Diet for Acid Reflux Disease

Many people suffer from acid reflux disorder, a very uncomfortable condition that can make mealtime and after mealtime a painful experience. There are treatments for acid reflux. Sometimes treatments may require a medication, but sometimes just by changing your diet, you can rid yourself of the reflux so that you can eat without the pain and discomfort. Acid reflux, if left untreated, can lead to bigger medical problems. It is important to get acid reflux under control so that you do not cause permanent damage to your digestive system.

Diagnosing Acid Reflux Disease

• It is important to see your physician if you think you have acid reflux disease. Many times the symptoms you have can tell the doctor if you have acid reflux. Symptoms can include excess belching, bad breath, pain when swallowing, regurgitation and chest pain. However; your doctor may need to order some tests, such as an endoscopy or a barium swallow. These tests will show if any damage or irritation has been done to the stomach, throat and esophagus. Endoscopy is a procedure that requires a tube to be inserted down the throat. It will follow the esophagus and ultimately end up in the stomach. The doctor can look at all the organs as the tube passes through them, and he can even take biopsies of tissue as needed. A barium swallow is a dye that illuminates the organs so the doctor can get a good look at the tissue. The doctor will have you drink a special drink with dye, then take a series of X-rays so he can look at all the organs while they are illuminated.

How to Eat With Acid Reflux

• How you eat with acid reflux is just as important as what you eat. The stomach has to work very hard to digest big meals, and this means higher acid production. With acid reflux disease, it is important to take some of the work load off the stomach by eating less and more frequently. It is recommended that you eat six smaller meals a day rather than three big meals. By eating more often and breaking the meals up into smaller amounts, you lessen the amount of acid production. The smaller meals will also eliminate the amount of time the food needs in your stomach to digest. Another important factor in digestion with acid reflux is you should remain upright for at least 45 minutes after eating. Staying in the upright position helps food make its way down the system rather than wanting to reflux back up. You should also avoid eating late at night. Make sure your last meal is at least a couple of hours prior to going to bed to avoid acid production just before lying down. To reduce acid refluxing at night, you can try raising the head of your bed 6 inches. This will help keep the acid from wanting to flow back up the esophagus, rather than flowing downward toward the stomach.

Special Diet For Acid Reflux

• If you have been diagnosed with acid reflux disease, it is extremely important to watch what you eat. There are certain foods that should be avoided altogether in order to prevent excessive acid production. One type of food that increases acid production is high fat foods. This means that you should try to avoid eating out at fast food restaurants as much as possible. High-fat meals need a longer time in the stomach for digestion, which requires the production of more acid. Other types of high-fat foods are chips and junk food. Acidic foods like tomatoes, oranges and other citrus foods should also be avoided because they are also known to increase acid. Alcoholic beverages fall into this category, as well. Beer is especially hard on the stomach and stimulates acid production. On the other hand, foods that are easier on the stomach and require less time to digest are high-complex carbohydrates. High-complex foods are starchy foods like rice, pasta and breads. You can also eat bland foods, which are considered easier on the stomach and easier to digest. Some good bland foods are yogurts, cottage cheese, creamed soups and Jello. They do not stay in the stomach for long periods of time and can help reduce acid in the stomach.