Understanding what GERD is, its causes, its symptoms, the effects it has on your body and the way your body responds to specific treatments is necessary to help you devise a plan with your activities of daily living, including diet, to help manage the condition. If you haven’t seen my Part 1 just click on it onto my webpage than read yesterday’s article part 1 than read this. All you can do is apply your own GERD diet experimentation to the suggestions of others and try available treatments until you find what works for you. Also, there are foods that have a reputation for being ‘safe’ (foods to avoid acid reflux) in most cases, as well as others that are known for being main contributors to acid reflux.
I recommend you go tohttp://www.gerd-diet.com which helps explain about foods and how they work with GERD. They do state the following:
Armoring Yourself with Patience and Willingness to Experiment (meaning this takes time in finding out what exacerbates your GERD and what helps it heal—Like an open wound, it takes time.) Sorry,There Is No One-Size-To-Fit-All With-A-GERD Diet (for relief or resolution)
Your Own Trigger Foods.
Given the complex nature of GERD, this one has to be added. I know it is repetitive, but everyone has certain foods that irritate their condition and causes severe symptoms. Make a list of these foods and avoid them in the future. This means make a journal for the next 2 weeks or more and see what caused your GERD symptoms to remember them with not eating fast which can cause GERD also (habit change).
GERD Diet FoodsA List of Food Groups and What Is Safe and Best to Avoid The following lists are comprised of foods that are typically known to be ‘safe’ or to ‘trigger’ symptoms.
Again, just because something is on the “avoid” list does not mean that you cannot eat it. Similarly, something appearing on the “safe” list does not guarantee that it will not cause a problem for you. This is simply provided as a guideline to give you a place to start and to make it easier for you design your own personal GERD diet.
|
FOOD GROUPS |
SAFE |
AVOID |
| FRUITS | Apples (fresh and dried), apple juice, bananas, pears, peaches, melons, strawberries, grapes | Oranges and orange juice, lemons and lemonade, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, tomato and tomato juice, cranberries and cranberry juice |
| VEGETABLES | Baked potato, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, green beans, peas, asparagus, lettuce, sweet potatoes | Raw onions, peppers, radishes, french fries, mashed potatoes |
| MEAT | Extra lean ground beef, steak (London Broil), skinless chicken breast, egg whites or substitute, fish (with no added fat), white turkey meat | Fatty ground beef, marbled sirloin, chicken nuggets, buffalo wings, fried meat |
| DAIRY | Feta or goat cheese, fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream, low fat soy cheese | Whole milk, chocolate milk, ice cream, high fat cream cheese or sour cream |
| GRAINS | Cereal (bran or oatmeal), corn bread, graham crackers, pretzels, rice (brown or white), rice cakes, millet, quinoa | High fat grain products (cheese bread or products made with whole milk) |
| BEVERAGES | Water, herbal teas, non-citrus drinks, skimmed milk | Caffeinated beverages, whole milk, alcohol, carbonated beverages |
| FATS/OILS/CONDIMENTS | Low fat salad dressing, herbs ( basil, thyme, sage, oregano), hummus, mild sauces | Mustard, chili sauces, creamy salad dressing, black pepper, vinegar, curries, pickles, mint |
At this point, there is no alternative medicine therapies that have been accepted as proof for treatment(s) or 100% resolution for GERD.
However, like every other aspect of the disease, it really is an individual decision. Some people have reported natural remedies that have given amazing results with their GERD diet (healthier approach) while others find that prescription medications have little effect (meds can cause side effects temporary or permanently, depending on what it is).
GERD can be due obesity, lifestyle (unhealthy habits) and diet.
**It is recommended to see an MD first before making any decision on your own in treatment with a combination of or just one of the following: meds, diet or even health habit changes, especially for those people with disease/illness (s) present (Ex. Diabetes, cardiac disease, etc…).**