Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Knowing What Foods To Avoid With Acid Reflux Can Help YouMaintain A Healthy Esophagus.

By Kathryn WhittakerIf you suffer from heartburn, you should be aware of the factthat there are foods to avoid with acid reflux. Although youmay be under the impression that only fatty, greasy foods andspicy foods are the prime candidates for acid reflux, youd besurprised to find that foods considered healthy, such asoranges and dairy products, can also dramatically increase therisk of acid reflux. Almost 100 million American suffer from upper gastrointestinal(GI) track digestive problems involving acid reflux, heartburn,GERD and ulcers. The symptoms cause by these upper GI problemscan be both debilitating and painful, which is why mostsufferers take meds. However, did you know that by simplymaking a few adjustments to your diet by knowing what food toavoid can improve your condition? Therefore, if you are prone to acid reflux and heartburn, oryou suffer from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), you need to control yourdiet to avoid the recurrence of acid reflux. Although takingantacids or proton pump inhibitors helps you control yourheartburn, and may prevent it from occurring, you dont want torely on medication for the rest of you life, because this is notan ideal long term treatment. Besides, wouldnt you simplyrather know what foods to avoid to prevent acid reflux, insteadof constantly subjecting your body to meds that can eventuallydo more harm than good? Before you find out the main foods to avoid, you need tounderstand that everyones body is different, and the foodsthat trigger heartburn for some may not be the same for others.Thus, some of the food that will be listed may not bother you,while other foods that are not commonly considered triggers,may. Therefore, it is in your best interest to keep a foodjournal for two weeks to determine what foods cause acid refluxand should be limited or eliminated from your diet. The following are common foods to avoid with acid reflux: Cottage cheese Ice cream (and related products I.E. shakes, floats, etc.) Sour cream Creamy salad dressing Macaroni and cheese Chicken nuggets Ground beef Marbled steak Buffalo wings Raw onion Mashed potatoes (French fries) Oranges (orange juice) Lemonade (juices with lemon or lime) Grapefruit (grapefruit juice) Cranberry juice Tomato (tomato juice and all tomato-based products) All process, fried or fatty foods Spicy food Peppermint or spearmint Chocolate Doughnuts Cookies Brownies Potato and corn chips Alcohol Coffee (caffeinated and decaffeinated) Tea (caffeinated and decaffeinated) Soda and other highly sugared drinks Any caffeinated beverage The reason the above foods cause problems and are consideredfoods to avoid with acid reflux is because many of them arehard on the digestive system and stomach, increasing acidproduction. Furthermore, certain products, such as chocolate,alcohol and caffeine, relax the lower esophagus sphincter(LES), which increases the chance of acid being pushed backinto the esophagus from the stomach because the LES has adifficult time closing. For other natural suggestions for eliminating acid reflux signup for the free newsletter below. Remember, the best way to determine what foods to avoid withacid reflux is to create a food journal for two weeks. Whenkeeping your journal, record the symptoms (if any) youexperience with each food product you eat. At the end of twoweeks, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor todiscuss your findings. With the help of your doctor, andpossibly a dietitian, you can create a diet plan that will beideal for you and healthy for your esophagus.About the Author: By Kathryn Whittaker. Sign up for a freenewsletter that has proven methods for tackling Acid Reflux,Heartburn and GERD head-on and discover more about Foods toAvoid with Acid Reflux athttp://www.naturally-stop-acid-reflux.com?source=is.Source: http://www.isnare.com