Acid Reflux Diet

Monday, January 25, 2010

Acid Reflux Diet – Control GERD symptoms

GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease) is caused by the excess production of acid in the body and the movement of acid back into the esophagus. A diet should be followed especially to control the symptoms from this disease. A GERD diet consists of foods which does not create much acid or helps to absorb the excess acid in the body. If you avoid the foods which can trigger the symptoms of acid reflux, then the risk of GERD complications will certainly be reduced.

How Food Affects Acid Reflux
Food can cause acid reflux in two ways. Intake of some foods may cause the production of excess acid in the stomach which may move back into the esophagus resulting in the GERD symptoms.
However, there are some foods which relaxes the LES (lower esophagus sphincter) which is a muscular ring separating the stomach and the esophagus. The LES only allows the passage of food though it and remains closed rest of the times. But foods containing peppermint may relax the LES and LES relaxation at a wrong time may allow the acid to move back into the esophagus and hence resulting in acid reflux disease. Therefore these foods should be avoided in the diet.

Diet and Acid Reflux Causes
GERD is not actually caused by the intake of some foods. These foods can only worsen the condition. Similarly, following a healthy diet won’t treat GERD but it can help to reduce the effects of acid reflux like heartburn and also lower down its frequency.

Effectiveness of GERD Diet

There are a number of factors that decide the effectiveness of the diet. The major factor is how much willing an individual is to stick to the diet. Other factors include the effects of individual foods and the frequency of GERD symptoms and their severity. Minor effects from acid reflux can be controlled with the help of this diet and major effects can be reduced.

Effect of Alcohol

Alcohol should be avoided by people suffering from acid reflux as alcohol consumption can relax the LES and hence allow the acid to enter into the esophagus. If alcohol is consumed, one should avoid lying down for at least 3 hours to minimize the risk of acid reflux.

Foods to Avoid on GERD diet

A GERD diet is very simple and only encourages avoiding those foods which can trigger acid reflux, the major categories of such foods being fatty and fried foods. Other foods which can cause acid reflux include onions, garlic, citrus fruits, spicy food, tomatoes, chocolate, sodas, tea and coffee. Avoiding such foods can help in an overall improvement of health.


Customizing an Acid Reflux Diet
Food lovers suffering from acid reflux may find it hard to follow the GERD diet as it is very difficult to avoid eatables like chocolate. But it also depends on the tolerance level of the person. The food which may harm one individual may not have any effect on the other. Therefore, it is advisable to maintain a notes diary to list down the foods that you eat and mark the ones which cause the acid reflux symptoms so that they can be avoided.


I hope this helps control your symptoms with this Acid Reflux Diet.