Acid Reflux Food – Foods to Avoid and their Better Alternatives

When you suffer from acid reflux, one of the things you can do to help prevent it from happening again is to implement changes to your diet. There are foods known to trigger acid reflux and heartburn, and if you want to prevent acid reflux, eliminating these food groups from your diet should go a long way. An acid reflux food plan should be followed.

Acid reflux happens when acids from your stomach seep through the esophageal sphincter and go up the esophagus. This results into a burning sensation in the upper abdomen which is usually felt together with a sour taste in the mouth.

To avoid acid reflux, one must stay away from foods with high acid content. Such foods include citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, cranberries, and grapefruits. Vegetables which are acidic, including tomato and onion, should also be avoided.

Dairy products like ice cream, milk shakes, regular cottage cheese and sour cream should also be removed from your diet. Also forgo sweets that are high in fat and sugar, such as donuts, brownies, chocolate, and butter cookies.

Fatty and oily foods should be avoided as well. In terms of beverages, one should stay away from liquor, coffee and tea.

Your acid reflux food plan should instead incorporate foods that exhibit low potential to cause acid reflux. This includes bananas and apples, cabbage and broccoli, lean meat portions and skinless chicken, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, low-fat desserts, and mineral water.

You can still enjoy some foods, but with moderation. This includes low-acid orange juice and dried cranberries, cooked onion and leeks, lean meat portions and fried fish or egg, skimmed milk and yogurt, soda or beer, and low-fat desserts.

These are substitutes to the foods you should avoid to prevent acid reflux. If you can’t help but indulge in a treat once in a while, at least do so in moderation. It also helps to keep an acid reflux food journal to monitor which foods trigger acid reflux, and which foods are safe for consumption. This is because you may react differently to certain foods compared to other individuals.