Healthy eating and Helpful tips

While there’s no proven “GERD diet” that exist, there are helpful tips you should keep in mind to help you ease or avoid symptoms. Each person’s condition is different and coming up with an appropriate diet and lifestyle that works for you is most recommended. Making adjustments to your current diet might be enough to improve your symptoms. Start with fruits and vegetables, remember to avoid citrus fruits and juices, such as oranges and lemons. Rather, choose from a variety of non-citrus fruits such as bananas, pears, apples, melons, grapes, raspberries, peaches, blackberries and apricots. Avoid irritants such as tomatoes or onions and sauces or toppings that are high in fat. Avoid eating vegetables that are fried or creamy style, all other vegetables are recommended. Choose high in protein foods and lean meats such as low-fat meat, chicken, fish, or turkey that are grilled, poached, broiled, or baked. Breads and grains that are made with low-fat content such as oatmeal, whole grain bread, rice, and couscous are good sources of healthy carbs. Other sources of healthy carbs include potatoes and other root vegetables. Avoid using common irritants like onions and garlic, while preparing meals. Replace saturated fats with healthier unsaturated fats from plants or fish. Avoid all animal or vegetable oils, when using fast or oils with small amounts. For sweets and desserts avoid chocolate, and desserts made with oils and/or fats. Find alternatives that are made with no or low fat. When consuming milk products replace whole milk or chocolate milk with skim, 1% or 2% low-fat milk, choose low-fat or fat-free yogurt. (Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology, 2016) and (IFFGD, 2016)

Other helpful tips are chewing gum, avoid spearmint or peppermint, avoid drinking alcohol, and avoid eating right before going to bed. Chewing gum is going to increase your saliva production and reduce the amount of acid in the esophagus. Avoid drinking any alcoholic beverages, this can irritate the lower esophageal sphincter and trigger reflux. While some people can tolerate some amounts of alcohol others should be more cautious. Experiment to see if you are able to consume alcohol or see what works best for you. Remember to keep a good posture during and after meals. Avoid lying flat for a minimum of three hours after eating. Standing up or walking around helps food content and gastric juices flow in the right direction. Avoid eating right before going to bed, this will help prevent the stomach content from going up into the esophagus. "Timing can vary from individual to individual, but generally, eating a full meal less than three or four hours before bed is not advisable for GERD sufferers (IFFGD, 2016)."

Reference (APA Citation without URL):

International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. (2016, February 10). Diet changes for GERD. Retrieved November 22, 2016.

Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology. (2016). Gastroesophageal Reflux disease diet. Retrieved November 22, 2016.