe alternatives that may minimize your heartburn risk and make it easier to enjoy this popular topping.

Why Does Peanut Butter Give Me Heartburn?

Heartburn is a complex process that may occur with many foods. For example, high-fat foods like peanut butter take longer to digest.

As they sit in your stomach, they put pressure on its interior. This pressure can cause an important valve to stay open. 

When this valve stays open, it can cause stomach acid to leak into your esophagus. This may trigger heartburn and other related symptoms. High-fat foods may also increase stomach acid as your gut struggles to digest these foods. 

Peanut butter also has a 6.3 pH rating, which is lower than foods like wheat, meats, and eggs. Anything over 7 pH is considered acidic.

Even though peanut butter lacks a high acid level compared to some foods, it may still cause extra acid production. 

This problem worsens when peanut butter includes several other preservative ingredients. These items may help improve the taste and keep Peanut butter fresh longer.

They also tend to worsen heartburn symptoms and make this condition harder to handle. 

Some brands may also include heavier acid concentrations or denser fat volume. These factors can make some types harder to tolerate for those prone to heartburn.

Talk with your doctor if you feel uncertain about which option is best for you.

RELATED: Are Apples Acidic?

How Much Fat Does Peanut Butter Possess? 

Peanut butter typically has about 16 grams of fat per two-tablespoon serving. This amount may vary based on the brand and type you purchase. A few common peanut butter types and their fat levels include:

• Regular Peanut Butter: 16.12 grams of fat per serving 
• Reduced Fat Peanut Butter: 12.24 grams of fat per serving
• Reduced Sodium Peanut Butter: 15.97 grams of fat per serving
• Regular Smooth Peanut Butter: 16.12 grams of fat per serving 
• Reduced Fat Smooth Peanut Butter: 11.02 grams of fat per serving 
• Regular Chunky Peanut Butter: 15.98 grams of fat per serving 

These levels may vary based on the manufacturer you choose. Make sure to read the level to identify the lowest-fat options. Note that each of these peanut butter types has the same 6.3 pH level noted earlier.

Can Peanuts Cause Heartburn?

Peanuts form the base of peanut butter and have a similar fat and acid level. However, Peanut butter is more concentrated than peanuts.

That’s because peanut butter includes multiple peanuts mashed into a single serving, which concentrates the ingredients more. 

Peanuts are also less dense in texture, which makes it easier to control portions. For example, you may eat four or five peanuts easily and stop, while you need to eat all the peanut butter you put on a sandwich. Portion control is important when managing heartburn in this way. 

That said, eating too many peanuts may worsen your reaction and cause heartburn.

Try to eat only a handful of peanuts when enjoying them as a snack outside of peanut butter. Also, try to eat raw or unsalted versions to minimize your heartburn risk further.

Does Peanut Butter Worsen Acid Reflux?

Peanut butter may worsen acid reflux or GERD symptoms. Its high-fat content and acidity don’t sit well for many people with this condition.

Note that GERD may trigger based more on food volume than acidity or fat. Eating more peanut butter will worsen your symptoms more than smaller amounts. 

Furthermore, your reactions may worsen when you eat too much food at night. For example, you may eat small amounts of peanut butter in the morning and not experience acid reflux.

You may eat the same amount at night and experience worsened symptoms. 

Food combinations may also worsen this reaction. Wheat bread contains high acid levels that may worsen GERD when combined with peanut butter.

Try to avoid eating too much, don’t eat late at night, and avoid lying down or bending after eating peanut butter. 

Is Crunchy Or Creamy Peanut Butter Better For Heartburn?

Crunchy and creamy peanut butters are very similar in nutritional value. Both have similar fat, calorie, and carbohydrate levels.

Their pH level is also identical. However, crunchy peanuts may be slightly better for heartburn than creamy varieties. 

That’s because crunchy peanut butter has slightly more fiber per serving. Creamy has about two grams of fiber, while crunchy has three to four grams.

That extra fiber can help manage many heartburn symptoms and minimize long-term symptoms that may otherwise develop. 

Fiber can help provide some relief from heartburn by improving your digestive process. Just as importantly, fiber can absorb some of your excess stomach acid.

Though the relief is mostly temporary, it can be beneficial for those experiencing regular heartburn problems. 

Can Peanut Butter Cause Gas?

Peanut butter can cause excessive bloating and gas in many people who don’t control their intake.

Like with heartburn, portion control is important when managing peanut butter gas. Too much protein can cause bloating due to high fiber and trans fat levels. 

This bloating may cause flatulence and even painful cramps in many people. It can be particularly troubling in babies with weaker digestive systems.

The gas and fecal matter produced by excess peanut butter can also smell very bad, so limit your intake. 

Can I Buy Less Acidic Peanut Butter?

Try to buy peanut butter with fewer natural and unnatural ingredients. Many major brands use items to improve the taste and lifespan of peanut butter.

