Acid Reflux Diet

There is a valve at the entrance of your stomach, and this valve is made of muscle. This is known as the lower esophageal sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter is supposed to close right after food goes through it, but in some people, the LES either doesn’t close completely or it opens up more than it should. Your stomach produces acid, and if your LES stays open more than normal, this acid will get into your esophagus. This is called acid reflux and can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as heartburn. People who get acid reflux more than twice a week may have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.

People who are overweight, pregnant or dependent on painkillers are at a high risk for developing acid reflux. While pregnant women may find it difficult to avoid certain foods because of their cravings, it’s necessary in order to stop the acid reflux. Also, some painkillers, like aspirin or ibuprofen can cause heartburn. This doesn’t mean that you can’t ever take these painkillers, but just that you should limit how often you use them. Also, keep in mind that even the coated painkillers can still cause acid reflux. Some muscle relaxers and blood pressure medicines may also cause acid reflux.

People who suffer from acid reflux should follow a specific diet in order to ward off the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany the problem. Changing your lifestyle and diet choices can greatly reduce the symptoms of acid reflux. Ideally, you’ll want to eat food that reduce your heartburn and avoid the foods and drinks that will make heartburn worse.

Before you add certain foods to your diet, you’ll want to get rid of a few first. Alcohol should be avoided, including beer and wine. Even though wine is often included in a healthy diet (one glass of red wine can help to protect your heart), it should be completely avoided until you no longer have heartburn. Chocolate should be avoided as well. Carbonated beverages, including soda, champagne and seltzer, will only make heartburn worse. While mint is known to reduce stomach aches, peppermint and spearmint should be avoided. This may mean that you’ll have to switch your toothpaste as well – try to find a mild toothpaste that isn’t mint flavored. While some people feel that lemons actually help reduce the symptoms of acid reflux, like heartburn, citrus fruits should be avoided as a whole. This includes grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges and even cranberries. This include the fruits themselves and fruit juice, too. Tomatoes are also a good food to avoid, and this includes not just the whole food but also salsa and any kind of tomato-based sauce. All types of spicy foods should be avoided, as should red pepper flakes and hot sauce. Stay away from coffee, including decaf coffee, which is highly acidic and will only worsen heartburn. Extremely fatty foods should be avoided, like fried foods or baked goods. Lastly, dairy should be avoided. While many people think that milk is a good thing to drink when you’re dealing with heartburn, it’s actually not. Milk may ease the pain of heartburn and acid reflux at first, but it will actually cause the body to produce more acid, making the reflux worse. All types of dairy should be avoided, from milk and yogurt to ice cream. Keep in mind that when it comes to ridding your diet of certain foods, it should be based on trial-and-error. Not every single person with acid reflux has to stay away from all of these foods and beverages. Some people may not have a problem with dairy but may feel sick after drinking coffee. Some people with acid reflux may do fine with coffee but get bad heartburn after eating an orange. Pay attention to the way your body reacts to certain foods and steer clear of the ones that seem to cause acid reflux symptoms. In the beginning, though, you may want to avoid all of the previously mentioned foods and slowly add them back in as your acid reflux symptoms lessen.

Foods that are recommended for people who are dealing with acid reflux will help to improve your digestion and will also reduce how much damage the acid reflux causes. Many healthy foods are on the “good” list when it comes to an acid reflux diet. You’ll notice that there’s plenty of protein and fruit included in a reflux diet.

Papaya has papain in it. Papain is an enzyme that aids in digest protein. This protein is called protease. Protease can ease acid reflux and it’s also great to use along with an acid reducer. Pineapple contains a protease as well, called bromelain, and this fruit helps in digestion in much the same way that papaya does. Apples and bananas are also good foods for acid reflux sufferers to eat. Fresh or dried apples, or apple juice, are good additions to your diet.

Veggies that you should eat in order to avoid heartburn are baked potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, green beans and peas.

Protein is a must-have for an acid reflux diet. Foods that are rich in protein, like fish, chicken, beans and nuts, can stop heartburn practically in its tracks. These foods actually increase the amount of pressure that’s put out by the lower esophageal sphincter. The sphincter is a band of muscle that seals off the stomach. Add lean animal meats to your diet. Also, you can take protein supplements or drink protein powder shakes. While fattier animal meats have protein too, these fatty meats will actually make heartburn worse. Choose from extra lean ground beef, London broil, skinless chicken breast and fish. You can also eat egg whites or egg substitutes for protein.

A diet that’s high in fiber is also crucial in an acid reflux- and heartburn-reducing diet. People who have a lot of fiber in their diet tend to have less damage to their esophagus. There are plenty of foods that are high in fiber, but the best ones to incorporate into your diet when you’re battling acid reflux are fruits, especially berries, and veggies that are low in starch.

While you want to avoid most types of dairy, like many cheeses, milk and ice cream, there are some types of dairy that are okay to eat. Limit yourself to goat cheese or feta cheese, and if you’re going to eat cream cheese, choose the fat-free kind. Fat-free sour cream and low-fat soy cheese are also good foods to eat.

