Acid reflux diet is to someone with heartburn, like a low-fat diet is to someone who is overweight. They are special diets for conditions that you want to get rid of, and do so naturally through life style changes. In the case of reflux and heartburn, the foods that you eat are of the primary reasons that you have the problem.
Therefore, your acid reflux diet will be based on what foods trigger heartburn and what foods can reduce heartburn - below is a discussion for understand what acid reflux and heartburn is, along with acid reflux diet tips for controlling and getting rid of it.
Reflux And Heartburn
We weren't born with heartburn - my mother was, but not me:).
There are varying thoughts and questions for why one person will get heartburn and another person won't, including those about the severity, where one person will have an occasional episode of heartburn, and for another person this becomes a persistent and chronic condition or disease.
What is clear though is what is happening when reflux occurs, and that diet is a primary cause. Based on this understanding, you will have the ability to follow an acid reflux diet developed to avoid and eliminate what are known as acid reflux trigger foods, and that are causing the reflux and heartburn to occur.
So, what is acid reflux and heartburn? To begin with, this is a digestive condition that has nothing to do with the heart. When you eat food it goes down through the esophagus and enters the stomach through the lower esophageal sphincter [LES]. This is a valve that opens to allow the food into the stomach, and then closes to keep it there. Once the food is in the stomach it goes through the digestion process, where acids and enzymes are produced in the stomach to break down the food and turn it into nutrients.
In most cases there isn't more acid produced than needed for digestion, along with the acid remaining in the stomach while it is being used. However, for some people the LES does not function properly, and will not remain closed during digestion. As a result, there is acid reflux where the stomach acid goes back up into the esophagus and causes heartburn. This is especially problematic if you are also creating excess acid, and over time the problem will worsen and become more frequent.
Your acid reflux diet is very important for controlling this for the following reasons (1) some foods create more stomach acid (2) some foods need more stomach acid for digestion (3) some foods have a tendency to relax the LES, which further allows the excess acid to reflux back into the esophagus.
Acid Reflux Diet Tips - Foods To Avoid
There are foods that either have more acid content, or create more stomach acid content - you will want to stay away from these if you are having heartburn problems. The citrus fruits and juices that like oranges and grapefruits are highly acidic. And tomatoes, which are used in so many things like soups and sauces [and that ketchup you are pouring on those French fries - these are both acid reflux trigger foods] are also highly.
And then of course, there are the foods that are very spicy, like those with hot peppers, chilies, and garlic in them. These foods are also highly acidic, and again foods to avoid.
Some people think that liquids are not a problem because they aren't solid foods; this is not the case, and there are liquids that are of the most problematic for those with heartburn. The alcoholic drinks very much increase stomach acid, with beer being especially bad considering that it has been shown to even double the acid in your stomach in as little as an hour.
Besides alcohol, you will want to stay away from carbonated drinks and caffeinated drinks including coffee, as these also increase stomach acid. Going to the decaffeinated types really isn't a solution - there is acid coming from the coffee itself, and carbonation is a trigger for acid reflux.
Foods with high fat content are a very big problem because they are much harder to digest, and thus (1) will have to produce more stomach acid for digestion (2) will take longer to digest, which will keep the acid in your stomach longer and give it more opportunity to reflux back into your esophagus.
Stay away from the foods themselves, foods like fatty meats, butter, whole milk, and dairy products. But also understand the fat content being used in your food preparation. You don't want to be using vegetable oils, and you don't want to be eating deep fried foods - good-bye fast food restaurants.
And then there is desert, which is usually full of fat and oils. And then there is my favorite, which is chocolate and anything with chocolate in it. As mentioned above, of the biggest reasons for reflux and heartburn is the opening of the LES while all this acid is in your stomach; unfortunately chocolate is one of those foods that are known to relax the LES and allow this to happen.
You can tell from these foods being listed as acid reflux trigger foods, and foods to avoid, that your acid reflux diet will include eliminating a lot of your most favorite foods. There is no doubt about this, and obviously tradeoffs will have to be made - would you rather get rid of the reflux and heartburn, or would you rather keep eating the foods that are causing it because you like them?
Something to keep in mind though as an additional benefit is the fact that many of these foods you like so much really aren't very healthy in general. So while you are eliminating foods for your acid reflux diet, you will also be improving your general health by eating better.
Acid Reflux Diet Tips - Foods To Eat More Of
Your acid reflux diet is not about only avoiding foods, there are foods that you want to eat more of because they will help dissolve stomach acids, and as a result reduce or eliminate heartburn. Everyone who has acid reflux and heartburn should buy a good acid reflux cookbook and guide. Besides learning more from the experts about foods to avoid, you also want to know which foods to eat more.
Foods that are especially known to neutralize stomach acids are (1) fruits like apples, bananas, and papaya (2) vegetables like broccoli, peas, green beans, and green cabbage.
Also, foods made from grains like bread and cereals [stay away from those with lots of white processed flour and sugar]have a tendency to help neutralize the acid in the stomach, as does the foods like pasta and rice which are high in complex carbohydrates.
And drink lots of water. Besides being so healthy for you in general, water can help dilute the acid in your stomach, while also 'pushing down' the acid that has refluxed into your esophagus - both of these characteristics will be very beneficial for reducing heartburn.
Heartburn Getting Worse
These acid reflux diet tips should help someone with minor heartburn problems to eliminate them, and even help someone with very bad acid reflux and heartburn to reduce the severity and make it less frequent. But be smart about this; you could have acid reflux disease, or what is known as GERDS. If you are have problems to the extent that they are occurring daily and even affecting your overall life, they can't be ignored. Left untreated, GERDS can progress into many health problems, including esophageal cancer.
So start with these acid reflux diet tips, and see if they will control and get rid of your heartburn. But if these and/or some of the other programs and recommendations mentioned throughout this site are not helping you, then it is time to consult with your doctor and see what other remedies that are available.
Acid reflux diet changes can help get rid of your heartburn and acid reflux problems. To learn more about this, and see a number of acid reflux diet books and remedies, come to http://www.acidrefluxdiettips.org/
