The entrance to your stomach is usually closed by a valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES opens when you eat food and closes immediately after. If your stomach produces too much of acid, the acid can back up through the valve and into your esophagus. You can experience a burning, painful sensation in your chest called heartburn. The other symptoms of acid reflux are dyspepsia and regurgitation. If the symptoms occur at least 2 times a week, then you might be suffering from a stomach disease called gastroesophageal refulx disease (GERD). GERD can be caused by genetic abnormalities in the stomach, certain types of medication, and your food choices. A lot of foods lead to the build up of acids in your stomach and prevent the LES from closing properly, which lead to uncomfortable GERD symptoms. Here are a list of foods you should avoid if you suffer from acid reflux.
1. TOMATOES
Even though tomatoes are delicious and contain healthy nutrients, you should avoid them if you are prone to acid reflux. Tomatoes contain a high amount of citric acid and malic acid. Consuming them can cause the acid accumulated in your stomach to back up into your esophagus, causing heartburn.
2. ONIONS
Onions have been known to cause heartburn by relaxing the LES, which keeps the food from flowing back into the esophagus. It also contains some volatile oils that increase gastric secretions in the stomach, causing acidity.
3. CITRUS FRUITS
Citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruits, sweet lime, and tangerine are rich in citric acid. Lemon is one of the most acidic fruits in the world, with a pH almost as low as 2. Consuming citrus fruits when suffering from acid reflux will increase the acidity in your stomach and will further aggravate your condition.
4. CAFFEINE
Caffeine relaxes the LES, allowing food to go back into your esophagus to cause heartburn. If you suffer from heartburn at night, it is fine to drink a small cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but gulping down caffeine throughout the day causes serious heartburn.
5. PEPPERMINT
Peppermint has a soothing effect on the stomach by relaxing the stomach muscles. Since it also relaxes the LES, it aggravates the symptoms of acid reflux.
6. SODA (NEXT PAGE)
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