Saturday 31 December 2011

Acid Reflux Diet - Safe Foods

Certain foods can aggravate your heartburn symptoms, and when planning your acid reflux diet, it's best to limit or avoid completely those foods and drinks that result in acid reflux. There are some foods that have little or no potential for causing heartburn.

The foods listed in the Table below are the most common foods that are usually pretty safe for heartburn sufferers to eat.

For a listing of foods that you may be able to enjoy occasionally, please check out the table for foods that can be Consumed With Discretion. For a listing of foods that should be avoided entirely, as they are usually responsible for a higher occurrence of heartburn, please check out the table for Foods To Be Avoided.

This is by no means a complete list, and in your personal situation, you may either find you can eat the foods from the "Avoid" group with no problem or have problems with foods not listed. It is a good idea to keep a Food Diary. For approximately two weeks, write down what you eat, when you eat and any symptoms you may experience. This will help you and your doctor plan your diet and decide on any change in eating habits you may need.

Safe Foods for the Acid Reflux Diet

Food Group	Foods With Little Potential to Cause Heartburn
Fruit	• Apple, fresh • Apple, dried • Apple juice • Banana
Vegetables	• Baked potato • Broccoli • Cabbage • Carrots • Green beans • Peas
Meat	• Ground beef, extra-lean • Steak, London Broil • Chicken breast, skinless • Egg whites • Egg substitute • Fish, no added fat
Dairy	• Cheese, feta or goat • Cream cheese, fat-free • Sour cream, fat-free • Soy cheese, low-fat
Grains	• Bread, mult-grain or white • Cereal, bran or oatmeal • Corn bread • Graham crakers • Pretzels • Rice, brown or white • Rice cakes
Beverages	• Mineral water
Fats / Oils	• Salad dressing, low-fat
Sweets / Desserts	• Cookie, fat-free • Jelly beans • Red licorice • Potato chips, baked

Symptoms of Heartburn

if you know the symptoms of heartburn, if you know what heartburn feels like, it can lead to earlier treatment.

Heartburn (reflux) is a symptom of another digestive disorder, and not a disorder by itself. For example, heartburn is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Acid reflux is a medical condition, with heartburn as a possible symptom of that condition.

Many people have different heartburn triggers, but most people have similar heartburn symptoms.

A burning sensation in the chest

This burning sensation usually starts behind the breastbone (the sternum), and may travel up to the throat. It usually occurs shortly after eating, and can last from a few minutes to several hours.

A burning feeling in the throat

This is a sensation of burning, usually high up in the neck though it can occur lower. The pain may worsen with swallowing. This burning sensation can result from irritation when stomach contents reflux up into the throat.

Sour or bitter taste in the mouth

This sour or bitter taste can occur when stomach contents reflux up into the esophagus and may reach the back of the throat. When the contents enter the back of the throat, a person will often have a sour or bitter taste in their mouth.

Difficulty swallowing

Trouble with swallowing (dysphagia) occurs when food does not pass normally from the mouth through the esophagus to the stomach. There may be a sensation of food sticking in the throat, chest pressure or "burning" after eating, or a feeling of choking. Difficulty swallowing could be a sign of various conditions, including erosive esophagitis andesophageal cancer, and should always be evaluated by a physician.

Chronic coughing

In some studies, GERD accounted for about 41% of cases of chronic cough in nonsmoking patients. If stomach acid reflux (back up) into the esophagus and is aspirated, it can cause coughing.

Wheezing or other asthma-like symptoms

Several studies suggest a significant link between GERD and asthma. The results of these studies show that up to 60% of people with asthma also have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), compared with 10% of the general population. GERD can affect asthma when stomach acid reflux into the esophagus and is aspirated into the airways and lungs, and can make breathing difficult and cause the patient to wheeze and cough.