Burning Up the House - 5 Foods to Avoid When Suffering with Acid Reflux

Acid Reflux is a condition of the digestive system otherwise known as heartburn. That is a given. When you look at the causes of acid reflux one of them comes to the front each and every time - diet. You are what you eat and modern man and woman lives on an entirely unhealthy diet. We eat what we can when we can and never pay attention to what we actually eat or the potential harm these foods may cause.

Fast-food Is NOT Healthy Food Most of you run around all day and only every stop to stuff some kind of snack down your throat before you rush back to work. Fast-food is not good for you. In fact it is normally incredibly bad for you. "Supersize Me" the movie proves just how unhealthy fast-food is for all human beings. If you have not seen this movie then make it a priority - it truly is eye-opening. Most fast-food can severely interfere with your digestive system and be a direct cause of acid reflux. Personally speaking I avoid fast food as much as possible because it just makes me feel lethargic and gives me wind. Sad but very true.

Foods To Avoid So what foods do you need to avoid?

There are 5 basic types of foods that you may need to reduce or remove entirely from your diet - depending on how much acid reflux they actually cause in your body. This will vary from one person to the next but you can still use this list as a basis for what is good and bad for you.

Fast Foods

As we have already discussed fast-food is not good for you. Worse still it can be a direct cause for acid reflux especially if you eat any of the following: French fries, burgers and fried chicken. If you have no choice other than to eat at a fast food joint then look for a grilled option on their menu. At least then you are not eating several grams of pure fat and won't then wind up chewing antacids for the night.

Fruits And Vegetables

The vast majority of people assume that all fruits and vegetables are good for you no matter what. While this is true for most of the general population it's not true at all for acid reflux sufferers. Both potatoes and onions have been proven to bring about an attack of heartburn. Not only those but you also need to avoid tomatoes, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and cranberries as they have the highest acid content of all fruits. If you have not already discussed your diet and acid reflux with your doctor then now is the time to start. You will be surprised at just how many of your current favorite foods are helping cause you pain.

Watch Your Dairy Intake

Have you ever grabbed a glass of milk for indigestion or heartburn? Of course you have and you are not alone. Drinking milk will help but it's a short term solution. Why? Because the body will simply produce more stomach acid to replace the acid that the milk has neutralized. Milk is not the only culprit however. There are plenty of other dairy products that can cause damage to your digestive system. Cottage cheese, sour cream and ice cream are dairy foods that you really need to avoid if you want to control your acid reflux.

What Not To Drink

Alcohol needs to be avoided or consumed in total moderation if you suffer from acid reflux. Liquor/spirits and wine are major hazards and can start a violent attack of heartburn. Tea and coffee are also known to trigger acid reflux in those that may suffer from it.

Yummy Desserts?

We all have a sweet tooth to a certain extent and most of us enjoy desserts. There is some bad news here however. Desserts are one of the biggest causes of acid reflux. How can something that tastes so nice cause so much pain? Anything with high chocolate or butter content needs to be avoided like the plague.

Hopefully now you have a better idea of what foods you need to avoid to prevent attacks of heartburn. No doubt you were as surprised as I was to see just how those favorite tasty foods can cause you so much grief.

With a fervor for helping people Jill Seimer shares healthy lifestyle tips at RefluxLife.com She recently published Natural healing of Heartburn with her views on natural cures for acid reflux.