GERD/ acid reflux symptoms can get aggravated by certain foods which, for obvious reasons, a person suffering from this problem would want o avoid.
The question then is: Which foods should be kept out of bounds for a person whose life has been made miserable by constant burping and belching?
What is GERD/ Acid Reflux?
After yesterday?s post (GERD Diet: Best Foods For Acidity/ Acid Reflux), I have been flooded by requests from regular readers who also wanted to know about the foods that cause acid reflux or GERD.
Worst Foods For GERD
Here is a list of foods that cause acid reflux or GERD. Avoiding them whenever possible (or, at least, trying to minimize their intake) can help a GERD patient to a large extent.
Fried foods: Foods which have a high trans-fat content are more difficult to digest and can aggravate acidity or acid reflux problem. Such foods slow down the process of digestion, due to which excess acids produced in the stomach are pushed back into the esophagus. Besides, they remain stuck in the digestive tract for a much longer duration than ?lighter’ foods, adding to the woes of a person already suffering from heartburn.
Moreover, high fat foods cause the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) to relax which causes the regurgitated contents of the stomach to be forced out into the esophagus and mouth.
Fried Foods
Spicy foods: Though this seems commonsensical, we are adding it to the list nevertheless for the benefit of our readers. If you love to ‘spice’ things up, you will have to change your food habits and opt for a less spicy version of your favorite foods to get respite from acid reflux. Chilies, pepper and hot sauces need to be avoided since they can wreak havoc with your digestion.
Chilies and Spicy Foods: Best avoided
Citrus foods: All citrus foods- whether fruits (oranges, lemons, kiwis), juices, tamarind, etc. are a total no-no for an acid reflux patient. Such foods include tomatoes and apples with a high acidcontent.
Citrus foods
Carbonated drinks: All fizzy drinks like sodas, colas, tonic water, etc. are bad for acid reflux since their bubbles expand inside the stomach, adding to the pressure inside. This, in turn, causes the acidic response to increase.
Diet Pepsi, Tab and Coke were found to be the most acidic out of all the tested beverages. If you must have fluids, have plain water.
If your carbonated drinks contain caffeine, there should be all the more reason to avoid it.
Carbonated Drinks: Anathema
Alcohol: Though most alcoholic drinks (beer, wine and liquor) are not very acidic themselves, they cause the LES to relax, causing acid reflux. Fermented drinks like beer and wine contain tannins which trigger off the acid production in the stomach. This acid, in the long run, causes serious damage to the inner lining of the stomach and the esophagus. Add to this the fact that alcoholic drinks dehydrate your body. So, if you are already suffering from a chronic acid reflux, remember that “drinking alcohol today can set you up for poor digestion or acid reflux tomorrow.”
If you must have alcohol, do not use acidic mixers like soda, orange juice, etc. The combination will become very deadly for your system to handle!!
Alcoholic Drinks: Learn to say NO
Processed baked goodies: Loaded with artificial colors and preservatives, processed baked stuff like brownies, cookies, etc. should be avoided like plague by GERD patients. To make matters worse, they contain refined white sugar and enriched sugar which add to the acid reflux woes of the affected person.
Chocolate: Though chocolate lovers are going to hate me for saying that, that’s the way it is! Chocolate triggers more reflux than any other food because it contains caffeine, is high on fats and contains cocoa (which again causes reflux). Again, if you MUST have chocolate prefer dark chocolate over the milk chocolate.Go for the lesser evil!
Chocolate: Deadliest Food For GERD Patients
Coffee: The high caffeine content in coffee makes it a highly undesirable food for all GERD patients. Caffeine stimulates the production of acid in the stomach, causing acid reflux later. If you must have a beverage, opt for green tea or chamomile instead.
This is not to suggest that you need to give up on coffee altogether. But if you are having several cups of it every day, you surely do need to cut down on its intake.
Coffee: Cut Down on it!
Full-fat dairy products: All foods which are high in fat content can trigger acid reflux. So, switch over to low fat or fat free milk, yogurt and cheese. Butter and cheesespread should be avoided. If you can’t strike them off your diet chart altogether, do not be very generous with your helpings and use them as mere flavoring agents. Don?t splurge on them as if they were complete meals unto themselves!
High-fat meats: For all those courting acid reflux, high-fat meats should be anathema! Meats like pork, beef and lamb which stay in the stomach for much longer than lean cut meats should be avoided as far as possible. Most of them are high in fat content as well, making it a double whammy for your stomach acids!
A well planned GERD diet should carefully avoid all the acid reflux stimulators listed above. Steering clear of these sinful foods will give you much needed relief from your acid reflux.
Here is a complete list of foods that cause GERD/ acid reflux.
Food Group Foods To Avoid
Fruit • Orange juice
? Lemon
? Lemonade
• Grapefruit juice
• Cranberry juice
• Tomato Vegetables
? Mashed potatoes
? French fries
• Onion, raw
Meat
? Ground beef, chuck
• Marbled sirloin
• Chicken nuggets
• Buffalo wings Dairy
• Sour cream
? Milk shake
? Ice cream
• Cottage cheese, regular
Grains
? Macaroni and cheese
• Spaghetti with sauce
Beverages
? Liquor
? Wine
• Coffee, decaffeinated or regular
• Tea, decaffeinated or regular Fats / Oils
• Salad dressing, creamy
• Salad dressing, oil & vinegar Sweets / Desserts
• Butter cookie, high-fat
• Brownie
• Chocolate
• Doughnut
• Corn chips
• Potato chips, regular
Meet Ambika Choudhary Mahajan. She is the leading contributor at www.healthtipscafe.com and has written 19 eBooks on health and related issues so far. She now writes regularly for her blog, and you can find concise and reliable information on topics related to general health, diseases, ailments, infections and other health related news on her website. Ambika Choudhary Mahajan
Ambika Choudhary Mahajan has written 70 post in this blog.
This blog is managed by Ambika Choudhary Mahajan, who is a healthy living and fitness freak. She wishes to share concise and reliable information on topics related to general health, diseases, disorders, infections and other health related news with her readers through this platform.
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