A GERD diet is a low fat diet taken to stop acid reflux. The reflux of the stomach acid into the esophagus is a painful experience. It is almost like drinking a strong acid that burns the throat. This experience is caused by a disease called GERD or the gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The esophagus is a tube that serves as the passage of food from the mouth to the stomach. Below this tube is a muscle that opens when the food comes in and then closes afterwards. This muscle ensures that the food inside the stomach will remain there and will not travel back to the mouth.
But when a person suffers from GERD, this muscle opens up to allow the acids inside the stomach to travel up to the mouth, causing much pain in the throat area. Chest discomfort is another symptom of this disease. There are times that this acidic fluid from the stomach trickles down into the breathing tubes. As a result, coughing, hoarseness, or worse, shortness of breath can occur.
GERD diet must be observed to avoid the painful effects of the disease. A GERD diet is especially designed to stop the discomfort caused by the dieases. This diet is designed to meet the recommended dietary allowance of the National Research Council. It includes foods from the basic food groups but special considerations have to be observed.
Milk and milk products must only include skim and low fat or fat free milk. Whole milk and chocolates should be avoided. All types of vegetables are recommended but preparing them should not include oils and creamy dressings. Tomatoes and citrus fruits, pineapple and grapes are to be avoided. They are fruits that will aggravate the discomfort of the lower esophageal muscle. Have apples, melons, berries, bananas, pears and peaches instead. They are fruits that will help you avoid the GERD discomfort.
Choose bread and grains that are low in fat. The meats that are recommended are more of the white meat to avoid too much cholesterol. Stay away from preserved meats because they are sure to aggravate the GERD condition.
The drinks must include low fat and no caffeine items. Mints should be avoided at all times. Fruits juices are good except those that came from citruses.
But food items are not the only factors that can cause GERD. Although observing a GERD diet may be strictly enforced, there are many other considerations that have to be observed. Tobacco should be avoided totally. They are not only bad for the lungs but they can also cause the muscles of the lower esophagus to become weak. Gums and hard candies can make a person take in more air. If you have more air inside the stomach, this can also lead to a reflux.
People should adhere to the eating habit of only a small portion at a time. You can eat often so as not to become hungry but the amount per meal should be less. This allows the stomach to digest food better and will allow the spleen to produce acids that are of the right amounts. Binge eating or eating big amounts at irregular intervals can cause the spleen to overproduce acids. This condition aggravates GERD especially when the person eats only when he already feels really hungry. A person should eat at definite time intervals and not wait until they feel the pangs of hunger.
Another thing that leads to GERD is being overweight. Obesity can cause the person to produce more acids in the stomach. Observing a GERD diet will also cure this problem. A GERD diet includes very low-fat or non-fat foods. This means that cholesterol will also be lessened. Desserts are to be picked out carefully. Chocolates and whole milk should be totally discarded from the diet. Thus the overweight person experiencing GERD will also start losing weight if he followed the diet strictly.
Living a healthy lifestyle and eating the proper foods will cause the stomach to start functioning properly. This will in effect eliminate all the problems that are suffered by the person. We should not wait for the condition to become worse before taking actions. If the acid reflux problem is not solved by a GERD diet, some serious medical attention might be needed to effect a cure.
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