Smart Eating Habits for GERD Management

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a condition in which excess or abnormal acid exposure in the esophagus causes troublesome symptoms like burning in the chest (“heartburn”), chest pain, or the feeling of food or liquids coming up into the chest or mouth. Many times, these symptoms happen at night, disturbing sleep, or even causing a sense of choking when stomach contents come all the way into the mouth. In some people, this excess acid exposure can cause significant damage to the lining of the esophagus, increasing the risk for cancer of the esophagus.

Diet plays a very important role in managing symptoms of GERD. There are many different lists of foods to eat and foods to avoid on the internet, books, magazines, blogs, etc. But I like to keep it simple.

What you eat is less important than how much you eat, and when!  

Recommendation #1: Avoid Eating 2-3 Hours Before Lying Down

If you fill up a glass of water, and immediately tip it on its side, the water will spill out.

If you eat a large meal, and then lie down, your meal and the stomach acid will spill into your esophagus.

OK, this is a bit of an oversimplification, but not much.  The body needs some time to digest so that the stomach can empty.  It also helps to have gravity on your side, keeping what’s in your stomach from coming into your chest.  Avoiding late meals and skipping bedtime snacks will help reduce nighttime reflux symptoms.

Recommendation #2: Eat a Bit Less

Smaller meals digest more quickly than larger meals. Smaller meals will cause fewer reflux symptoms than larger meals, particularly if it’s your last meal of the day. Smaller meals are better for maintaining a healthy weight than larger meals. Wait… weight? YES! Losing even 5-10 pounds can dramatically improve reflux symptoms, and can even be the difference between needing to be on medication for GERD or not.

Recommendation #3: If Eating a Food Makes You Feel Bad, then Don’t Eat that Food!

Everyone has a different set of triggers. Do you always get heartburn when you eat spicy food? Well then, you have a choice to make. Do you want to eat the food and feel bad, or not eat the food and feel OK? Be mindful of what you are eating, and how you feel after you eat it. Consider a symptoms journal—when you feel your GERD symptoms, what did you eat that day, and when?

If you can follow these recommendations, you will likely feel better and sleep better.  Now, some people can follow all of these recommendations and still have GERD symptoms.  Sometimes, you can do everything right, and still need medications.  That’s OK!  We have very safe and effective medications to help with symptoms of reflux.  So, do your best, and if you need help, give your medical provider a call.