GERD & Nutrition
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a disorder in which gastric contents reflux recurrently into esophagus, causing troublesome symptoms &/or complications. Acid reflux happens when acid from the stomach gets sent up into the esophagus where it is not meant to be due to the reason: the sphincter between the esophagus & stomach is not working properly & part of the stomach slides above the diaphragm creating hiatal hernia.
Symptoms of GERD
Typical symptoms include
- Heartburn- retrosternal burning sensation
- Acid regurgitation- sour & acidic fluid in the mouth
Atypical symptoms include
- Non-cardiac chest pain
- Belching
- Nausea
- Dysphagia
- Early satiety
- Epigastric pain with or without typical reflux
- Chronic cough or throat clearing
Untreated GERD can lead to longer-term complications such as erosive esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, sleep disorder, metabolic syndrome, food impaction, asthma like breathing difficulties, risk of esophageal cancer.
How do you know if you have GERD?
- Your heartburn happens 2 or more times a week
- Your heartburn gets worse
- Your heartburn wakes you from sleep at night
- You’ve had heartburn now and then for several years
- You have difficulty or pain when swallowing
- Your discomfort interferes with daily activities
Food that trigger GERD
Everyone with GERD is a bit different & therefore have different tolerance to different food. To identify your individual triggers, keep a food diary & track the following:
- What food you eat
- What time of day you eat
- What symptoms you experience
Common trigger foods include:
- High fat food- French fries, full fat dairy, cheese, potato chips, ice cream, cream sauces, oily & greasy food, high fat meat
- Spicy foods – hot peppers, curry paste, hot sauce
- Citrus fruit – lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, juices
- Tomatoes and tomato products – sauces, pastes, ketchup
- Carbonated beverages – soda, carbonated water
- Caffeine – coffee, tea, chocolate, soda
- Peppermint and spearmint – gum, mints, tea
- Simple sugars – high sugar beverages, candy, baked goods, ice cream, white & brown sugar, honey, maple syrup
Management of GERD
Lifestyle modification is the first line approach for the management of GERD. Healthy lifestyle includes the facets like balanced nutrition, exercise & physical activeness, sound sleep, stress management.
- Focus on balanced nutrition incorporating whole grain cereals, pulses & legumes, lean meat & eggs, nuts & seeds, fruits & veggies, healthy fats (avocados, walnut, flaxseed, olive oil, sunflower oil) in required quantity & proportion in daily diet.
- Avoid processed & packaged foods, fried food, high fat, oily & spicy food, fast food, sweetened & carbonated beverages & also the food that triggers the symptoms.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Lose weight if you are overweight or obese.
- Eat small frequent meals.
- Don’t overeat, eat slowly & develop a mindful eating habit.
- Remain upright for at least 1-2 hours after eating.
- Avoid late night eating, finish dinner 3 hours before bedtime.
- Avoid smoking, alcohol, tobacco.
- Engage daily in physical activity for at least 30 mins & be active for whole day.
- Fix sleeping time & avoid late night sleep.
- Raise the head of bed 4-6 inches to reduce reflux symptoms while sleeping.
- Work out to manage your stress.
- Avoid tight fitting clothes especially in the upper abdomen/chest.
- Herbs like ginger, thyme seeds, turmeric, licorice, chamomile, slipperv elm can help with relieving symptoms of GERD.
