Acid Reflux

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Author:
Dave Lavinsky

There is an undeniable connection between the occurrence of acid reflux and diet. Everything in your body has a delicate balance. The human body is a miracle of systems that maintains just the right conditions to keep everything running smoothly. Therefore it’s the healthiest when there is an acidic balance or equilibrium. The stomach regulates acidic digestion with enzymes that convert acids into manageable alkaline or basal substances. However, when there is an over-production of acid, usually helped along by lifestyle choices like overeating or smoking, acid reflux is likely to occur, and if it goes unregulated, acid reflux disease can develop.

Fortunately, acid reflux and diet can be effectively improved by launching a few lifestyle changes. One of the most important things you can do to cool heartburn down is to avoid certain foods. In many cases, just changing the diet is all that is necessary to control acid reflux. Most health care professionals recommend a low-acid diet consisting of more alkaline or basal foods. Foods such as chocolate, foods with a lot of extra cheese, tomato sauce or catsup based foods, onions, chilies, caffeinated beverages, fatty or fried foods, alcohol, mint, and citrus fruits have been known to aggravate digestion, acting as catalysts for acid reflux.

So what foods are safe to eat? The key qualities in heartburn-friendly foods, for most people, are low fat and non-spicy. So, with that in mind you can probably guess that leafy greens and broccoli, lean cuts of grilled meat, egg whites, low-fat cheeses like feta, apples and bananas, multi-grain breads, and low-fat salad dressings are good choices. Junk food? Occasionally, but with caution, choose fat free cookies, baked potato chips, or red licorice. A good exercise to do if you suffer from heartburn regularly is to create a food diary and log your meal intake for 2 or 3 weeks. Then note each time you experience heartburn in order to target the foods you need to avoid.

In addition to making better food choices, consider changing your portion perception. Overeating is another acid reflux aggravator. Exercise caloric conscientiousness and choose to skip that second helping or fatty side dish, eat slow and drink plenty of water. Living without heartburn is within anyone’s grasp, and shouldn’t require drastic medical treatment. Simple, reasonable modifications in your eating habits can do wonders for quelling acid reflux, not to mention improving overall health.

About the Author
Acid Reflux Info provides comprehensive information on the cause, symptoms, treatment, and diet associated with normal and infant acid reflux. Acid Reflux Info is the sister site of Pain Relief Web.

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Acid Reflux... Acid Reflux - Learning the Basics Having trouble with heartburn? Well, research shows that you are not the only one suffering from this condition. In fact, studies indicate that approximately 1 in every 10 adults in the United States or an alarming 10% suffer every day from this condition and the numbers are expected to rise in the near future! The occurrence of heartburns usually denotes that the person has a condition commonly known as acid reflux. Acid reflux, medically termed as "reflux esophagitis" or "gastroesophageal reflux disease" (GERD), is a condition whereby the contents of the stomach are regurgitated or are returned back into the esophagus. What causes acid reflux? To understand this disease, we must be aware of how our digestive system works. As food enters the stomach, it is acted upon by the stomach acids and various digestive enzymes whose primary function is to break down the food so that the body can use it. The partially digested food, which is now acidic in nature, is then transported to the small intestine for further digestion. However, this is not the case in patients afflicted with acid reflux. Those with this condition have a weakened lower esophageal sphincter (LES) which makes the regurgitation or passing of acidic gastric juices back from the stomach and up into the esophagus possible. In some cases, the acidic gastric contents even rise up as high as the mouth of an affected individual. Among the factors which may contribute to the development of acid reflux are obesity, pregnancy, delayed emptying of stomach contents and the excessive intake of fatty foods. Smoking and drinking increase the body's caffeine and alcohol load which are also known causes of acid reflux. Acid reflux is not only painful and annoying. Frequent regurgitation irritates the lining...