Gerd Diet

Heartburn is a condition that is popular to many of us, and Gerd is the more serious version of heartburn. The correct name for GERD is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. If you are suffering from GERD, is means that the stomach acidic levels are very high. Thus when they reflux into the esophagus this leads to painful inflammations for the esophagus.

Change your lifestyle - stop GERD

Many people are not aware of the fact that with some simple changes in their lifestyle and eating habits, they have the ability to relieve the worst effects of GERD. This change is called the GERD diet, and you’ll find that the diet against heartburn is very easy to follow.

There are certain foods that should be avoided if possible. Those include tomatoes and all tomatoe-based products, peppermints, onions and chocolate. You should also try to find alternatives to fatty or fried food as your stomach usually needs more time to digest them therefore increasing the risk of acid reflux. Drinking coffee should also be avoided - however, there is a special coffee for heartburn patients available that you can drink without increasing the risk of acid reflux. It is also recommended to limit your usage of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as these might cause acid drug reflux

There are also some alternative foods that you can have while you are on a GERD diet. Instead of drinking whole milk you should try fat free milk or 1%-2%milk. Leave acid causing tomatoes out of your diet. Other vegetables on the other hand are considered to be good for your heartburn diet. You can eat chicken and other meat low in fats. Try your best to stay away from bacon and processed meats like cold cuts. Everyone loves fruits, but GERD diet followers need to avoid grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes and pineapples.

Besides these foods, there are also some drinks that also have the tendency to increase your acid reflux problems. Stop drinking coffee and try some decaffeinated coffee instead. Enjoy some herbal teas for a change, in place of your normal cup of tea. You can have fruit drinks (except of citrus based drinks) without digging into a carbonated fizzy drink. The other beverage to avoid is alcohol in all its forms of course which means no wines, beers or even coolers.

While you are on a diet to fight GERD you can also think about supplementing your nutritional intake with magnesium, calcium or potassium supplements. All these minerals are known to have an alkalizing effect on your body by binding up the stomach acids.

There are also some GERD diet tips available concerning the way you eat and other things. The first step should be to avoid eating large meals at bed time. Try to eat several small meals throughout the day. Discontinue the use of all tobacco and nicotine products. Do not wear tight clothes as they press against the stomach walls forcing the food into the LES. Sleep with your head a bit higher than your body. Being overweight can also lead to GERD, therefore reducing weight can help you on the acid reflux diet.

A lot of plants are said to have an effect on acid reflux. Herbal medicines like Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Papaya Leaf help in aiding digestion. Aloe Vera aids in the healing of the intestinal tract and Chamomile is said to relieve esophageal irritation. There are also some special herbal medicines against indigestion which can relief you from your GERD pain.

As you can see the GERD diet is easy to copy and provides you with a wide variety of tasty foods to be eaten. Besides which, if you have GERD, isn’t it better to avoid certain foods than to suffer?

More info on the symptoms of GERD can be read in this article.