Doritos are some of the most popular chips on the market. They come in a wide variety of flavors, including salt, cheese, and guacamole.
Doritos are a tasty snack choice for many, but not everyone feels good after eating them.
For example, some people may experience issues like heartburn after eating too many
Doritos. But why is that? Why do Doritos cause heartburn?
Table of Contents
Why do Doritos give you heartburn?
Doritos are a highly processed food, high in fat, sodium, and carbohydrates. All of these nutrients worsen your acid reflux symptoms, such as heartburn, especially if you're particularly prone to experiencing them.
Additionally, Doritos don't contain many essential micronutrients that help contribute to the health of your digestive system. So, if you tend to get heartburn, it might be best to stay away from processed chips in general.
Are Doritos acidic?
Doritos have a pH level of around 3.00-4.30. They're also rather acidic, so unsuitable for an alkaline diet.
Doritos contain a lot of fat, some flavors more than others, which also adds to their acidity and increases your risk of acid reflux symptoms, such as heartburn.
As a result, if you know you're sensitive to acidic foods, it might be best to limit how often you consume Doritos, and other chips.
Additionally, some flavors of Doritos, especially the spicier ones, are more acidic and even worse for acid reflux symptoms, particularly heartburn.
Those inflame and irritate your esophagus, which contributes to an imbalance in your digestive system.
As you know, spicy foods should be avoided as much as possible on a low-acid diet, and that includes chips like Doritos.
How do Doritos cause heartburn?
Doritos are a processed food high in sodium. Processed foods contain a lot of harmful nutrients and preservatives that relax the muscles found between your esophagus and stomach.
This allows the contents of your stomach to reflux up your esophagus and cause heartburn.
There's not much you can do to prevent that aside from taking antacids or eliminating trigger foods, including Doritos, from your diet.
Doritos also contain virtually no vitamins and minerals that help keep your digestive tract healthy.
As a result, you get nothing from them that may alleviate acid reflux and GERD symptoms.
Following a diet high in essential vitamins and minerals can help with heartburn and other symptoms.
So, try replacing Doritos and other chips with healthy snack alternatives.
This and all other kinds of potato and corn chips contain a lot of calories from fat. This macronutrient, while important, tends to stick around in your stomach for longer.
In turn, this increases the production of gastric acid in your stomach, which can then reflux up your esophagus, leading to heartburn.
In addition, fat contributes to a higher risk of obesity, which is closely connected with more severe acid reflux symptoms.
Are Doritos good for you?
Just like all other types of chips, Doritos are very high in calories. In fact, just 11 chips contain 150 calories, most of which come from carbohydrates and fat.
Doritos contain a lot of saturated fat, which has been linked to an increased risk in the levels of 'bad' cholesterol.
Some experts also believe that consuming foods high in this type of fat, especially processed foods, may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Doritos contain a lot of sodium in a single portion. A diet high in sodium increases your risk of high blood pressure, which may make you more susceptible to strokes and heart attacks.
As a result, it's important to limit your intake of high-sodium foods to avoid these issues from occurring.
In addition, it's best to get your sodium from healthy and fresh foods, including veggies and fruits, instead of chips and processed foods.
Aside from the already-high fat content, Doritos are fried in vegetable oil, which is considered bad for your heart and overall cardiovascular system.
This not only increases your risk of various chronic conditions but also raises your chances of weight gain.
Excessive and rapid weight gain can cause high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and many other life-threatening issues.
So, make sure to avoid unhealthy calorie-dense foods, such as Doritos.
It's also worth noting that Doritos contain virtually no micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
They only contain trace amounts of calcium and nothing else besides that. This lack of any nutritional value paired with high sodium and fat content makes Doritos a poor choice for a snack.
In fact, other, plainer potato and corn chips varieties can contain some more nutrients, especially those baked in the oven.
With that being said, it's OK to consume some Doritos every once in a while – just make sure not to overdo it and practice moderation.
Should you eat Doritos while suffering from heartburn?
Whether you should eliminate Doritos from your diet altogether strongly depends on your dietary requirements and how sensitive you are to acidic foods.
For example, if eating small amounts of chips doesn't aggravate your acid reflux symptoms too much, it might be OK for you to have some every once in a while.
It might be much harder for other, more sensitive people to incorporate Doritos into their diet.
Potato, corn, and other chips are easy to indulge in and consume too many, which increases the severity of your heartburn and other symptoms.
So, either make sure to buy smaller portions or choose other less acidic snack options.
The one type of Dorito chips you should remove from your diet if you suffer from heartburn is the spicy ones, especially those with chili peppers and otherwise marketed as 'spicy' and 'flaming hot.'
These types of Doritos are highly acidic and can cause instant inflammation in your esophagus, causing painful heartburn.
So, make sure to opt for plain flavors or pick other snacks that are less acidic.
Conclusion
Doritos, just like all other chips brands, are acidic and acid-forming. This means that consuming them, even in small quantities, can worsen your acid reflux symptoms, including heartburn. In those cases, it might be best to stay away from them or choose plain varieties if you absolutely can't live without them.