Acid Reflux – Treating It With Diet And Lifestyle Changes

In my previous article, we looked at medication which could be
taken to treat acid reflux In this one, we’ll look at the
dietary and other considerations to prevent it
recurring
It seems that one of the major culprits
causing acid reflux is alcohol Not good news for the drinkers
amongst us Take heart though, it is probably only excessive
drinking that’s to blame – perceived wisdom is that a couple of
glasses of wine with your dinner won’t hurt you, although there
is some argument as to whether red or white is better
Personally, I find white wine more acidic and therefore assumed
that it would be more likely to cause acid reflux However, as
alcohol prevents the oesophageal sphincter from working properly
and thus allows stomach acid to reflux into the oesophagus, the
acidity of the alcohol may be irrelevant Notwithstanding that,
when drinking alcohol, limit quantities and dilute spirits with
water or a mixer Wine may also be diluted with water or
lemonade Gassy drinks like champagne and beer should be avoided
if possible
Alcohol is not the only culprit – chocolate,
peppermint, coffee, tea, caffeinated soft drinks such as colas
and citrus fruit juices also inhibit the normal workings of the
oesophageal sphincter so keep intake of these to an absolute
minimum, if you can’t give them up completely
Chewing
gum and eating hard sweets cause excessive air to be swallowed,
thus causing wind and reflux
Fatty and fried foods also
delay the emptying of the stomach so steer clear of any fatty
meat, particularly those found on the delicatessen counter, such
as salamis, sausages and patés “Fatty” includes full fat milk
and other dairy products (cheese, cream, butter, margarine)
Tomatoes can aggravate the condition in some people, as can
spices such as chillies (powdered, fresh or dried) and any
derivatives like Tabasco Condiments such as Worcestershire and
soy sauces and any sort of horseradish or mustard should also be
taken with care
Now for the good news – you can eat,
with some freedom, vegetables (not tomatoes), chicken and turkey
(without skin), fish, apples, peaches, melons, pears and
berries You can eat, in moderation, skimmed or semi-skimmed
milk, low fat spreads and cottage cheese Oh, and you can drink
water until you float!
A few other things you can do to
avoid or alleviate acid reflux are:
Avoid eating large
meals – little and often is better
Avoid eating too late
at night
Don’t lie down or bend over when you’ve just
eaten a meal
Put blocks of wood under the head of the
bed to raise it by six inches or so
Try not to wear
tight clothing around the area of the abdomen and
stomach
Nicotine weakens the lower oesophageal muscle -
give it up – it’s not good for you anyway!
Lose weight if
you need to Obesity is not only usually caused by eating all
the foods that you should be avoiding, but leads to worsened
acid reflux
Ultimately, everyone is different and foods
that some people can tolerate cause incredibly painful
indigestion for others Only you can tell, so be sensible and
avoid those foods that have an adverse effect

Tags | absolute, alcohol, butter, chewing, citrus, drinks, excessive, juices, minimum, oesophageal, oesophagus, quantities, reflux, sphincter, stomach