If you suffer from acid reflux, heartburn or GERD, you're probably familiar with the concept of "trigger foods:" foods that affect the digestive system in a way that makes reflux and heartburn more likely to occur. Even if you avoid these foods, you may still suffer symptoms. However, a likely option for relief comes through the combination of avoiding triggers and rebuilding your diet to focus on foods that won't cause reflux.
Eat Vegetables
Eat a variety of vegetables to ease acid-reflux symptoms. Vegetables provide the body with a wide variety of needed vitamins and minerals, and most have no documented evidence of irritating the esophagus or promoting stomach acid. Prepare vegetables without adding a lot of fat, using methods such as steaming, boiling, grilling or roasting.
One vegetable to avoid is the onion, a common trigger food. According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, onions can stimulate the production of stomach acid, irritate the lining of the esophagus, and compromise the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle.
Eat Whole Grains
Make whole grains the base of your diet and a primary source for fiber and complex carbohydrates. The Mayo Clinic recommends that healthy individuals follow a diet that is primarily composed of carbohydrates, with a focus on whole grains such as brown rice, whole-grain cereal, multigrain bread and whole-wheat pasta. Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology clinic of Pennsylvania notes that a diet rich in whole grains is easy for reflux patients to follow and that patients can eat these foods with minimal limitations. As long as you focus on whole-grain products (rather than their refined counterparts) and prepare the grains without adding much fat or dairy, you should enjoy a reduction in acid-reflux symptoms.
Eat Fish for Protein
Choose fish as an alternative to red meat and processed meat. Getting protein in the diet is important for everyone, but red meats and processed meat products tend to come with a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol, which often aggravate reflux symptoms and stimulate heartburn. Fish is a lean protein that offers healthy fatty acids that won't encourage reflux in the same way as other types of meat.
Eat the Right Fruits
Avoid citrus fruits, but embrace a variety of alkaline fruits in your diet. Acidic lemons, limes, oranges, pineapples and grapefruits will promote acid production in the stomach, but more basic fruits are less likely to cause gastrointestinal distress. Eat bananas, apples, berries, melons and stone fruits out of hand, or use them in smoothies, fruit salads, low-fat desserts and other dishes.
