Following a low-acid diet requires a lot of research and planning. It's because you have to be aware of the pH levels and acidity of the foods you consume to make sure that you don't eat too many acidic foods and worsen your acid reflux or GERD symptoms.

What's more, consuming an alkalizing diet has been shown to decrease the risk of developing many other serious conditions. So knowing the acidity of your favorite foods comes with many benefits. This also includes desserts and other treats that may be included in your diet. For example, is custard acidic?
Table of Contents
Is Custard Acidic?
Custard is an acidic dessert since it's mostly made up of dairy ingredients. Dairy products, such as eggs, milk, and creams, leave an acidic residue after they're digested, making them acid-forming. As a result, the same goes for desserts and dishes made with these ingredients.
What's more, the custard is sugary, which means that it slows down digestion, making it a bad choice for people struggling with acid reflux and GERD.
What is the pH level of custard?
Since there are many ways to prepare custard that include a wide variety of ingredients, it's hard to determine the exact pH level. Nevertheless, it's important to remember that foods can have a relatively high pH level but still be acid-forming — just like milk, eggs, and other ingredients in custard.
As a result, this dessert is considered to be acidic. This also means that it can aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux and GERD.
If you're looking for a variety of custard that's not as acidic as the traditional forms, you can try choosing options lower in fat and sugars. Another way of going about it would be to pick — or make your own — custard that doesn't use dairy milk.
Instead, you can replace it with plant-based types of milk, such as almond milk, coconut milk, and many more. That way, you can decrease the acidity and even create an alkalizing effect.
Is custard good for you?
Custard is a name for a variety of desserts made with milk, cream, or sweetened milk, often thickened with flour. This means that it's rather high in calories coming from carbs and fats and not too much protein.
This is bad news for people experiencing acid reflux and GERD symptoms since sugar tends to slow down digestion, leading to excess stomach acid production. This can, in turn, aggravate acid reflux and heartburn, causing uncomfortable symptoms.
Excluding a few vitamins and minerals, custard has a poor nutritional profile. This means that for the number of calories it contains, it doesn't provide any actual nutrients.
Consuming nutritious foods rich in vitamins and minerals is essential not only for good health but also for the prevention of many stomach problems, including acid reflux and GERD. As a result, indulging in custard too often is not a good idea; hence it should be limited.
On the good side, due to its milk content, the custard is a decent source of riboflavin. This micronutrient helps transform carbohydrates into energy, ensuring that this energy can be safely stored in muscles for later use.
It also helps absorb iron and other vitamins from the foods you consume, so it's important to consume enough of this micronutrient. Even though custard doesn't contain too much riboflavin, it's still a good health benefit that you can utilize.
Custard also contains a good amount of phosphorus. This is an important mineral as it helps your body metabolize and utilize fats and carbohydrates. It also helps make compounds that contribute to your cells and tissues' growth, repair, and maintenance.
It's particularly important to consume foods rich in this mineral since a lot of people these days have a low intake of phosphorus.
Custard doesn't contain high amounts of this and other minerals, but the fact that it contains any makes it a healthier dessert choice than some cookies and cakes that are mainly made with sugar and carbohydrates.
Is custard bad for acid reflux?
As explained, the custard is acid-forming, which means that it acidifies your body, causing excessive stomach acid production. When that happens, the stomach contents are more likely to reflux up your esophagus, causing heartburn and other problems.
Hence, experts don't recommend consuming a lot of dairy foods on a low-acid, stomach-friendly diet to avoid these issues.
Custard is high in sugar and fat, which are both macronutrients that increase the severity and frequency of stomach issues, including acid reflux and GERD. In addition, they both increase stomach acid production and cause indigestion, which isn't beneficial for people on a low-acid diet.
Therefore, it's best to either limit your consumption of custard or remove it from your diet completely to avoid these health problems.
Can you eat custard while suffering from acid reflux?
As you may know, foods high in fat and sugar aren't particularly good for acid reflux. In fact, these food items can worsen the symptoms, making you feel even worse.
They can also contribute to developing many health conditions, including indigestion, stomach ulcers, and many more. As a result, people who regularly suffer from acid reflux should avoid these types of food.
On the other hand, if you're a huge fan of custard, you can try picking low-fat, low-sugar versions to decrease the number of calories you consume and the negative effect these micronutrients can have on your health.
However, when choosing these options, make sure that you don't replace the sugar with unhealthy additives. They can cause other, more serious stomach issues, such as certain forms of cancer.
Custard is a dessert that's acid-forming, making it a bad addition to a diet that's aimed at decreasing the symptoms of acid reflux and GERD. It's also high in sugar and fat, which can worsen how you feel in general if consumed in large quantities.
Nevertheless, it's important to remember that custard is a dessert, so generally, you should consume it on special occasions. As a result, you don't have to remove this dish from your diet completely, but control how much you consume instead.
Don't know what to drink? Check out these articles: 20 Most and Least Acidic Juices and 20+ Alcoholic Drinks Ranked by Acidity Level