We are sure that these delicious foods will immediately come to your mind: red wine, coffee, chocolate, mint, red meat, fried food, and generally strong "comfort" dishes.
These foods may relax your lower esophageal sphincter, the small valve at the bottom of the esophagus, and make it open when it should not. When this happens, the gastric acid that should be left in your stomach will reflux.
More importantly, eating one more meal will lead to gastric distension, which requires more acid to decompose all the contents, thus putting more pressure on the sphincter.
If you lie down immediately after eating or drinking food, stomach acid will flow back to your throat more easily, causing sore mouth, heartburn and cough.
If you are prone to acid reflux, it is recommended to eat less and eat more meals and wait for a few hours before going to bed.
Although anyone may have acid reflux, people who are overweight, pregnant, low-fiber diet, lie down soon after meals or chew food incompletely are most likely to have heartburn, reflux and even chest symptoms.
However, if you find that some foods can stimulate your stomach acid reflux, then other foods may help relieve burns. Here are seven kinds of foods and drinks that can help you keep your stomach comfortable.
It is no secret that highly acidic fruits such as oranges, grapefruit or berries will aggravate reflux. That's why I suggest you use some mild fruits, such as bananas and melons.
Digestible food with high fiber content is a very good combination to prevent reflux, and fruit is more suitable, because mainly water will pass through the stomach quickly.
Bananas are a particularly good choice, because they can soothe the intestines and even help neutralize gastric acid and prevent it from accumulating in the esophagus.
Light whole grains such as oatmeal are rich in fiber, and its sticky gelatinous texture helps to close the esophageal sphincter.
Oatmeal is often the first choice for people who drink coffee with acid reflux in the morning, because it can balance the gastric juice with high acidity.
Other light starches, such as potatoes, can also keep the stomach relaxed.
Milk, ice cream and yogurt are usually used as the basic choices to solve stomach acid and relieve discomfort-unless, of course, you are intolerant or allergic to dairy products.
Calcium in dairy products can help you trigger the closure of the upper esophageal sphincter, which is why you should stop acid reflux. Choose yogurt without sugar, and consider sticking to low-fat or skim dairy products.
One million reasons why you should eat green vegetables every day have been introduced, but here is another one: green vegetables like zucchini and okra can soothe the intestines because they contain a sticky substance, which helps to relieve stomach upset.
Please note that it is recommended to avoid cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. These will cause extra gas, and may make you burp and cause reflux symptoms.
Honey can be an effective tool to relieve acid reflux's symptoms, because it helps to cover your throat.
Honey is also famous for its rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which is most suitable for relieving sore throat caused by too much acid.
High-fat and fried foods are more difficult to digest, which makes them common causes of reflux. However, healthy unsaturated fats actually help prevent heartburn and keep the acid level at a healthy level. When you need snacks, try avocados or walnuts.
If you try to change your diet for several weeks without relief, or if you have difficulty swallowing, bloody stool or discolored stool, it is recommended that you consult your health care doctor.
If you have acid reflux several times a week, be sure to tell your doctor, because uncontrolled heartburn will damage the esophagus over time, and your risk of laryngeal cancer will increase with age.
Your doctor may ask you to keep a food diary to help identify specific food triggers, check for esophageal injury during endoscopy, or prescribe drugs such as proton pump inhibitors to inhibit gastric acid hypersecretion.