Acid Reflux Diet and Other Recommendations to Avoid GERD

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD could be very painful, and in worse cases, could even lead to cancer of the esophagus.  Characterized by a painful burning sensation GERD or acid reflux symptom, or heartburn could be avoided by carefully following strict acid reflux diet.  While we will be discussing some recommendations for you to follow, we will first explore the triggers that precede an acid reflux symptom.  Some of these triggers are avoidable while some are not like pregnancy.  Let us focus our attention to those that we can avoid.  Precisely by identifying them, and heeding the warning, we can supplement acid reflux diet with some precautionary measures.

Some of these GERD triggers are the eating of large meals, spice-laden food, spaghetti and pizza (owing to tomato sauces, chocolates, alcoholic and carbonated beverages, coffee, tea, and some fruit juices. These foods and drinks either relaxes your LES muscles, or bloats your stomach, or increases stomach acidity, or irritates an already damaged esophagus. Unfortunately, some muscle relaxants and some medications to regulate blood pressure can also trigger heartburn as they cause the lower esophageal sphincter muscles to relax (which make it easy for stomach acid to splash back upwards).  Being overweight is also cause for frequent heartburn.  An acid reflux diet should be like any weight loss diet to help relieve one who frequently suffers GERD.  Excess weight, and a bulging tummy means there is more pressure to your intestines thus triggering stomach contents and acids to easily flow back to your esophagus.

Some of the recommended healthy practices, besides a healthy acid reflux diet, that one has to follow would be to plan your meals to avoid becoming overweight.  If you are already overweight, it would be a good time for you to start weight-loss regimen (consult your doctor if you have been sedentary.)  While exercise could be a good part of an acid reflux diet, it would be good if you wait for at least two hours after eating before doing your exercise regimen.  This is especially so if you notice that your acid reflux symptoms tend to get worse every time you are done exercising.

A good acid reflux diet would include a lot of high fiber foods.  This is especially good for people who are overweight, as a recent study shows that, overweight or not, you are 20% safer from gastroesophageal reflux disease if your diet favors high fiber meals.  Whole grains, vegetables, nuts, fruits, or unprocessed plant foods, etc. would be some of your best bets against acid reflux symptoms. 

While a highly recommended acid reflux diet shuns away from alcoholic and carbonated beverages, acidic fruit juices such as citrus, pineapple, including tomato juice, you should limit your drinks to water, mineral water, non-fat or low-fat milk, and if you like tea, it should be the decaffeinated kind.  Be warned that coffee, including the decaf kind would be bad for your heartburn.  

Chewing a sugar-free (and not the peppermint flavored type) gum after each meal to stimulate salivation to neutralize the acidity that comes back up.  Drinking a small glass of water could also create the same result.  These are some of the other measures that could help you fight GERD besides a healthy acid reflux diet.