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What Do I Make for Dinner For a Person With Acid Reflux?

Figuring out what to make for a dinner to give a person with acid reflux can be a challenge. There are many foods that disrupt the digestive system, irritate the stomach and cause heartburn. While you can't necessarily eliminate everything in food that causes acid reflux, you can include certain dishes containing soothing foods and ingredients that don't inflict heartburn on the eater.

  1. Don't Make Spicy Food

    • Spicy foods in general tend to irritate people with acid reflux. Thus, if you were planning on making five-alarm chili for dinner, you might want to reconsider. Ethnic foods of a Mexican, Thai, Italian or Chinese origin can cause heartburn, so don't serve rough tacos, flaming enchiladas or Italian sausage.

    Rich Meals are Out of the Question

    • Dr. Alan Ogilvie and Dr. Roger Henderson cite that rich foods and large meals tend to incur acid reflux, since the more food the stomach takes in, the more it will stretch and the less likely it is for acid to stay inside the stomach. Thus, avoid fatty foods and serve small portions of each dish to someone with acid reflux.

    Safe Acid Reflux Dishes

    • Elaine Magee suggests replacing fried foods, such as fried chicken, with baked chicken. You can also make a lasagna with white sauce as opposed to tomato sauce, which has a tendency to incur heartburn. Similarly, substitute spaghetti with a red marinade for an white Alfredo sauce, and try to use whole-grain or non-enriched noodles whenever possible. Remember to serve these in small portions or the heartburn results will be the same as if you served the more acidic foods.

      Anywhere you can substitute a low-fat or no-fat ingredient for a fatty one, such as cottage cheese, sour cream or cream cheese, you will be doing the acid reflux sufferer a big favor. The same goes for foods high in sodium; if you can buy reduced sodium or 99% sodium-free foods, such as canned soups, you can reduce the risk of getting heartburn at dinnertime.

    Safe Fruits for Acid Reflux

    • Fruits such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, limes, prunes, grapefruit and cranberries are all bad news for acid reflux. Substitute these with bananas, pears, apples, apricots and blueberries, as these all contain a low acid content.

    Substitutes for Rich Chocolate Desserts

    • Skipping dessert isn't fun for anyone, especially acid reflux patients who already have to avoid so much other food. So instead of making a rich cheesecake or chocolate pie, WebMD.com suggests eating carrot cake or a fruit parfait, both of which are heartburn-friendly.

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