Starting an Acid Reflux Diet
- Keep a food diary. In order to reduce and eliminate the symptoms of acid reflux without the use of medication, you must go through an eating pattern evaluation. The easiest way to do this is to keep track of the foods you eat and the resulting effect on your body using a food diary. You can write down what type of foods give you acid reflux symptoms so that when you go see your medical practitioner he or she can have a good view of what kind of diet to give you in order to treat your condition. It will also give you an idea of what food group gives you more difficulty and which eases your pain.
Acid Reflux Diet Principles
- Eat small, frequent meals instead of three big meals a day. Small amounts of food each time would exert less workload on the stomach and therefore requires less acid secretion for digestion.
- Include foods that are high in complex carbohydrates in each meal. These foods, such as rice, breads and pasta, are able to tie up excess stomach acid and are often easy on the stomach.
- Do not overeat. Eating too much of any foods will stimulate the stomach to secret more acids for digestion.
- Maintain upright position during and at least 45 minutes after eating. The main cause for 80% off all who suffer from acid reflux is the improper relaxation of the esophageal sphincter located between the stomach and the esophagus. For the 20%, it is caused by a low pressure sphincter. Therefore, body position during an immediately following meals is important for managing the disease.
- Elevate the head of bed six to eight inches when lying down.
Foods to Avoid on the Acid Reflux Diet
- Avoid high-fat meals such as those from the fast food chains. High fat foods will remain in the stomach longer, thus causing the need for more stomach acid in order to digest them.
- Avoid or limit alcohol.
- Avoid beverages that stimulate acid secretion such as beer, wine and pop. The
worst of all is beer.
Acid Reflux Diet Myths
Myth 1: Avoid coffee, citrus fruits and spicy food We have been told for years that coffee, acidic fruit as well as spicy foods can aggravate acid reflux. Therefore, we should avoid these in our daily diet in order to reduce acid reflux. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in May 2006 showed that none of these myths hold true. Researchers from the Stanford University found that the only two behavioral changes can reduce symptoms of acid reflux - eating less and elevate your head while sleeping.
- Myth 2: Drink milk A lot of people try drinking milk to ease acid reflux before sleep. But often, milk ends up causing acid reflux during sleep. Drinking milk could be a quick fix to the acid reflux problem. Unfortunately, milk has a rebound action and would eventually encourage secretion of more stomach acid, which causes the acid reflux. Better, try eating a small low fat meal at dinner and have a small snack such as crackers before sleep.