You’ve received an acid reflux diagnosis. Now what?
At this point, you’re sick and tired of the aggravating symptoms caused by stomach acid flowing backward into the esophagus: heartburn, regurgitation, cough, trouble swallowing, breathing issues, and potentially even more. Patients with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) experience chronic, severe acid reflux symptoms.
Examining your diet is a great place to start tackling reflux. Consider keeping a food journal that tracks what you eat and when you experience symptoms. You’ll likely find that some of the usual acid reflux suspects are triggering episodes:
- Fatty foods, including fatty meat and full-fat dairy products
- Fried foods
- Chocolate
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Citrus
- Vinegar
- Mint
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Carbonated drinks
Once you’ve identified any foods that exacerbate your acid reflux (including others that aren’t on the above list), eliminating those from your diet should be a top priority. While it may prove difficult to wave goodbye to some of your favorite foods, improved overall health is well worth the sacrifice.
On the other hand, some foods have been identified as beneficial for people with acid reflux. If you decide to newly incorporate any of these into your diet, monitor symptoms for awhile to ensure they are helping ease your symptoms. Some of these beneficial foods include:
- High-fiber options including oatmeal, brown rice, couscous, and whole-grain breads.
- Root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, and beets.
- Other vegetables such as asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens, celery, brussels sprouts, and green beans.
- Lean meat like white-meat chicken, turkey, and seafood.
- Eggs, although you may find that eating only the egg white works best for you.
- Watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe have proven to be great options for acid reflux sufferers who need a fruit fix.
- Other noncitrus fruits such as berries, cucumbers, apples, pears, avocados, and bananas.
- Ginger can help soothe heartburn and upset stomach. Caffeine-free ginger tea, dried ginger, or even ginger added to a smoothie can be just what you need to help ease discomfort.
While what you eat certainly impacts acid reflux, also be mindful of how and when you eat. Making an effort to eat small meals slowly instead of shoveling in big meals can make a difference. Also, don’t lie down for two to three hours after eating. Gravity is your friend when it comes to taming stomach acid.
For some people, trigger avoidance, proper nutrition, and even medication won’t end their GERD woes. Dr. Uecker is exceptionally experienced at performing GERD surgery and will skillfully guide patients through the process of selecting the right surgical option for their unique situation.
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/facts-statistics-infographic#1
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John M Uecker, M.D. has been in practice in Austin since 2003. His practice focuses on the surgical treatment of hernias, gallstones, GERD, hiatal hernias and thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal tumors. He started and leads the robotic surgery program at Dell Seton Medical Center. Dr. Uecker is the Division Chief of minimally invasive surgery and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Dell Medical School where he enjoys teaching medical students and residents.
