Can I eat chili with GERD?
Here's the ANSWER

People suffering from GERD are often bothered more about the sacrifices they have to make for the disorder, rather than the actual disorder itself. This is especially true, if one has to give up on favourite delicacies. Very often doctors, friends and family alike caution people suffering from GERD to stay away from spicy food. Does this mean that you have to give up chili? This question can be resolved by taking into consideration some issues to understand the relationship between eating chili and GERD.

Chili and GERD:

GERD or gastroesophageal reflux is a type of disorder that causes the stomach to throw back the gastric juices along with the necessary acid content into to the esophagus. This disorder causes heartburn, chest pain, coughing, vomiting and many related ailments. There are many causes of GERD. However, many researches believe that certain types of foods can actually trigger the existing GERD condition even more. Though no particular type of food can cause GERD, some may intensify the symptoms of GERD in a negative way. Many people point fingers at items like butter and, oily food, which supposedly lead to the typical symptoms of GERD. Spicy food containing capacious amount of chili is also held responsible for triggering GERD. Yet this does not explain why people in countries like India and Mexico, where chili is used most liberally don't fill the hospital bunks because of GERD. Perhaps rather than what you eat, the question, how much you eat is more important to find out the depth of the relationship between chili and GERD. Moreover, since gastroesophageal reflux disease is a complex condition that is triggered by interrelation between numerous factors and co-factors, the same dietary patterns can influence different people in a non-identical way.

Read more about GERD causes.

Does chili trigger GERD?

Chili may and may not trigger GERD in your case. It is very inaccurate to make generalized statements regarding the relationship between chili and GERD, as food triggers that stimulate GERD may vary from one person to another. Also, if you eat just a couple of chilies everyday; you are not likely to suffer from GERD. Bland diet does not guarantee heartburn free days either. To see whether chili is really the culprit in your case, you can keep a food diary. This will tell you whether spicy food containing chili does lead to GERD symptoms or not. If they do, then you may have to cut back on chilies in your diet. However, it is not necessary to give them up completely.  Sometimes spicy food can also be rich in butter and oil content. Hence, a combination of spicy fatty and greasy food can be more deadly than just a meal comprising of limited chili content. Hence, the relationship between chili and GERD can be much more complicated than you think.