Studies have shown that making simple adjustments in how and when you eat can significantly reduce heartburn symptoms. Eating larger meals for breakfast and lunch rather than at dinner helps lower stomach acid production and avoid large meals right before sleeping is also helpful.
Avoid eating fried foods, high-fat meats and processed snacks to decrease fat intake. Acidic foods like citrus fruits and juices, tomato products such as marinara sauce or ketchup and vinegar salad dressings may trigger reflux episodes.
Avoid Specific Fatty Foods
Fat-rich food saps your stomach’s protective mucus glands of their ability to fight acidity, making acid reflux symptoms such as heartburn more likely. Fatty food sits longer in your digestive system, increasing chances of it leaking back up through to your esophagus and leading to acidity problems like heartburn and other signs. To avoid acid reflux altogether, consume lean, low-fat meats; forgo fried and fatty snacks; avoid high-fat dairy products like butter and ice cream; avoid citrus- and tomato fruits/juices/peppermint (including gum/candy); carbonated beverages/alcohol beverages etc.
Avoid foods rich in greasy and fatty oils as well as onions and garlic which have been known to trigger acid reflux symptoms in many people. Eat smaller meals more frequently to allow the body to digest more efficiently and decrease chances of acid leaking back up from your stomach into your esophagus.
Eat more whole grains, legumes and fruit than processed or sugary foods to help your digestive tract work more effectively. Water, herbal tea and low-sugar iced coffee should also help alleviate symptoms of acid reflux.
Milk may help temporarily calm stomach acidity, but you should limit how much you consume because the fat in milk can worsen symptoms. If you still want dairy products, opt for fat-free varieties instead.
Avoid eating fatty red meats as these decrease pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter and delay stomach emptying, increasing your risk for acid reflux. Instead, increase consumption of fish, poultry, beans and legumes as well as whole grain bread, rice, couscous and oatmeal rich in soluble fiber; consume naturally low acid foods such as bananas, pears and apples and avoid high-acid fruits like lemons, oranges, pineapples, limes or grapefruit juice.
Don’t Consume Alcohol
Your lower end of esophagus is connected to your stomach by a circular ring of muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). When you swallow, this muscle relaxes so food can enter your stomach, then contracts back down to prevent acid from flowing back up and burning your throat – this causes heartburn symptoms.
Unfortunately, alcohol can cause your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax inappropriately or even during sleep, allowing stomach contents to backwash into your esophagus and cause refluxes. There are steps you can take to combat this and protect yourself.
One strategy to limit alcohol intake is consuming it in moderation and eating food with your beverages to help slow the absorption rate in your body. You may also consider elevating your bed with blocks of wood under your feet or placing a foam wedge under it to prevent acid reflux during sleep.
Attenuate acid reflux symptoms by eating smaller meals more frequently and limiting night-time eating. This will prevent your stomach from becoming overloaded with food and relaxing incorrectly, and drinking beverages that contain less acid such as water or light beers which tend to trigger less symptoms of acid reflux.
As the best way to identify what foods and drinks may be aggravating your acid reflux symptoms is keeping a food journal, tracking when heartburn occurs, keeping track of potential culprits can assist in making healthier choices in future.
Although these tips are helpful in combatting acid reflux, everyone’s symptoms differ. Therefore, it is essential to discuss with your physician how best to manage them.
Avoid Garlic and Onions
If you suffer from acid reflux, changing your diet will help decrease heartburn episodes. Certain foods have been identified as major triggers, so it’s wise to avoid them: these include citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes and tomato products, raw onions, peppermint, carbonated drinks and caffeine. To identify which foods may be contributing to symptoms and reduce symptoms faster – keep a food diary for at least two weeks so as to determine which triggers may exist for you!
Eating more frequent small meals will also help keep your stomach fuller, helping prevent acid from seeping into the esophagus from an overfilled stomach. Try eating lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy throughout the day – while avoiding foods high in saturated fat and sugar such as fried foods or spicy items that contain saturated fat.
Onions and garlic can both be acid reflux triggers, so it is best to only consume them after they have been thoroughly cooked. Sharp onions tend to worsen your symptoms more quickly; to minimize pain when cutting them up, stick with mild varieties that won’t make you cry as easily.
Garlic and onions belong to the Allium family of vegetables, along with leeks, chives and shallots. These allium vegetables boast many heart-healthy benefits that have been demonstrated to lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health, such as anti-inflammatory organosulfur compounds.
However, not everyone who consumes these vegetables will experience heartburn due to them; therefore it’s essential that you experiment and determine which varieties are safe for you to eat. In general though, those diagnosed with heartburn or GERD should steer clear from these items.
Sleep on the Left Side of Your Body
As many as one-third of American’s experience acid reflux, and while sleep aids may help, experts agree that changing the position in which you sleep is often best. Sleeping on your left side allows gravity to do its work and keep the stomach below your esophagus for optimal relief.
As such, patients undergoing endoscopies – in which a camera is passed through the esophagus and stomach – are asked to lie on their left sides so that there is less risk of stomach acid leaking into the esophagus and irritating it, potentially leading to complications like bleeding or ulcers in their throats.
Sleeping on the left side may also assist with snoring and mild sleep apnea by keeping airways open throughout sleep, helping reduce snoring while also preventing any obstructions that lead to obstructed breathing which causes sleep apnea.
Experts still remain unsure as to the exact reasons behind this phenomenon, though they believe lying flat on your right side causes relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), making it harder and longer to bring acid back down into your stomach4.
Sleeping flat on your right side exposes stomach acid to enter the esophagus and cause irritation or inflammation, potentially leading to ulcers, difficulty swallowing, chest pain or even cancer in some instances.
Sleeping on your left side makes this process simpler for the LES to return stomach contents back into your stomach, relieving pressure on the liver and helping the heart pump blood more effectively. Doctors usually advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side to alleviate pressure on the liver while also increasing heart pumping ability more efficiently. For optimal results, wait several hours after eating before lying down – to ensure all food has been fully digested first!
