Diet is increasingly the key to prevention and cure of almost any disease or disorder in today's scenario of refined foods ruling the tastebuds of the American population.
Where GERD is concerned, while some foods do aggravate the condition, food in general can make GERD worse. This is because food fills up the stomach and causes the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. Further, food stimulates the acid production in the stomach to assist digestion and this can increase reflux into the esophagus of GERD sufferers. Any very large meal might cause heartburn in some people.
Certain foods may aggravate your heartburn symptoms, and most doctors feel it is best to either limit or avoid these foods and drinks. Some of the common culprits are orange juice, lemons, lemonade, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and tomatoes among fruits, mashed potatoes, French fries and raw onions amongst vegetables, ground beef, marbled sirloin, chicken nuggets and buffalo wings from the meat group, macaroni and cheese and spaghetti with sauce amongst the grains and sour cream, milk shakes, ice cream and cottage cheese amongst dairy foods.
A good idea is to keep a food diary and note down what you eat, when you eat and any symptoms you may experience, for approximately two weeks. This will aid you and your doctor plan a suitable diet avoiding the foods that trigger GERD.
The other side of the coin is that often GERD sufferers are advised to avoid certain foods whether these foods have any effect on their symptoms or not. Thus, most GERD sufferers end up on a very restricted or controlled diet or wind up blaming their symptoms on a careless diet regime. If avoiding or limiting certain foods helps, that$%:s wonderful, but if it doesn$%:t, then GERD sufferers must not feel guilty. Seeking medical advice on controlling your disorder is the best solution.
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