You’ll need plenty of grains in your diet, not only to ward off heartburn but also to keep you satiated. Whole grains are part of a nutritious diet, and while getting rid of your heartburn will be your initial goal, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a nutritious diet should be something you strive for as well. The grains that are best for people who get acid reflux and heartburn include multi-grain or white bread, bran cereal, oatmeal, corn bread, Graham Crackers, pretzels, brown or white rice and rice cakes.

If you’re going to have dressing on a salad, aim for low-fat varieties. If you’re dying to snack on chips, opt for baked potato chips instead of the regular kind. Drink water as much as possible, since most beverages will irritate acid reflux. As for dessert, stick to fat-free cookies, jellybeans or licorice.

Aside from watching what you eat, you also have to pay attention to how you eat and your actions when you’re finished eating. Eating a large meal and then lying down or bending at the waist right after finishing can cause acid reflux. Snacking close to your bedtime can also cause acid reflux during the night. Also, people who are overweight or obese are at a high risk for acid reflux. One of the best ways to combat acid reflux is maintain a healthy weight. In order to do this, avoid eating huge meals, but instead eat several small meals throughout the day. If you eat the right foods and avoid acid reflux-inducing foods, eat small meals and stop eating a few hours before you head to bed, you should eventually get down to a healthy weight – all of these changes will help you to combat acid reflux. Smoking is another habit that should be avoided if you have acid reflux. Plus, quitting smoking is an absolute must if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle.

If you think that you have acid reflux disease, and if your symptoms aren’t getting better even with major diet changes, consider visiting a doctor. The most common symptoms of acid reflux are heartburn and regurgitation. Regurgitation is when you have a bitter taste in the back of your throat or in your mouth – this taste is due to the acid that’s in your esophagus. Bloating, burping, nausea and constant hiccuping are also symptoms of acid reflux. More severe symptoms include bloody or black stool, vomit with blood, unexplainable weight loss, wheezing, hoarseness, dry coughing or a sore throat. Another odd symptom of acid reflux is dysphagia. Dysphagia is when your esophagus narrows. This causes a sensation that food is stuck in your throat. It’s important to pay close attention to the symptoms of acid reflux, since many of them are similar to ulcer symptoms. Plus, sometimes ulcers don’t have any symptoms, so you may only have the acid reflux syndromes. While many doctors suggest that their patients let ulcers go away on their own, it’s still important to visit a doctor to ensure that you don’t need specific medications or procedures.

It is true! You can actually remedy acid reflux with your diet! If you have been paying close attention to the news lately, natural health treatments have been becoming more and more popular in the last 5 years. And there are numerous reasons behind the push to go natural.

Here as some reflux facts you may want to think about.

1. Research has finally made its way to the natural health field. And reflux sufferers have benefited from this because many studies are showing which remedies work and which ones are quack.

2. With most people struggling to the pay the bills and get insurance, many people cannot afford the $150 doctor visit (not to mention the hundreds spent on medications). Remedies offer people a proven treatment for a fraction of the cost.

3. Research has also shown that the body is even more miraculous than we thought. Many scientists are claiming that the body is created to heal itself naturally! Unfortunately, our poor diets and unhealthy lifestyles sometimes hinder our body’s functioning. The result is an ailment or disease.

4. Research also shows that acid reflux is caused from a damaged esophagus (tube that carries food to stomach) or lower esophageal sphincter (muscle flap that keeps food in stomach and opens to let food in). Medications and antacids do NOT treat the problem but just treat the symptoms (refluxed stomach acid). Therefore, antacids or reflux medications are simply a band aid or vice you will be taking for the rest of your life!

Here are 4 reasons why you should choose to go natural! And here are 4 ways to remedy acid reflux!

4 Natural Health Tips to Naturally Treat Heartburn

1. As stated earlier, the first step for treating this common disease is to heal your esophagus and sphincter. There are numerous things you can do to allow the body to heal itself. Here are a couple of things you might want to try. First, try not to eat crunchy or hard foods for about 3 days. Secondly, drink water after every meal and snack. Finally, take 1 table spoon of honey every time you feel discomfort and before you go to sleep. (Honey is a natural remedy that heals tissue.)

2. You should also avoid a few different things that contribute to damaging the esophagus and sphincter. Make sure you stay away from smoking, drinking coffee, and acidic and spicy foods for the first 3 days of treatment. A damaged esophagus has very sensitive tissue that is similar to a 3rd degree burn. You need to give your tissue time to heal.

3. And apple is a very popular natural remedy for acid reflux. Many of our customers (including my dad) will eat an apple a day. (Maybe our doctor was right?) Every time you feel a bit of discomfort, simply eat a slice of apple. A good tip would be to cut up an apple and put it in a zip lock bag.

4. Finally, did you know that you should only be eating foods the size of your fist? And did you know that you can do exercises to strengthen your sphincter? And finally did you know that there are over 20 things you can do to naturally cure acid reflux? As a heartburn suffer, you need to educate yourself on natural health research.

Cure Your Reflux in Less Than 24 Hours

Don’t stop at these 4 tips! If your health is a top priority of yours, begin to learn more about numerous natural remedies for acid reflux!