The Diet For Acid Reflux

The diet for acid reflux (according to Oriental wisdom) has two aspects to it.

First, there's the foods that irritate your symptoms once you already have acid reflux (see foods to avoid with acid reflux for more on that).

Secondly, there are foods that damage your digestive system, causing you to be prone to acid reflux in the first place. That's what we're talking about on this page.

According to Oriental wisdom, correct diet is considered the first line of defense in issues of health. In many cases, you need to follow the diet for acid reflux before any other treatment can work permanently for you.

So, what foods cause acid reflux?

First, bear in mind that what you eat is only one of the causes of acid reflux. How you eat, as well as excessive or long-term emotional upsets, can also ultimately lead to acid reflux. Look at acid reflux causes page for more information on them.

So, besides avoiding the foods that are irritating once you have acid reflux (again, I refer you to foods to avoid with acid reflux for that), you need to eat properly so you don't continue the behavior that caused the problem in the first place, and that will just keep causing it to recur.

The best way to do this is to...

Follow the Chinese Dietary Principles

Although much could be written about these principles, here's a summary...

Eat mostly:

• Fresh and lightly cooked vegetables (a big variety) - not raw
• Beans
• Whole grains (but little or no wheat). Eat less grains than vegetables
• Small amounts of animal protein (2 or 3 oz. per day). Think of it as a flavoring for your meals, rather than a main course
• Drink room temperature or warm water

Everything else should be limited to small amounts, even fruit (it's beyond the scope of this site to go in depth about that).

It goes without saying (hopefully) that all foods should be natural, not processed, and organic whenever possible (more for your overall health than specifically acid reflux).

If you follow the above recommendations, you'll be in the ballpark. The following rules are inherent in those recommendations, but here they are anyway...

• Eat your foods cooked and warm
• Eat very little "sweet" tasting food
• Avoid cold foods and drinks
• Eat little greasy or oily food
• Avoid alcohol
• Avoid dairy
• Avoid caffeine
• Avoid yeast
• Avoid boxed, packaged and processed foods
• Drink about a teacup of warm water or green tea with meals
• Moderate use of spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper are ordinarily beneficial, but in excess they create too much "heat" in your stomach which is already a problem when you have acid reflux.

Additionally, the "how to's" of eating you need to follow are...

Avoid:

• Eating late at night
• Eating in a hurry
• Overeating
• Eating while stressed

This diet for acid reflux based on Chinese Dietary Principles is proven over thousands of years to promote health and help your body recover from disease.

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