Are there any foods you can eat to relieve your acid reflux symptoms? Like many other patients you may wonder, whether the consumption of certain foods while avoiding foods that aggravate acid reflux (GERD) can help you to overcome your medical condition.
Prior to discussing the dietary patterns that can relieve GERD symptoms, let’s briefly go over the immediate physiological causes of GERD.
The lower
esophageal sphincter (LES) – a muscle that acts like a
valve is located in the area where the esophagus meets
the stomach.
When food passes from the esophagus into the
stomach the LES relaxes temporarily to enable food to
enter the stomach. After the food passes, the LES closes
off, keeping the intestinal juices and acids locked
inside the stomach. When the LES doesn’t close properly
(due to several genetic, internal and external
triggers), stomach acid splashes back up into the
esophagus, burning its lining and causing inflammation
which results in the unpleasant, painful burning
sensation also known as heartburn.
If acid reflux condition is neglected or not treated in a timely manner, scar tissue, resulting from the acid reflux, can obstruct the esophagus. Over time, the esophagus can bleed or become ulcerated. Medical doctors claim that GERD is one of the causes of the development of esophageal cancer, especially in patients over 60.
Both physicians and paraprofessionals believe that certain lifestyle changes including the introduction of certain foods to one’s diet and eliminating other foods can benefit acid reflux sufferers. Adhering to the following nutritional guidelines, among other dietary principles, can make a positive impact on your acid reflux symptoms and on your overall health and well-being:
1. Consuming foods that are high in fiber (i. e. fruits, vegetables, whole grains) can improve your digestion, prevent ulcers and sweep away toxins, thus reducing your proneness to GERD.
2. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oil are powerful anti-inflammatory agents and thus can be highly beneficial for controlling GERD.
3. Large quantities of food are more challenging to digest. Contrary to that, eating more frequent lighter meals and snacks can improve your digestive system functioning.
4. Fatty foods and high calorie foods take longer to digest and are not easily eliminated out of body, thus increasing the chances acid will splash up into your esophagus. Eliminating these foods from your diet will help reduce inflammation in the lining of intestinal cells.
5.
Coffee, chocolate, alcohol
and tomatoes among other foods should be limited in
consumption since they promote the weakening of the
esophageal sphincter thus increasing acid reflux occurrence.
The above dietary principals among several other nutritional guidelines can greatly benefit acid reflux sufferers if followed correctly, yet these are only a small part of complete all-natural approach that is aimed at tackling the root causes of acid reflux. The only way to permanently heal and prevent acid reflux recurrence is to eliminate all internal and external GERD contributing factors by following the holistic approach.
Did you know that your painful, distressing acid
reflux condition could be permanently healed using a
comprehensive holistic strategy? By choosing the
holistic approach along with eating the right
foods for acid reflux, you will be able to
stop its symptoms and prevent its recurrence
permanently.
