April 7, 2011
Diet For Acid Reflux Disease
Acid reflux disease, more often than not, is directly related to your diet. The foods you eat and the drinks you consume can be triggers for acid reflux and you may be unaware. Try keeping a food journal. You may notice that after you eat certain foods your body reacts in a way that clearly indicates that these foods aren’t the foods for you. Why foods serve as triggers for some when they are completely harmless for others has yet to be determined. In the meantime, however, you should do your part at eliminating the foods from your diet that may be personal triggers.
The first aspect of your diet that you may want to tackle is the amount of food you eat, the time of day you eat these foods and how often these foods are eaten. Let’s start by examining the amount of food you eat. Acid reflux has been known to be more active if there is a heavy consumption of food taking place. What happens when there is a large portion of food taken in at one time is that the body (namely the stomach acids) feels that it must do whatever is necessary to break down this large portion of food so that it may be properly digested. The stomach acids kick into overdrive when there is a lot of work to do. The hyperactivity of your stomach acids may ultimately cause these acids to escape the stomach and make way to the esophagus resulting in heartburn or other acid reflux symptoms. Try eating smaller meals several times a day. This not only helps with acid reflux disease, it also aids in weight loss. Also, you may want to try eating at least two hours before bedtime. When we are awake after eating we allow our bodies sufficient positioning for adequately digesting food.
Now that how to eat has been established lets tackle what to eat. In discussing what to eat it is also imperative to discuss what foods to avoid.
In terms of fruit and beverage, try avoiding tomatoes, lemons, carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages. Try to drinking water in place of the drinks that are listed as ones to avoid. Water is a great digestive aid and works wonders for soothing the esophagus in the instance that there may be irritation or burn. The perfect fruit for those that may suffer from acid reflux is an apple. Try apples in any form whether they are dried, fresh or juiced. Bananas may be a great choice as well.
Stay away from fried and fatty foods. Meats such as chicken nuggets, ground beef, buffalo wings and sirloin aren’t the best for you in terms of acid reflux and overall health. If you are a meat lover try skinless chicken breast, broil steak and if you simply must have ground beef be sure that the meat is extra lean.
A few minor adjustments can take you a long way. Changing your diet may ultimately change your life. For more diet suggestions visit refluxremedy.com today!
Filed under Acid Reflux Diet, Acid Reflux Disease by admin
January 21, 2011
Foods That Trigger Acid Reflux and Heartburn
There are a number of foods that trigger acid reflux and heartburn. Although everyone is different certain foods cause acid reflux more often, and more commonly, than others. Additionally, how much you eat, and when you eat can also trigger the effects of acid reflux.
Traditionally, onions, garlic, highly acidic fruits and juices (like citrus), caffeine and alcohol are all known to cause some type of heartburn (mild or severe) in a vast number of people. Additionally, foods that are difficult to digest like fatty foods (fast food), whole milk products, and ground beef can also cause some level of heart burn.
However, you may have your own triggers that upset your stomach a great deal, but don’t bother anyone else. To help you identify these causes, keep a food journal. That just means you should write down what you eat, when you eat, and how much you ate each time you sit down for a meal or a snack. That will help you to know exactly what you’ve eaten in the last few hours since your most recent bout of heartburn. If there are any trends, you’ll be able to easily point to them because you’ve been keeping track of your meals.
Regardless of what you’re eating, you can still get a mean case of heartburn if you eat too much of it. Have you ever heard of too much of a good thing? If you flood your stomach with food all at once, that sends it into acid production overdrive, and you may find that an upset stomach is the least of your problems. Keep this from happening by eating smaller meals more often. That way you’re still getting the same amount of nutrition, but you’re making it easier for your digestive system to process.
Additionally, when you eat can impact your heartburn pain. If you eat too close to bed time, or right before you lie down for a nap, that can be a sure fire way to trigger acid reflux, even if you just ate some whole grain toast, something that shouldn’t cause heartburn in the first place. This is because when you lay down, gravity can no longer help your body keep food down in the stomach. That allows acid and food to wander up into your esophagus, which results in pain and irritation. So, just try not to eat so close to bed time. Food should be consumed two hours or more prior to lying down to avoid an attack of acid indigestion. If this rule can’t be followed, then try propping yourself up with an extra pillow to provide your body with something resembling a more natural alignment of your digestive tracts, and attempt to keep foods down in your stomach where they belong.
If you’re looking for more information about foods that trigger acid reflux and heartburn, why they trigger those conditions, and how you can naturally relieve those symptoms, check out The Reflux Remedy Report. It contains a whole host of information about heartburn, as well as holistic tips and tricks for being heartburn free. Visit refluxremedy.com today to learn more.
Filed under Acid Reflux by admin
January 12, 2011
Acid Reflux Food to Avoid
Acid reflux is a terribly common problem among people in today’s fast paced culture of high fat foods and things that can be eaten on the go. There are a number of acid reflux foods to avoid, and certain things that will help eliminate and prevent your heartburn.
First, let’s look at what acid reflux actually is and how it happens. Stomach acid helps to break down food in your stomach so that your body can extract the vitamins and nutrients it needs. Certain things like difficult to digest foods, stress, smoking, or lying down after eating can cause that acid to creep up into your esophagus. This causes pain, indigestion, burping, hiccups and can even result in damage to the esophagus if the reflux occurs frequently.
Trigger Foods
Everyone has their own foods that will set off acid reflux, however there are a few common triggers. These foods should be avoided to help prevent damage to the esophagus, and keep heartburn at bay. They include:
- Garlic
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Citrus (including juices that are high in acids)
- Onions
- Meats that are difficult to digest (like ground beef, marbled sirloin and chicken wings)
- Dairy
To help find out what your own triggers are, start a food journal. Keep track of what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it. That will help you to better understand what sets your acid reflux off, and narrow down your specific triggers. Some of your food triggers may surprise you!
What you can do
Now, just because there are a ton of foods you should avoid doesn’t mean you need to go on an extreme, crash course diet. It’s always best to try to maintain a balanced diet, so things like dairy, citrus and meat that are part of a healthy diet should not be completely cut out. They should just be consumed in moderation, and possibly in tandem with other heartburn preventatives.
Heartburn Preventatives
Sometimes foods that are known to cause heartburn for you just can’t be avoided. Maybe you’re at a friend’s house and they cooked nachos for you with ground beef, onions, and a whole host of other heartburn triggers just waiting to settle into your stomach. So what can you do?
Try taking a papaya enzyme tablet after you eat. Papaya contains digestive enzymes that will help your body to digest foods and prevent acid buildup that causes reflux.
Try drinking a full glass of water after you eat. This will help dilute stomach acids and flush your digestive tract out so you won’t have to experience excess irritation. For more effective relief or prevention, try adding a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar to a full glass of water. This will help neutralize the acid in your stomach in addition to washing it away.
Eat an apple before or after your meal. Apparently the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has some basis, as many people are finding success with this technique for keeping acid reflux at bay.
There are countless home remedies you can try to prevent and relieve heartburn. The Reflux Remedy Report promotes natural heartburn remedies and can help you prevent your acid reflux, as well as formulate a diet appropriate for acid reflux. For more information on acid reflux food to avoid and other preventative measures you can take, visit refluxremedy.com today!
Filed under Acid Reflux by admin