These additives can increase peanut butter’s acidity and make tolerating it more difficult. Items to look for in peanut butter include:

• Vegetable Oils: Vegetable oil improves creaminess and taste in peanut butter. But it also increases peanut butter’s acidity and can worsen heartburn symptoms.
• Trans Fat: Manufactures add trans fat to improve peanut butter taste. Trans fat also increases peanut butter’s fat levels and may trigger heartburn.
• Sugar: Some peanut butter brands have shockingly high sugar levels. Try to find brands that have as little sugar as possible.

Find peanut butter that features just peanuts as the main ingredient. Note that natural peanut butter may spoil quicker than other types.

This means you may spend more buying extra jars of peanut butter. Decide if this trade-off works well for health needs before trying it. 

What Should I Look For In Healthy Peanut Butter?

Healthy peanut butters need short ingredient lists that minimize heartburn risk. The best has just peanuts and a little salt for flavoring and preservation.

Avoid any that add fully- or partially-hydrogenated oils. These can trigger heartburn and worsen your cholesterol. 

Also try to avoid emulsifiers in your peanut butter. These ingredients can cause inflammation in the stomach and may trigger heartburn. Items like pectin, starches, lecithin lecithin, stearoyl lactylates, and others are all emulsifiers. 

What Brands Are Less Likely To Cause Heartburn?

Some peanut butter brands use less fat and ingredients to improve their health. These brands may also trigger fewer heartburn symptoms when eaten properly. Healthy brands to consider include:

• Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter Creamy: This healthy peanut butter brand includes 190 calories and 16 grams of fat per serving. It contains three grams of fiber, as well. Impressively, its ingredients include just peanuts and salt. That helps make this a very healthy. 
• Crazy Richard’s Creamy Peanut Butter: Crazy Richard’s has just 180 calories with 16 grams of fat and three grams of fiber. It only uses peanuts and lacks even sugar. This means it does lack some flavor but it has a creamy and heartburn-safe texture.
• MaraNatha Organic Creamy Peanut Butter: Try this peanut butter to get 16 grams of fat and three grams of fiber on 190 calories. Ingredients include organic dry roasted peanuts and sea salt. Sea salt is a healthier salt alternative that minimizes heartburn risks.
• Once Again Organic Creamy No Salt Peanut Butter: This organic peanut butter uses only peanuts to create a healthy mix. It has 190 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving, with two grams of fiber. This slightly lower fat rating makes it a good heartburn choice.
• Wild Friends Classic Creamy Peanut Butter: Wild Friends combines roasted peanuts and sea salt in a safe peanut butter recipe. It contains 190 calories and 16 grams of fat per serving, along with three grams fiber. 

Please note that we are not affiliated with any of these brands. We chose them because they had the fewest ingredients and least-severe heartburn risk.

How Do I Quickly Relieve Peanut Butter Heartburn?

Over-the-counter medications may help decrease heartburn symptoms. For example, Tums, Prilosec, and Zegerid may all help with these symptoms.

Some people may need prescription medications to manage persistent heartburn. Others may respond to natural heartburn remedies. 

Dietitians suggest eating foods with Iberogast to manage heartburn. This nutrient can help decrease some symptoms of this condition. Foods that may contain Iberogast and reduce heartburn include:

• Peppermint 
• Licorice
• Angelica 
• Caraway
• German chamomile
• Lemon balm 
• Milk thistle

Note that some of these foods may worsen heartburn. Specifically, peppermint oil can increase heartburn symptoms. Talk with your dietitian or general care physician about these foods before trying them. 

Other studies have found that melatonin may help with heartburn. Though limited in scope, a few studies found that it did decrease some minor heartburn symptoms.

Note that melatonin may affect sleep cycles, so talk to your doctor before trying it. 

Some people may experience short-term heartburn relief from drinking milk. Milk buffers the stomach acid and makes it less intense.

Unfortunately, too much milk can worsen this problem. Try to drink no more than eight ounces of skim milk to avoid this danger. 

Does Chewing Gum Really Help?

Chewing gum might help with heartburn by stimulating saliva production. That extra saliva typically flows down into the stomach.

It then buffers the acid and can even push it out of the esophagus. Note that this relief may vary depending on an individual’s reaction.

Sugar-free gums or mints may work the best for this process. They lack unnecessary sugar that may damage your teeth or trigger worse heartburn.

They also don’t increase your stomach’s acid levels, which may occur when eating other foods.

Easy Things To Make With Peanut Butter!

Peanut butter is another kind of butter that you can use. But it does not work as a substitute for regular butter because it is made of peanuts. 

It is a little healthier than the other butter because it has a low-fat content. Also, it has other nutrients for the body that it needs.

It does not matter if you like the chunky peanut butter or the smooth one. Both have good nutrition. Peanut butter is quite popular with gym goers because of its protein.

Having it directly from the jar with a spoon can sometimes become monotonous, so here are some recipes you can try.

