A GERD diet is a low fat diet taken to prevent acid reflux. The reflux of the stomach acid into the esophagus is a painful experience. It’s nearly like drinking a powerful acid which burns the throat. This experience results from a disease called GERD or the gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The Esophagus
The esophagus is a tube which functions as the passage of food from the mouth to the stomach. This tube is a muscle that opens if the food comes in and then closes later. This muscle makes sure that the food in the stomach will stay there and won’t travel back into the mouth.
But when someone suffers from GERD, this muscle opens up to permit the acids within the stomach to travel up to your mouth, causing much pain in the neck region. Chest discomfort is just another symptom of the disease. There are times that this acidic fluid from the stomach trickles down to the breathing tubes. Because of this, coughing, hoarseness, or worse, shortness of breath may occur.
GERD Diet
GERD diet has to be observed to prevent the debilitating effects of the disease. A GERD diet is particularly designed to stop the distress brought on by the dieases. It features foods from the basic food groups but special considerations need to be observed.
Milk and milk products should only consist of skim and low fat or fat free milk. Whole chocolates and milk should be avoided. All sorts of vegetables are recommended but preparing them shouldn’t include oils and creamy dressings. Tomatoes and citrus fruits, pineapple and grapes should be avoided. They’re fruits which will aggravate the distress of the lower esophageal muscle. Have oranges, melons, berries, bananas, pears and peaches instead. They’re fruits that can allow you to avoid the GERD distress.
Choose bread and grains which are low in fat. The meats that are recommended are more of the white meat to prevent too much cholesterol. Stay away from preserved meats since they’re certain to aggravate the GERD condition.
The drinks must consist of low fat and no caffeine things. Mints should be avoided at all times. Fruits juices are great except those who came from citruses.
Considerations
But food items aren’t the only factors which can cause GERD. Although observing a GERD diet might be strictly enforced, there are quite a few other considerations which need to be observed. Tobacco ought to be avoided totally. They aren’t just bad for the lungs but they can also cause the muscles of the lower limb to become feeble. Gums and hard candies may make someone take in more air. If you have more atmosphere within the stomach, this may also result in a reflux.
People should stick to the eating habit of just a small portion at a time. It is possible to eat often so as to not become hungry but the amount per meal should be . This permits the stomach to digest food better and will permit the spleen to produce acids which are of the ideal amounts. Binge eating or eating large amounts at irregular periods may cause the spleen to overproduce acids. This condition aggravates GERD particularly when the individual eats only when he feels really hungry. Someone should eat at certain time intervals rather than wait till they feel the pangs of hunger.
Obesity
Another thing that contributes to GERD is being obese. Obesity can cause someone to generate more acids in the gut. Observing a GERD diet will also cure this problem. A GERD diet comprises quite low-fat or non-fat foods. It follows that cholesterol will also be lessened. Desserts should be chosen out carefully. Chocolates and whole milk should be wholly discarded in the diet. Thus the obese person experiencing GERD will also begin losing weight if he followed the diet strictly.
Living a healthy lifestyle and eating the correct foods will cause the gut to begin functioning properly. This will in effect remove all of the issues that are endured by the individual. We should not await the condition to become worse before taking action. If the acid reflux problem isn’t solved with a GERD diet, some serious medical care may be necessary to effect a cure.
