You’re lying on the couch after dinner, just trying to enjoy a little Netflix before bedtime when it hits: A burning sensation rises up from your chest and into the bottom of your throat, ruining any hope you had of relaxing.
Almost everyone experiences acid reflux from time to time. Researchers estimate that one in five people even have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic version of acid reflux that can lead to serious problems if you don’t treat it. So it’s not surprising that many of us want to know what food to avoid if you have acid reflux so we can keep it from happening to us again and again.
Unfortunately, the solution isn’t quite as simple as following one standard GERD diet that clearly delineates which foods to avoid with acid reflux and what foods to eat to avoid acid reflux. Dietitian Vanessa King, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explains that because all of our bodies are different, each of us needs to figure out our own personal list of foods to avoid with acid reflux/GERD, and in what instances our system can handle those ingredients or not.
“We all have different responses,” she says. “There’s not actually a list of this fruit or that fruit to avoid. It can be quite personal.”
Why your diet makes a difference
Acid reflux happens when the sphincter muscle at the bottom of your esophagus relaxes at the wrong time, and the gastric acid inside your stomach ends up flowing backwards. This can lead to a whole host of unpleasant symptoms like heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain, trouble swallowing, nausea, and a sore throat.
“When you’re eating, it’s supposed to be a one-way road: You eat it, you swallow it, it goes down,” says King. “But when it comes to your GERD, that valve that’s supposed to keep the acids in your stomach, it’s faulty, so the acid can make its way back into your esophagus, which is what’s causing those problems.”
When things are flowing the wrong way in your gut, it’s easy to blame the spicy pizza you just ate, and assume that’s what’s coming back up. But King says the effect is not quite so direct. “It’s actually not the foods themselves that are causing the reflux,” says King. “It’s that some foods aggravate reflux because they stimulate gastric acid production.” And that extra gastric acid production is what gives you acid reflux.
The good news: You largely have the power over how much acid reflux affects you. “Acid reflux is often a lifestyle disorder, meaning that there’s a lot of things that we can do through diet and lifestyle to control it,” says dietitian Kelsey Russell-Murray, owner of Gut Healthy Dietitian in Ontario, Canada. But, she admits, “it’s just not always the easiest thing to put into practice.”
Food to avoid if you have acid reflux
So what foods stimulate that gastric acid production? Some of the most common foods that are known to be triggers for some people include:
- Coffee and tea (caffeinated or decaffeinated)
- Black pepper
- Chocolate
- Mint
- Excess alcohol
- Large portions of greasy, high-fat foods
- “And for some people, sometimes a particular vegetable or fruit can cause symptoms,” King says. In particular, citrus fruits like oranges and tomatoes are often highlighted as acidic foods to avoid with acid reflux.
That said, there’s no universal, comprehensive list of foods to avoid if you have acid reflux. Even with acidic foods that get a bad rap, King says there’s no scientific evidence that everyone who suffers from acid reflux needs to avoid them. While your sister may need to steer clear of lemons because of her GERD, you may have no problem indulging in as much lemonade as you like but get acid reflux anytime you taste peppermint.
“I recommend that people start to know what their own triggers are,” says King. Try eliminating the most common reflux-triggering foods to see if your symptoms get better, then reintroduce them one by one to see which cause problems for you and which don’t.
The good news: Even if you find that chocolate, for instance, leads to heartburn, you don’t have to swear it off altogether for the rest of your life. Just have a few bites at a time, and eat it along with other foods, King suggests. “A food by itself in a large quantity might be problematic, but in a small amount or with other foods, you might be able to tolerate it better,” she says.
Helpful GERD diet strategies
In an ideal world, you could fend off acid reflux symptoms just by eating some cheese or ice cream with every meal. (#Dreams.) Unfortunately, there are no particularly “good” foods to eat to avoid acid reflux altogether, but there are some lifestyle habits that can help decrease the likelihood of experiencing symptoms.
Eat smaller, more frequent meals so you avoid overeating during any one meal.
Sit upright while eating (rather than snacking while reclining on the couch), and stay upright for at least 45 to 60 minutes afterward.
If you do eat a larger meal, take a gentle walk afterward. “Movement helps the food flow down through the digestive tract versus sitting there for too long where you can have this regurgitation of acid upwards,” says Russell-Murray.
Avoid late-night meals or snacks close to bedtime. “You want to finish your last meal two hours before bed,” says King. This gives your body enough time to digest before going horizontal for the night.
Wear loose clothing that doesn’t put pressure on your abdomen.
Maintain a healthy weight. Research has shown that being overweight or obese can increase your chances of GERD.
Don’t smoke.
Limit portions of greasy, deep-fried foods.
Moderate your alcohol intake.
Try to avoid constipation by eating enough fiber, drinking ample fluids, and staying active. “I find that when things are sitting too long, it’s much more likely that reflux gets triggered,” says Russell-Murray.
Aim for a varied diet that includes whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits and vegetables. “Having an overall healthy, balanced diet can reduce some of these symptoms,” says King. That’s because with enough variety, you’re less likely to go overboard on any one food that could lead to acid reflux.
If that feels like a lot of rules, just remember that you’re not alone in having a personal list of foods to avoid if you have acid reflux and lifestyle strategies to help manage it. Someone else at your dinner table likely has their own triggers, too. Fortunately, there are some basic steps that both of you can take to alleviate your symptoms and enjoy each meal without having it come back to haunt you later.
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