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Many people believe that adopting a good acid reflux diet will solve all their heartburn problems.

Although conventional wisdom says that eating the wrong food is the major cause of acid reflux if you examine the facts, a different picture starts to emerge.

The stomach is a marvelously engineered chemical factory capable of digesting most foods without any problem.

In fact, our stomach acid is so strong, it is able to break down many solids… including bone, razor blades and even glass!

A major study, published in May, 2006 in the Archives of Internal Medicine debunked a few acid reflux diet myths. Stanford University carried out the study – headed by Lauren Gerson, MD – and the following facts emerged:

Myth #1 Drink Milk

• An old wives tale says that drinking a glass of milk before bedtime will prevent nighttime acid reflux.
• However, the lactic acid in milk has a rebound effect.
• Although the lactic acid present in fermented foods, such as yogurt is good for the digestion, the raw lactic acid from milk forces the proton pump to secrete extra hydrochloric acid as a neutralizer.
• The end result is often an induced nighttime acid reflux attack because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) tends to relax during sleep, thus allowing the extra acid to seep sideways into the food pipe.

Myth #2 Avoid coffee, spicy food, tomatoes, citrus fruits and citrus beverages.

• The study proved that we can safely consume all of the above without inducing any acid reflux symptoms.

Myth #3 Avoid fatty foods.

• Conventional thinking suggest that a good acid reflux diet must exclude fatty foods because they are harder to digest.
• However, the Stanford’s research, which has been backed up by a number of independent studies, debunks this theory; they all indicate that neither a low fat nor a high fat meal is responsible for inducing heartburn symptoms.

You should still avoid saturated animal fats however, and if you are overweight, cutting down on all fats is advisable.

Trigger Foods

Despite Stanford University’s encouraging news, many of us are sensitive to certain foods.

In order to adopt an effective acid reflux diet, we must first identify our own particular heartburn triggers.

Through observation and research, many of the common triggers have already been identified. However, it’s impossible to generalize when it comes to pinning down your own private food sensitivities.

Everyone is different.

The old saying, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” holds true.

Even though you may be aware of a few of your own particular triggers, it would be wise to carry out some research.

Keep a journal and list all the foods that are a part of your regular diet.

Whenever heartburn strikes, highlight your last meal and all its ingredients. By applying a process of elimination, you’ll soon get a handle on which foods to avoid.

With regard to unfamiliar foods, pay particular attention when eating out… you’re sure to come up with one or two surprises.

This may take some time, but it’s well worth the effort when developing a custom acid reflux diet… and by the way, don’t ignore the beverages.

Acid Reflux Triggers to Avoid

Eliminate or cut down on the following… They are proven acid reflux triggers:

• Alcohol — All alcohol, whether it’s wine beer or spirits, has a relaxing effect on the lower esophageal sphincter. If you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner, experiment until you identify your level of tolerance.
• Nicotine — Stop using tobacco in all its forms, including snuff. Nicotine weakens the LES.
• Chocolate — Relaxes the LES.
• Peppermint, Spearmint and Mint Tea — Proton pump produces extra acid.
• Carbonated drinks — Soda, beer and sparkling wine. Drinking any of these fizzy beverages forces you to swallow carbon dioxide bubbles. This in turn induces burping, which allows corrosive digestive fluids to erupt upwards into the esophagus.
• Diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners — The sweetening chemical, Aspartame is a definite no-no. Use honey instead, or at the very least, lay in a supply of unrefined brown sugar.
• Whole Milk including creamed foods or soups — Proton pump produces extra acid to counteract lactic acid from some dairy products.

Recommended foods

1. Fruit: No limitations.
2. Vegetables: No limitations (Garlic, cooked onions and sauerkraut are particularly good for you).
3. Meat: Few limitations (avoid hot dogs and high fat meats).
4. Dairy: Yogurt, two percent low fat milk, Cheddar cheese, low fat cottage cheese.
5. Grains: No limitations (Garlic bread, muffins and Granola cereal are good).
6. Beverages: Non-alcoholic beer (low fizz), non-carbonated fruit juices, tea, coffee, Root beer.
7. Sweets/deserts: Everything that does not contain regular milk products, chocolate or artificial sweeteners.

Conclusion

Doctor Gerson said that for the most part, medication alone is adequate to treat the symptoms of heartburn.

“The main reason they probably have heartburn is that their sphincter muscle is relaxing too much and taking medicine will decrease the amount of acid that’s going into their esophagus.” (Read the “Science Daily” article on Dr. Gersons study here.)

Apart from avoiding your own acid reflux food triggers, dietary considerations are of secondary importance.

Relax! Go ahead and drink coffee, have that refreshing glass of orange juice with your breakfast.

It’s not going to kill you!

Ian R Kelly draws his ideas both from research and from life’s experiences. The prime focus of his website, http://www.home-remedy-site.com/, is to pay it forward by showing people how to obtain drug-free relief for various debilitating maladies.

For complimentary information related to this article, visit http://www.home-remedy-site.com/acid-reflux-remedies.html

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