Heart Burn and Stomach Acid Not Subsiding?

I’ve been drinking Huel just once a day for about two months now. The heartburn and reflux is just not going away! I started off at 3 scoops as recommended. After that I did two… then one. I’ve tried chugging it, sipping it for a 1-2 hour span of time and half an hour to drink it and it’s not helping. I’m on half a scoop! It’s getting crazy.

I don’t usually have heartburn or reflux problems, only when I drink Huel. I really want this to work, any tips?

Do you drink coffee as well?

Very rarely. When I do I never experience heartburn…

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Are you adding anything else to the Huel?

If not, I’m afraid there may be nothing you can do to stop the Huel heartburn. You aren’t getting reflux from other foods. And there’s a temporal relationship between consuming Huel and experiencing the heartburn afterwards.

If you were having heartburn chronically or having it with a wide range of foods, or having it while lying flat, then seeing a doctor would be the solution. However, if you get reflux from this one food, then the only reasonable solution is to stop using Huel.

I have reflux but there are certain foods that make it real bad for me. I have to avoid spinach like the plague. Even a leaf and I’m having bad reflux the whole day.

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It happens whether I add anything or not unfortunately!

Breaks my heart a little, I love everything that Huel provides. I was hoping there was just an adjusting period or something.

Thanks for your input.

I take one 10 mg over the counter omeprazole a day and it eliminated the heartburn I was getting.

Oh no! Sorry to hear about your not-so-fun experiences. While this could stem from a variety of factors, I agree with @Deron that if you’ve done your due diligence, it could be that Huel’s current formula might just not suit your individual dietary needs and it might be best to stop using it, at least for a period of time to see if there’s a difference.

I am also a user of Omeprazole, from my GI doctor. I’ve had the endoscopy and the BRAVO pH study. So I know that my reflux will happen regardless of diet. Certain foods worsen my reflux and I try to avoid. But I need the all-day acid suppression.

However, in the OP’s case, as a pharmacist I would not recommend starting a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) like omeprazole for the sole reason of reflux from one particular food. PPIs have some long-term side effects so the benefit wouldn’t be there. Avoiding the one product is a far better option than taking a PPI.

I wonder what ingredient is doing this to the OP. I wonder if it’s the flaxseed. Just a guess.

I have only ever taken Omeprazole on occasion. I appreciate you explaining why you wouldn’t recommend I take it.

I’m not quite sure what it could be. Whenever I’ve had reflux and heartburn in the past it always takes around 30 min to show up. With Huel however it is pretty much immediately after I take the first sip.

Hmmmm. That really shouldn’t be. Reflux usually doesn’t happen after one bite/swallow. I am wondering if you are confusing the texture of Huel on the back of the throat with reflux. I feel those ground up flaxseed stick to the back of my throat too. that’s why i follow every Huel dose with a gulp of water to rinse it all down.

I notice I get more throat stickyness when I drink it fresh. Less so when I make it the night before and it has time to sit cold for a while.

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Couple of suggestions. Thin the Huel out with more water. Try a supplement called Betaine HCL 1-2 pills prior to this and other protein supplements. Lastly: try Huel cooked like in pancakes or muffins. I contributed a pumpkin muffin recipe that is great on the website. Lastly, contact me directly and I’ll work out something with you to buy the remainder from you.

Hope it helps

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@Deron I’ll try making it overnight. I’ve never really felt it getting stuck on the back of my throat, the feeling starts in my chest area and moves up rather than just feeling it in my throat.

@tubedagain thank you for recommending the supplements. I usually use 500ml of water, I’ll try using more! If I can’t get it to stop even with using Huel in baked goods, I’ll give you a holler.

Hmmm. Well, that is classic reflux symptoms.

And hopefully this only occurs after consuming a Huel. That sort of feeling not associated with consuming food should be dealt with a visit to the doctor or ER.

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Same for me too, you know what i did? i just drink HUEL only in the lunch time but my dinner Rice, vegatable and protein. No acid influx following day.

I reduced my Huel intake to two scoops per shaker from three and that took care of it.

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Yep! Me too , only do 2 scoops [old scooper scoops lol]

If anyone else is reading this with acid reflux we would suggest to:

  • Blend Huel well with plenty of water in a blender rather than using the shaker

  • Sip Huel - 2 scoops should take half an hour to consume

  • Do not consume hot beverages around the same time as you consume Huel

Hope this helps!

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Would you tell me more about this? How hot is hot? What about hot solid foods? What length of time? Do you know what ingredient(s) would cause this?

I’ve been DIY for over a year. When I found Huel’s ingredients were very close to my mix I was thrilled to be able to leave the mixing to y’all. (Just placed my first order yesterday.) Lately I’ve been having a bit of reflux-y type issues, but not a whole lot has changed in my recipe. What has changed is I’ve been drinking hot water! Not in my mix, but a mug of hot water on my desk, and my fuel next to it, a sip from this, a sip from that.

I understand every body is different, but if you know anything else about this I’m very interested.

Hi

The temperature of a food or drink affects the rate of gastric emptying; anything cool or below tepid empties more easily than warm/hot foods. I would suggest that half an hour in between having something warm and Huel is enough.

Try yours away from your hot water and see how it goes :slight_smile:

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@Dan_Huel I also struggle with reflux. When you advise two scoops I get a little confused between old scoop / new scoop. How many grams are we talking?

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