Top 10 Acid Reflux Triggers Revealed

Posted: Aug 15 in Obesity and your Health, Post-Bariatric Diet by

When it comes to acid reflux in Ft. Myers, there are a few culprits who are often to blame. While gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD cannot be cured by simple dietary changes, taking control of your diet and reducing your consumption of some of the most common heartburn and acid reflux triggers can potentially do wonders for your acid reflux symptoms.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is caused by a weakened or damaged lower esophageal sphincter, or LES. Certain foods are considered heartburn “triggers” because they have the power to relax the LES, making you more susceptible to heartburn, indigestion and reflux symptoms.

Cutting these foods out of your diet isn’t enough to heal your body of GERD. Acid reflux surgery in Ft. Myers can repair the damaged LES and relieve you of heartburn. As you are awaiting acid reflux surgery you can start cutting down the symptoms of your reflux by avoiding the following foods.

Here are the top 10 food triggers for acid reflux:

  1. Tomatoes. While healthy, tomatoes are incredibly acidic. Tomato sauce, spicy chili and other items featuring tomatoes are very likely to cause heartburn.
  2. Peppers. Along with peppers, eating any sort of spicy food is going to increase your chance of experiencing acid reflux.
  3. Peppermint. This trigger tricks many people since peppermint is known for soothing digestion, but it could cause heartburn to worsen.
  4. Cheese. Cheese is high in fat and can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, causing acid reflux.
  5. Alcohol. Well-known as a depressant, alcohol will relax the LES and allow stomach acids to flow freely to the esophagus.
  6. Caffeine. You may not think something that will stimulate you will relax the LES, but caffeine can cause heartburn to develop—especially if you are downing cups of Joe all day long.
  7. Chocolate. This might upset your sweet tooth, but not nearly as badly as chocolate will aggravate your heartburn. Chocolate has soothing effects that can relax the LES and leave you in pain.
  8. Soda. Any carbonated beverage has the potential to cause heartburn, but soda is filled with other ingredients that can worsen the problem. The carbonation increases the pressure on the sphincter, leading to reflux.
  9. Garlic. Leave the garlic out of your dinner recipe to cut down on acid reflux symptoms.
  10. Onions. While a common trigger, onions affect everyone differently. Many people are able to have cooked onions but need to avoid raw onions because of their heartburn-inducing effect.

Comments are closed.