How to Find the Right GERD Diet

If you have heartburn or other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), your diet is likely to be one of the first questions your doctor will ask you.

Certain foods are known to aggravate GERD symptoms. You may be advised to eat these foods less frequently or to eliminate them entirely from your diet.

If your esophagus has been damaged by GERD, it is also critical to avoid foods that can irritate and damage this more sensitive tissue.

Your eating habits could also be contributing to your symptoms. Changing the size and timing of your meals can help reduce heartburn, regurgitation, and other GERD symptoms.

You may also be advised to eat in order to lose weight, as excess weight can put pressure on your abdomen and increase your risk of GERD symptoms.

Foods to Avoid With GERD
Certain foods and drinks can aggravate GERD symptoms such as heartburn and a sour taste from regurgitation.

Alcohol, caffeine, carbonated beverages, chocolate, tomatoes, and tomato-based foods, garlic, mint, onions, spicy foods, fatty foods, and fried foods are frequently advised to people with GERD.

Some of these foods, such as fatty foods, chocolate, peppermint, and alcohol, are thought to aggravate GERD symptoms by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle ring that separates your stomach from your esophagus.

This allows the contents of the stomach to enter the esophagus, resulting in heartburn.

Other foods, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits, are thought to aggravate symptoms by increasing stomach acidity. They can also irritate the damaged esophageal lining.

Soda is a particularly problematic beverage for people with GERD because it is carbonated and frequently contains caffeine.

Chocolate may be one of the worst foods for people with GERD due to its high fat and caffeine content.

High-fat dairy products, as well as fatty cuts of meat and processed meats like hot dogs and luncheon meat, are among the most problematic fatty foods.

Foods to Eat
Because you'll most likely need to eliminate certain foods from your diet to alleviate GERD symptoms, knowing about alternative foods that are less likely to cause problems may be beneficial.

The following substitutions may help you avoid symptoms.

Milk Products
Try reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk, yogurt, cheese, or ice cream instead of whole milk and full-fat dairy products.

Nondairy alternatives such as soy or almond milk, as well as nondairy ice cream, are also available.

Baked Goods
Try plain bread or rolls, pancakes, waffles, bagels, or low-fat muffins instead of high-fat items like biscuits, croissants, doughnuts, or sweet rolls.

Meats and Other Proteins
Try lean meat, poultry without the skin, fish, tofu, or eggs instead of fatty meat, fried meat, lunch meat, or sausages.

Fruits
Try any other fresh, frozen, or canned fruit or fruit juice that you can tolerate instead of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

Vegetables
Try a variety of other fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables that are prepared without added fat instead of fried or creamed vegetables, onions, tomatoes, tomato products, or vegetable juices.

Soups
Try lean broth-based soups or homemade soups made with lean ingredients, such as low-fat or fat-free milk instead of cream, instead of creamy or tomato-based soups.

Other Starches and Potatoes
Try baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes, plain pasta or rice, or pasta with a low-fat milk-based sauce instead of french fries, potato chips, risotto, or pasta with creamy or tomato-based sauces.

Eating Habits
Your doctor may advise you to change the way you eat in addition to what you eat.

Common suggestions include:

Eat smaller meals
Having less food more frequently can help to relieve stomach pressure.

Higher stomach pressure may relax your LES, allowing the contents of your stomach to flow up into your esophagus.

Eat slowly
Smaller bites and thorough chewing reduce the likelihood of stuffing yourself or irritating your esophagus or stomach.

Don’t lie down right after eating
Staying upright for two to three hours after eating reduces your risk of reflux.

Don’t snack unless you’re actually hungry
When your stomach is full, eating more can increase stomach pressure.

Avoid tight clothing around your waist
When you eat, if your clothing puts pressure on your abdomen, this can put pressure on your stomach and LES.