RELATED: Is Mango an Acidic Food? The Truth About Mangoes and Health

Best Peanut Butter Recipes

1. Peanut Butter Split Smoothie

Peanut butter has a dominant date, but combining it with things like chocolate brings out great flavor.

Try the peanut butter smoothie if you like smoothies or something with milk. It has taste as well as it is good for your health.

The shake is also a great combo with your foods on the go, like pies, sandwiches, or even burgers. You can add cream to the smoothie whipping it on top with crunchy chocolate to make the shake more interesting.

Calories Per Serving: 150 (per serving)

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

2. Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

When we think of cookies, peanut butter cookies will rarely come to mind. But once you taste it, there is no going back because these cookies taste fabulous and are healthy.

These cookies are salty and sweet at the same time.

You need all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, kosher salt, and peanut butter.

Whisk flour, baking soda, powder, and salt in a large bowl, and then take another to beat the sugar and peanut butter until it becomes fluff. Now add eggs one at a time, mixing them well.

After the batter cools down, could you put them in holds to bake in the oven? Bake them until they become golden, and then let them cool down. They are ready to eat now!

Calories Per Serving: 152 (per serving)

Preparation Time: 90 Minutes

RELATED: How Does Drinking Hot Water Help Acid Reflux

3. Peanut Butter Silk Pie

Everybody will be interested in a healthy pie option, I bet. Well, if you like peanut butter, then this dish has the potential to become your favorite pie.

All you need is cheese, confectioner’s sugar, whipped topping, salted peanuts, and a cracker crust. Chocolate or peanut butter, or ice cream topping is optional.

Take a bowl to whisk peanut butter, cheese, and sugar together until it becomes smooth. Add whipped topping to it and pour the batter into a thin crust. 

Let it cool down for at least two hours before serving. Now you can decide on the toppings as per your taste. Sprinkle chocolate syrup, peanut butter ice cream, or crunchy peanuts on top.

Calories Per Serving: 434 (per serving)

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

After reading this article, you may have more questions related to peanut butter and heartburn. If so, please read below to get some answers. We researched some of the most commonly asked questions and found answers that should help you.

Is Heartburn Dangerous To My Health?

Heartburn is not generally a dangerous health problem. Many people experience occasional heartburn when eating too much food. Others may experience GERD or acid reflux symptoms that may indicate a more serious digestive problem. 

If you experience heartburn when eating peanut butter, cut back on your servings. This should help decrease your symptoms. When your symptoms persist, talk to your doctor. You may need GERD medications that help decrease your symptoms.

Do Other Nut Butters Cause Heartburn?

Peanuts and nuts contain high levels of healthy fats. These beneficial fats provide many health benefits but can also worsen heartburn symptoms.

The fat levels in these nuts can vary heavily. Lower fat levels typically produce less severe heartburn. They include:

• Pistachios: 12.8 grams of fat per serving 
• Cashews: 13.4 grams of fat per serving 
• Peanuts: 13.9 grams of fat per serving 
• Almonds: 14 grams of fat per serving 
• Hazelnuts: 17 grams of fat per serving 
• Walnuts: 18.5 grams of fat per serving 
• Brazil nuts: 18.8 grams of fat per serving 
• Pecans: 20.2 grams of fat per serving 

Note that acid levels also vary among these nuts. For example, almonds have more fat than peanuts but less acid. That may make almond butters a better choice for managing your heartburn symptoms. 

Should I Stop Eating Peanut Butter If I Have GERD?

You can safely eat peanut butter when you have GERD. Taking a few simple steps can minimize your risk of serious heartburn and make it easier to enjoy this food. Just a few steps you can take to enjoy peanut butter with GERD include:

• Watch Your Intake: GERD triggers include eating too much food in one sitting. Decrease how much peanut butter you eat to ensure that your triggers remain under control.
• Eat Natural Varieties: As stated throughout this article, it is important to eat healthy peanut butter. Find varieties from our list that include fewer ingredients. 
• Take Your Medication: Regularly take any GERD medication prescribed by your physician. This may include taking medicines just before eating foods that cause heartburn.
• Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body reacts when you eat peanut butter. If it continually experiences heartburn, you may need to quit even with medications.

If you’re healthy and take care of yourself, you should be able to eat peanut butter with GERD.

When your GERD becomes too hard to tolerate when eating peanut butter, you may need to stop. Talk with your doctor to make sure you’re taking the safest and healthiest steps.

Watch this short video to learn more about how peanut butter causes heartburn. It includes many of the information and topics covered here. However, it also goes into more depth about this topic to give you a better understanding of it.

Why Does Peanut Butter Give Me Heartburn?

The Smooth Peanut Butter Recipes With Nutritional Facts Plays An Important Role In Your Diet When Consumed.

Ingredients

• Peanut Butter Split Smoothie

• Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

• Peanut Butter Silk Pie

Directions

• Pick a recipe from the list above
• Click the recipe name and visit the website
• Collect the ingredients and cook the food
• Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

Recipe Video

• Author
• Recent Posts

Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!

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