GERD Diets - Develop Heartburn Friendly Diets To Relieve Symptoms

With all the advancements in the GERD and heartburn treatments, perhaps the easiest way to treat heartburn is often the most overlooked. GERD diets can be utilized alone or in conjunction with treatments to help decrease the onset of painful symptoms. By simply changing what you eat, perhaps you can avoid the pain, coughing and even shortness of breath!

Developing GERD friendly diets is simple. The basic food groups: cereals, vegetables, dairy, fruit and meats, are all allowable with some limitations. Because citrus foods will need to be avoided (oranges, lemons, tomatoes), consider using a Vitamin C supplement.

GERD diets should always include dairy products with 2% or lower fat, breads and grains with low fat, and low fat meats (chicken, fish, and turkey). Avoid whole milk and chocolate milk, fried or creamed vegetables, and fatty meats such as sausage, bacon, or chicken fat. Fruits are good with the exception of citrus fruits.

Oil use should be kept minimal. Avoid sweets made with chocolate, oil, or fats. Beverages should be decaffeinated; water is always best. Don’t drink alcohol, coffee, or carbonated beverages. Soups should be low fat as well, not milk or cream based soups.

It’s easier to think about what you CAN eat on GERD diets instead of what you are avoiding. Think apples and bananas, baked potatoes, broccoli, carrots, green vegetables, eggs, fish, lean meats. For grains, use multi-grain or white, cereals, graham crackers, pretzels, and rice. For that sweet tooth, indulge in a fat free cookie, jellybeans or licorice. Your diet may have some additional health benefits as well. Eating lower fat foods will ultimately lead to weight loss, which could help with GERD as a positive side effect of weight loss!

Gum use for GERD has been debated. Many believe it relieves symptoms, while others hold to the thought that it causes too much air to be inhaled. Decide whether chewing gum helps you immediately after a meal.

In addition to diet, completely eliminate tobacco. This will weaken your throat muscles, making it more difficult to heal from GERD related problems.

Other things you can do to help relieve heartburn include waiting before lying down after eating. Wear comfortable, non-restrictive clothing, and sleep elevated. Raise the whole head of the bed approximately 6-8 inches with blocks, not just by using pillows.

Each person is different and may find that some things cause more problems than others. Keep a journal of your diet and find out what things aggravate the problem. Once you know what causes discomfort, avoid those foods.

With a little bit of time, and some lifestyle changes, you can find relief from your heartburn symptoms just by creating GERD diets made just for you.

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