It’s not uncommon to have occasional heartburn after a large, spicy, or very rich meal. But if you experience that burning, uncomfortable feeling in your chest or throat frequently, you might have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD. When acid in the stomach refluxes, or flows backward, it touches the lining of the esophagus. This can cause a burning feeling in your chest or throat called heartburn or indigestion.
You can have heartburn once in a while without having GERD. But if you have heartburn more than twice a week, you likely have GERD.
Your diet can affect your symptoms, so learning your GERD food triggers and following a GERD diet can help.
What Causes GERD?
GERD is a chronic form of reflux that occurs more frequently than regular heartburn. It happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle becomes weak or relaxes too much. Your LES muscles are at the end of your esophagus, where it meets the stomach.
Usually, the LES muscle closes tightly after you eat or drink. That prevents stomach acid from backing up into your esophagus. But with GERD, the sphincter muscle doesn’t close tightly, so acid escapes from your stomach and gets into your esophagus.
Unlike regular heartburn, which happens once in a while, GERD causes more frequent symptoms like:
- Burning in the middle of your chest or throat.
- Chest pain.
- Coughing or hoarseness.
- Nausea.
- Problems swallowing.
- Regurgitation, or stomach contents coming up into your throat or mouth.
It’s important to talk to your doctor if you have GERD symptoms because they might lead to more serious problems. However, lifestyle changes often help, starting with your diet.
Foods That Cause Acid Reflux
Diet plays a significant role in triggering GERD symptoms because certain foods cause your LES muscle to relax more than others. Limiting GERD trigger foods often helps reduce symptoms.
High-fat foods are among the worst foods for acid reflux because they relax your LES. That’s why your heartburn symptoms might worsen after eating things like fast food, fried foods, or rich, creamy foods. But other foods and beverages also relax your LES muscle or irritate your esophagus, both of which can trigger the burn.
Foods to limit if you have GERD include:
- Acidic foods like tomato sauce, orange or grapefruit juice, or citrus fruits.
- Alcohol.
- Carbonated beverages like soda or seltzer water.
- Chocolate.
- Coffee or other sources of caffeine.
- Fatty meats like burgers, steak, bacon, or sausages.
- High-fat foods like fried foods, pizza, chips, or any foods with lots of cheese, cream, butter, or oil.
- Mint.
- Spicy foods.
If you have frequent heartburn, try cutting out or eating smaller portions of these foods to see if your symptoms improve. Everyone is different, and there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all diet for GERD. But limiting these foods is often a great start.
Foods That Help Acid Reflux
Just as certain foods worsen symptoms, other foods help acid reflux. They’re all healthy foods, so they help you manage symptoms while being good for you, too. Some of the best foods for GERD include:
- High fiber foods like 100% whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables. The fiber in these foods fills you, so you tend to eat less, reducing pressure on your LES.
- Lean meats like chicken, fish, and turkey.
- Lower-fat proteins like eggs, tofu, and beans.
- Noncarbonated beverages like non-mint herbal tea, non-citrus juices (think apple or grape), or plain water.
- Small amounts of healthy fats like nuts, seeds, peanut butter, avocados, and olive oil.
You may wonder, “Does milk help acid reflux?” Some people believe that milk coats your esophagus and can reduce reflux. But not all milk or dairy products are the same.
When choosing dairy foods like milk, yogurt, or ice cream, make sure to choose low-fat versions. The fat in regular, full-fat dairy foods can trigger reflux symptoms.
What Foods Should I Choose?
This side-by-side comparison guide can help you choose foods that help relieve GERD symptoms.
Beverages for GERD
| Choose | Avoid |
| Caffeine-free beverages. Decaf, non-mint, and herbal teas.Juices, except those to avoid. Nondairy milks such as almond, oat, or soy. Skim or 1% milk. Soft drink mixes, such as Crystal Lite. | Alcohol. Citrus juices and drinks such as orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, and pineapple. Mint tea. Regular or decaf coffee. Soda, pop, or carbonated beverages. Tea that has caffeine. Whole, 2%, and chocolate milk. |
Grains and starches for GERD
| Choose | Avoid |
| All breads and grains prepared with low-fat content. Try choosing whole grains for at least half your grain servings. Potatoes. Sweet potatoes. | Any prepared with whole milk or high-fat content, such as sweet rolls, muffins, biscuits, and croissants. |
Fruits and vegetables for GERD
| Choose | Avoid |
| All vegetables, except those fried or cream-style. Any fresh, canned, or cooked fruits, except tomatoes and citrus fruits. | Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, and pineapples. Fried or cream-style vegetables. Tomatoes and tomato sauce. |
Meats and proteins for GERD
| Choose | Avoid |
| Baked, boiled, or broiled beef, pork, lamb, veal, skinless poultry, or fish. Beans and tofu. Cooked dried beans and peas. Eggs. Low-fat cheeses. Low-fat lunchmeats. Other plant-based meat substitutes like Impossible or Beyond burger. Peanut butter, if tolerated. | Bacon. Fatty lunchmeats. Fatty or fried beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, and fish. Pepperoni. Sausage and hot dogs. |
Sugars, sweets, and desserts for GERD
| Choose | Avoid |
| Angel food cake. Gelatin made from allowed foods. Low-fat cookies. Nonfat or low-fat pudding, custard, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sherbet. Sugar, honey, jelly, jam, syrup, or marshmallows. | Chewing gum. Hard or cream-filled candy. High-fat pastries. Nuts. Sweets and desserts with chocolate, peppermint, or spearmint (including flavoring). |
Other Diet Strategies to Try
For many people, how you eat is as important as what you eat. Besides limiting the most common foods that can cause acid reflux, other diet strategies can help reduce GERD symptoms:
- First, try eating smaller meals — Regardless of what foods they include, large meals fill your stomach and put extra pressure on your LES muscle. If smaller meals leave you hungry, add small, low-fat snacks in between.
- Next, try to eat earlier in the day when you’re up and about — Stomach acid is more likely to back up into your esophagus when you lie down after eating. Eat your last meal of the day a bit earlier, so you have at least three hours to digest before lying down or going to bed.
- Finally, slow down your eating and relax during mealtime — Speed eating doesn’t directly affect LES pressure, but it may cause an upset stomach. Plus, eating too fast or when you’re busy and stressed often leads to overeating, which can trigger heartburn.