Foods for Acid Reflux Relief

Acid-reflux refers to acids that rise from many people's stomachs up their digestive tracts. People often experience acid-reflux as a burning sensation, known as heartburn, in their chests due to the stomach acid's irritation of the esophagus. Sometimes people only experience occasional heartburn, while others have chronic heartburn, known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Changes in your diet will help to decrease your stomach acid contents and lessen the severity of your heartburn and/or GERD.

Healthy Eating

Although people may want a miracle food that will cure their heartburn, the most effective way to reduce heartburn is a general healthy eating strategy. Try to lose excess pounds from your stomach since stomach fat creates abdominal pressure that leads to acid reflux. Start with simple changes to your diet. Rather than drink soda or alcohol with dinner, stick to water. Cook your meals in a tablespoon of olive oil rather than butter or animal fat. For dessert, eat a banana instead of ice cream.

Another good healthy food strategy to reduce heartburn is to limit your meal size. Cut your overall meal size by a third to start. Once you adjust to the smaller size, try to reduce your portion-size further. Remember that your daily caloric recommended intake varies between 1500 and 2500 calories depending on your sex and age.

In addition to smaller meal sizes, do not eat three hours before bed. The later you eat, the less time you will have to burn off calories. As the food sits in your stomach, the acid rises and you may gain weight as well.

Non-Acidic Food Options

Foods that may worsen acid-reflux include spaghetti with tomato sauce, oranges and spicy cuisines. If you suffer from acid reflux, look at the foods you like that contribute to your symptoms and create less acidic versions that won't give you as much discomfort. For instance, rather than cooking a heavy meat lasagna with marinara sauce, opt for linguine with olive oil, spinach and mushrooms. If you usually eat oranges for a fruity snack, try grapes or apples.

Know the foods that cause your symptoms to flare-up. All people are different. If you can eat a bowl of lamb vindaloo and feel no acid reflux, you don't have to cut vindaloo from your diet just because many people's heartburn worsens from such dishes. Also, talk to your doctor to see how long you need to remain on your low-acid diet. For some people, a week away from acidic foods may work to lessen the severity of acid reflux, while others need to stick to their diet on a more permanent basis.

Good Foods for Digestion

As you adopt healthy eating habits and avoid the foods that trigger your acid reflux, seek foods that promote good digestion and help to neutralize your stomach acids. Begin your day with a bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal contains essential nutrients, fiber and vitamins and it sits well in most people's stomachs. For lunch, stick to basic meats such as oven-roasted turkey. Avoid processed turkey or other heavier meats. At night, cook up fiber-rich mixtures of beans and easily digestible vegetables like spinach or Brussels sprouts. Throw in some ginger for added benefit and taste. Ginger in moderate doses may help reduce inflammation and ease unpleasant acid reflux symptoms.