Foods You Should Avoid if You Have Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is irritating and you want to avoid it as much as you can, and there are foods you must not eat if you have it. You will encounter more information here

Introduction

Acid reflux happens when your stomach has acid backflow into the esophagus. This is a common occurrence, but you can have heartburn or other complications because of it. One reason why this happens is because of the weaker esophageal sphincter (LES), or it is already damaged. Normally, LES closes to prevent food in the stomach to move into the esophagus based on the resources on reliable sources .

Here is a short list and description of foods you must avoid if you have acid reflux so you can prevent it from happening again:

Dairy

Dairy products made from cow’s milk are among the most common acid reflux triggers from people with GERD and those who don’t. It could worsen some symptoms you experience. You should try your best to read the labels of the dairy products you buy. Avoid these:

• Whole with only 2% milk
• Yogurt and cheese because they are made using whole milk
• Flavored milks
• Dairy beverages that are hot
• Milk shakes and ice cream made from dairy

You might want to consume non-fat or low dairy products because whole milk aggravates your stomach. Good alternatives are coconut, almond, or soy.

Alcohol

Alcohol and caffeine relaxes your LES, giving way for acid to go up your esophagus. The carbonation bubbles will expand your stomach, which pushes up your stomach content against the LES. Therefore, coffee, tea, soda, and alcohol are all triggers. You should be very careful with mixed drinks because triggers are combined in there.

Fatty Foods

If you think that fatty foods give you a sluggish feeling, you are right about that. Fatty foods cause your LES to relax and digesting them is slower compared to other foods. When there is food in your stomach, your body will produce more acid in response to that. Fried foods such as onion rings are culprits, but bacon or other prime rid meats are also causes of acid reflux.

Spicy Foods

Any spicy food has always been considered as a GERD trigger. The spiciness of the food, regardless of what it is, comes from capsaicin, which is a compound. According to experts, capsaicin slows the digestion rate, which causes the food to sit longer in your stomach. This is another risk factor for GERD. The esophagus can also get irritated by the capsaicin’s hotness, which only exacerbates the heartburn symptoms that you are already experiencing.

Garlic

Garlic, especially when eaten raw, is known to trigger heartburn and upset stomach even in healthy individuals. That can more likely cause issues for people who have acid reflux. Make sure that if there is garlic in your food, it must be cooked or not have it there at all.

You should avoid these foods if you have acid reflux because you do not want to experience that, especially if you are out.