Acid Reflux Symptoms | Acid Reflux Diet

Learn How To Reduce Acid Reflux Symptoms

In order to reduce your acid reflux symptoms you first need to know what it is that is causing your acid reflux and digestive discomfort. There are multiple possible causes of acid reflux and determining the exact cause in your case is very important. Reaching for an antacid might be easy but taking a closer look at your diet and lifestyle could reduce or eliminate the need for such medication.

Acid reflux is when digestive acid from your stomach begins to make its way up through your esophagus and sometimes into your throat or mouth. This can be caused by many things, ranging from diet and lifestyle to more serious medical conditions. The symptoms that are experienced are often uncomfortable and quite annoying. Most commonly a burning sensation is felt from the stomach through to the chest (known as heartburn) and up towards your throat. Other symptoms that go along with acid reflux are indigestion, regurgitation, difficulty swallowing and the abovementioned heartburn.

Food And Lifestyle

As certain foods are the most common cause of acid reflux you will need to pay careful attention to your diet in order to reduce your acid reflux symptoms. By noting down everything you eat when you eat it you can refer back to your food diary when you begin to experience acid reflux symptoms. You will likely notice you experience the symptoms after eating or drinking a certain food or beverage. By eliminating or reducing your intake of your 'trigger' food you will reduce your acid reflux symptoms.

It may be helpful to know that many people experience acid reflux following the consumption of high fat foods, alcohol, caffeinated drinks and spicy foods. Carbohydrates such as pasta, rice and bread often require more stomach acid to digest so they are likely not the culprits if eaten in moderation.

Unhealthy lifestyle habits such as heavy drinking and smoking are likely to contribute to your acid reflux or intensify the uncomfortable experience. By stopping smoking and moderating your alcohol intake you should reduce your symptoms. If you are going to consume alcohol ensure you don't do it on an empty stomach, ideally with a well balanced meal.

If you tend to eat your evening meal late at night you may wish to move it to an earlier timeslot. Doing this could drastically reduce your acid reflux symptoms. When you go to bed or lay down on a full stomach you put unnecessary pressure on your abdomen which makes it harder to digest the food and keep the gastric acid where it should be.

Medication

Ideally you will be able to eliminate or significantly reduce acid reflux by making changes to your diet and lifestyle. However that is not to say you will never experience acid reflux again. If you happen to consume a 'trigger' food then it is helpful to have antacids on hand. They work to neutralize the acid in the stomach and will ease your discomfort considerably. They shouldn't be used as a permanent fix though and ongoing use can have side effects.

For those with more serious conditions it may prove harder to reduce your acid reflux symptoms. The best advice for you is to speak with your doctor so they can eliminate more serious causes and recommend the best medication for your individual situation.

Create Your Own Acid Reflux Diet

With millions of Americans suffering from heartburn and acid reflux each day it is no wonder that antacids are one of the most common over the counter medications available. Antacids do work well but many people fail to see that it is actually their diet and sometimes lifestyle that is causing their acid reflux and it is not something they have to put up with. By creating your own acid reflux diet you could find yourself giving up the antacids and living a much more comfortable life without the annoyance and suffering that acid reflux presents.

What To Avoid

The list of foods that can trigger acid reflux is a mile long and that is because trigger foods can be different for different people. In order to find out your specific trigger food or drink you should consider recording everything you eat and each time you experience acid reflux symptoms for at least a week. This should highlight what your trigger foods are and once avoided you should notice a marked improvement in your symptoms.

With that said there are some very common trigger foods that many people have found to be the cause of their acid reflux. Such foods and drinks include spicy or hot foods, chocolate, alcohol, peppermint, caffeine, soda drinks and any food high in saturated fat. If you work to considerably reducing or eliminating your intake of these foods you may notice acid reflux is no longer such a big problem for you.

Good Foods To Eat

Complex carbohydrates are a very good addition to the diet of someone suffering from acid reflux disease. These carbohydrates use more of the stomach's acid to be digested which leaves little that can travel towards your esophagus or throat and cause discomfort. Complex carbohydrates have the added benefit of being very good for you and an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. Try including brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole grain breads into your daily diet to combat acid reflux.

Milk has been thought to aid in the discomfort of acid reflux however it seems to be a very temporary measure and can often cause the stomach to produce more acid to digest it. If you are going to drink milk ensure you have it alongside a well balanced meal that includes complex carbohydrates.

Lifestyle

Smoking and drinking excess alcohol will almost certainly cause you some form of acid reflux, as well as being bad for your body. If you are a smoker or heavy drinker, by stopping smoking and only ever drinking in moderation, you will likely notice a great improvement.

Regardless of what is on your plate if you eat too much you could still experience acid reflux. Portion control is important as overeating is a major cause of temporary acid reflux in people that would not otherwise experience it. Try to stop eating before you feel full. By eating too much you encourage your stomach to produce excess gastric acid to digest the full load.

Lastly try not to eat a meal within two hours of going to bed. When you eat is just as important as what you eat when you are creating an acid reflux diet. Lying down or going to bed shortly after a meal puts pressure on your abdomen which can weaken the valve between your stomach and esophagus which is designed to stop the gastric acid from leaving your stomach.