7 Foods and Drinks Your GI Doctor Advises Against for Acid Reflux

7 Foods and Drinks Your GI Doctor Advises Against for Acid Reflux

There are many foods that can worsen acid reflux and cause heartburn. Your GI doctor can help you identify them all, but here are some of the most common ones to watch out for:

1. Fried foods

These are at the top of the list for a reason. The fat used to fry foods generally irritates your stomach, allowing stomach acid to easily escape into your esophagus. Although fried meat is more common, vegetables can have the same effect, so be careful.

2. Carbonated drinks

This is a double whammy: Carbonated drinks are often high in caffeine, and caffeine, which can irritate your stomach, is one of the worst things about acid reflux. Even if your favorite carbonated drink is low in caffeine, it's still better to avoid it because it gives your stomach so much bloating. Releasing the gas by burping allows stomach acid to escape, making your heartburn much worse.

3. Citrus fruits

Lemon fruits are high in acid themselves and add more acid to your stomach, which can easily cause acid to overflow into your esophagus. In addition, citric acid also causes your esophagus to relax, which eases the onset of heartburn. Avoid oranges, limes, grapefruits, and lemons if you suffer from acid reflux.

4. Tomatoes/tomato sauce

Tomatoes are another food that is naturally high in acid. This means you need to avoid tomatoes and foods that use them, including ketchup, marinara sauce, or tomato soups; If you don't, all of the excess acid in your stomach can splash back into your esophagus.

5. Chocolate

For many, this may be the most difficult thing to avoid. Chocolate contains caffeine and fat and is also made up of cocoa, another food that alone can cause heartburn. In theory, dark chocolate is slightly better for people with acid reflux, but the truth is that all chocolate causes heartburn, so stay away.

6. Alcohol

Any GI doctor will tell you that any drink with a lot of sugar, such as: B. alcohol, will likely upset your stomach and cause heartburn, but alcohol will also cause your esophageal sphincter to relax when you drink; This makes it one of the worst things for people with acid reflux.

7. Coffee

Soft drinks may contain a lot of caffeine, but they have nothing to do with coffee and espresso. All that caffeine causes serious heartburn, but you can always opt for decaffeinated coffee. The same applies to tea too.

It may be difficult to avoid all of the above foods and drinks all the time, but if you don't want to have constant stomach pain, a little caution can go a long way. There are also ways to prevent heartburn, such as: E.g. eating two hours before bed and eating smaller but numerous meals throughout the day. Consult your GI doctor for information about treating acid reflux and heartburn.

Inspired by Andrea Avery