As the pace of life continues to grow faster and more out of control, people are finding it more and more difficult to find the time to plan, prepare, and share their meals. The result can be conditions such as heartburn and acid reflux (also known as GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease).

This occurs when the sphincter found at the bottom of the esophagus does not seal properly, letting acids from the stomach to come up through the esophagus to the throat and mouth. The final result is a persistent burning sensation in the chest and throat, and a sour taste in the mouth.

If this is where you’ve found yourself, there are simple lifestyle changes you can make. One of these is altering your diet. This article is about common foods to avoid with acid reflux.

Unlike what many of us think, it’s not only fast foods and spicy foods that can cause the problem. Many foods and beverages can cause the sphincter in the esophagus to relax, which is why it’s so important to avoid those foods when combating acid reflux disease.

Okay, so let’s take a look at the five primary food groups that are often behind your acid reflux episodes.

Fruits & Vegetables

Onions and potatoes can both aggravate your condition. Most doctors will suggest that you avoid them whenever possible, particularly fried potatoes. Fruits (such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and cranberries) that are highly acidic should be avoided too. This includes the often forgotten fruit juices such as orange juice and cranberry juice.

Dairy Foods

Regrettably, milk and dairy products in general, are acid based and will actually aggravate your episodes. Sour cream, ice cream, cottage cheese, milk … these are all dairy products that you should consider either ridding from your diet or at the very least tracking their effects.

Coffee, Alcohol And Other Drinks

As much as you may enjoy drinking, alcohol can present a serious problem for those experiencing acid reflux.This is particularly true for liquor and wine. Try to keep your drinking to a minimum. If you’re a coffee drinker, regrettably, you’re going to have to make some alterations as well. It’s the caffeine that causes the problem. So you’ll also want to try eliminating caffeine teas and hot chocolate from your diet.

Desserts

You’ve already been warned about ice cream. The truth is … desserts in general can aggravate acid reflux.Chocolate, for example, is a big time culprit. So that immediately places chocolate ice cream, chocolate cakes, chocolate icing, brownies and more on our list of foods to avoid.

Fast Foods

Was there ever any doubt that we were going to get to fast foods? The problem, of course, isn’t fast food overall but fried foods, ice cream desserts, milk shakes, greasy burgers and the like. A grilled chicken sandwich, for example, should be just fine. Still, you really need to avoid those French fries, the bucket of fried chicken, the chicken nuggets, etc. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat fast food, only that you have to be far more distinguishing.

While these foods to avoid with acid reflux relief in mind are the most troubling for acid reflux disease sufferers, not all them will have the same impact on every person. Because of this, your doctor will likely suggest that you keep a food diary to identify those foods that are causing you the most difficulty. Frequently distinguishing these foods and adding them to your avoid list can be enough to keep your symptoms in check. This is plainly a much better option that taking medications or undergoing surgery.

Related posts:

  1. Acid Reflux Cough – Part II
  2. Asthma And Acid Reflux – Is There A Relationship?
  3. Acid Reflux During Pregnancy – 5 Steps To Minimize It
  4. Acid Reflux Information