What Is Acid Reflux? What Are The Best Foods To Have If You Have Acid Reflux? Our Expert Nutritionist Tells It All

Burps are annoying! And when they come with an acidic taste at the back of your mouth, you really need to pay attention! This can be a symptom of acid reflux. It is also known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and is a total discomfort. So, let's know a little more in detail of acid reflux. Acid reflux is when stomach acid comes upward through oesophagus. The food enters into the stomach through an opening of oesophagus called the oesophageal sphincter which normally closes after forwarding food into the stomach but when it remains open, the acid produced in the stomach may come upward. This comes with the symptoms like heartburn, acidic burps or burning pain in the lower chest area. Also, it includes difficulty in swallowing.

Also read: 7 Easy Home Remedies For Acidity

Some common causes of acid reflux

The most basic cause of acid reflux is actually a stomach abnormality called hiatal hernia, where stomach acid comes upward from stomach through oesophagus. Other causes include overeating or eating heavy meals right before sleeping, eating spicy or fatty foods, drinking carbonated or caffeine drinks and obesity. It is also caused by eating citrus fruits like orange and cranberry, which add up to the hydrochloric acid of the stomach.

Here's how you can cure acid reflux

While there are a lot of medical options, you can also balance it out in a more natural way by improving your eating habits and just by adding some basic fruits and vegetables in your diet. Avoiding high fat foods is the key! Also avoid overeating, caffeine and carbonated drinks, eating spicy foods, eating right before going to bed. Here is a list of 5 foods that will surely keep your stomach healthy and comfortable.

Some healthy foods to cure acid reflux:

Aloe juice - Aloe juice comes with a lot of benefits! It's good for skin, health and also for stomach because of its anti-inflammatory effects. Loaded with vitamins and minerals, its commonly available at almost everyone's home. You can have homemade and fresh aloe juice which should be unsweetened to keep acid reflux at bay.

Oats - Rich in fibres, oats works amazing in absorbing the acid in the stomach and working against acid reflux. Simply including oats in your breakfast will reduce the chances of getting into this problem. Fibre promotes intestinal health. Enjoy the oats in form of oats smoothie, oats upma, oats cheela and give your day a healthy start.

Plain yogurt - Yogurt is known for its cooling and soothing properties and works well when your stomach is upset. It can cool down the acid formation in the stomach and will help soothe your stomach. Filled with other nutrients like calcium, probiotics which provides bacteria that are naturally find in the stomach, yogurt is a good option to go for.

Ginger - Ginger is known for its anti-inflammatory properties which help ease the stomach and other gastrointestinal problems. You can have unsweetened ginger tea or can simply grate ginger over your salad and food to treat acid reflux.

Also read: Explained: Acid Reflux And 4 Things To Avoid For Acidity

Celery - Celery is a low fat vegetable and will surely keep your gut health lively. This leafy green vegetable just simply neutralizes the acid factor in the stomach. You can make a celery soup or include that into your regular salad to enjoy an acidic free day.

Banana - Banana is the best non-citrus food to goa for! It is always advisable to avoid citrus fruits during acid reflux as they add up the hydrochloric acid content in the stomach. Banana is also rich in other vitamins and minerals and is known for its cooling effects.

Chamomile tea - The soothing factors of chamomile are not left unknown! Grab your cup of chamomile tea during bedtime and you are done for the day. It will soothe your stomach and will also aid good sleep.

Include these foods in your diet if you anywhere come across the symptoms of acid reflux. Try having foods that have cooling or soothing effects and are light on your stomach. Also, avoid eating, right before going to bed and incline your head during sleep.

Also read: Do You Have Acidity? Know The Best Ways To Get Rid Of It Once For All

(Nmami Agarwal is a celebrity nutritionist)

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