At one point or another, most people experience heart burn, or acid reflux. It mostly occurs after eating and happens when the flap that separates the esophagus and the stomach doesn’t close properly. As a result, the contents of the stomach, mostly stomach acids, move up the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation in the chest and an acidic taste in the mouth.
While certain foods themselves don’t actually cause heartburn, they can worsen the effects. Most people think that only spicy foods make heartburn worse, but there are actually quite a few foods that can contribute to acid reflux. Some of these foods include:
– Fried and fatty foods
– Spicy foods
– Citrus fruits like oranges, pineapples and tomatoes
– Tomato products, including spaghetti sauces and pizza
– Coffee
– Caffeinated tea
– Alcoholic beverages
– Citrus fruit drinks
– Chocolate
– Peppermint
– Pepper
– Carbonated beverages
When acid reflux is recurrent or particularly painful, many doctors recommend an acid reflux diet. This diet consists mostly of eating small meals throughout the day consisting of foods that don’t worsen heartburn symptoms. Small meals are encouraged because larger meals expand the stomach and increase pressure on the flap that separates the stomach from the esophagus.
The Acid Reflux diet cuts out the foods and beverages listed above and encourages such foods as baked potatoes, lean meats, egg whites, cereals, and oatmeal. Because not all people who suffer from Acid Reflux have the same food triggers, it’s recommended that for a week or two, the person’s diet is recorded in a food diary as well as any symptoms that may occur after eating them. From there, people with acid reflux can customize their diet.
Review
The following review of the Acid Reflux diet is based on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest) based on the following criteria:
Health – 4. As long as people on the diet choose healthy foods from the list and eat small portions, this diet is healthy. It also greatly reduces the symptoms of acid reflux, which is important because if left untreated, acid reflux can lead to more serious problems.
Cost – 1. The Acid Reflux Diet is relatively inexpensive to implement. The majority of foods will be those that most people will have on a normal shopping list. In addition, cutting out alcohol and fried foods (often the result of eating fast foods) also actually save money.
Ease of Implementation – 2. This diet is fairly complicated at first as dieters learn which foods should be avoided and which are alright. Keeping a food diary can also be an inconvenience. However, soon dieters will get the hang of what they can eat and what they should avoid.
Ease of Adherence – 4. This is a diet that shouldn’t be too difficult to adhere to, especially since adherence reduces the painful effects of acid reflux.
Speed – 3. People on this diet can expect to feel relief form their heartburn fairly quickly. It might take a couple of weeks before they are fully acclimated to it. Keeping a food diary will also help with speed so dieters can learn what they should avoid.
Long-term potential – 4. This is not a difficult diet to adhere to long term. It’s a healthy and balanced eating program if followed correctly and if foods are balanced.
Family Friendly – 4. There is nothing about this diet that would exclude anyone in the family, although it can be bland at times.