GERD Diet Guide: 6 Foods That Help Heartburn + 6 Foods To Avoid

If you’ve ever dealt with the burning sensation of heartburn or acid reflux, you know how uncomfortable and disruptive GERD can be. In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, I often see how these unrelenting symptoms can impact a person’s day-to-day life, and how difficult it can be navigating food and what to eat.

While food isn’t always the sole cause of GERD, there are certain foods that can trigger or worsen symptoms. There are also foods that can help improve digestion and the root causes of GERD so you don’t have to be at the mercy of these chronic GERD symptoms forever. Let’s take a deeper look at what GERD is and how you can manage this condition through food — including what foods you should eat more of and what foods you should limit or avoid altogether.

What is GERD?

It’s not necessarily uncommon to experience acid reflux on occasion, where stomach acid backflows into your esophagus where it doesn’t below. However, acid reflux that happens two or more times a week for multiple weeks, is known as GERD — gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Heartburn (a burning sensation in your chest and throat) is the biggest symptom associated with acid reflux and GERD, but there are actually quite a few symptoms that a person can experience as well: (1)

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Chest pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Frequent burping
• Nausea
• Regurgitation of stomach contents
• Vocal cord inflammation

What most people get wrong about GERD

For years, too much stomach acid has been considered to be the driving force behind GERD, leading many to rely heavily on antacids. While that can be the case for some people, research has found that low stomach acid can also lead to GERD. This is because GERD is not necessarily an acid level problem, it’s a dysfunction of your lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

This muscular valve sits between your esophagus and stomach and is responsible for knowing when to open in order to let food pass into your stomach, and when to close to keep your stomach contents from flowing backward. But when the LES isn’t functioning the way it should, it opens when it shouldn’t, resulting in reflux regardless of too high or too low acid levels.

However, when we look a little deeper, low stomach acid more often than too much acid has been found to disrupt LES function since stomach acid is necessary for the feedback mechanism in LES to work. When there isn’t enough acid, your LES becomes too relaxed leading to reflux. There are also more things that can lead to GERD other than acid levels. That’s why it is so important to work with a qualified functional medicine practitioner who can identify what’s driving your particular case of GERD.

READ MORE: Low Stomach Acid? How To Heal This Uncomfortable Gut Problem With Functional Medicine

The GERD diet

This is where many people get confused. Although the symptoms of GERD are the result of acid being in the esophagus, the solution isn’t to get rid of the acid. When you understand the mechanisms behind GERD, we understand that acid is actually needed to strengthen the LES and stop reflux from getting worse. Even more importantly, we need sufficient stomach acid to digest our food, absorb nutrients, and protect the health of our gut overall.

That’s why in functional medicine we look at a GERD diet a little bit differently. Instead of only focusing on eliminating acidic foods, our goal is to incorporate foods and nutrients that restore microbiome balance, motility, digestion, and ultimately, LES function. By eating more of these nutrient-dense foods while also limiting common GERD triggers, we can begin to calm symptoms and lay the foundation for long-term, sustainable healing.

Foods to eat with GERD

1. Fermented foods

Sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha are loaded with beneficial probiotics that can help restore balance in your gut microbiome to alleviate GERD symptoms. (2)

2. Digestive bitters

Bitter herbs and foods consumed at the beginning of meals can help naturally stimulate digestion and the secretion of fluids like stomach acid. I love ginger, dandelion, turmeric, and cardamom.

3. Non-citrus fruits

Fruits that are lower in acidity such as berries, apples, bananas, and melon are great because they won’t flare up GERD symptoms. Plus, these fruits contain higher amounts of prebiotic fiber to help feed the good bacteria in your gut microbiome for further healing.

4. Vegetables 

Non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, etc.) and Brussels sprouts along with vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash are super high in vital nutrients and healthy carbs and provide a good amount of fiber which is important for gut health.

5. Lean meat

We’ll talk more about fats later and why they aren’t always ideal for people with GERD, but protein sources like chicken and turkey, act as great sources of protein without also being too high in fat.

6. Nuts and seeds

Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds are considered high fiber foods to feed good gut bacteria while acting as a well-rounded source of nutrients like protein and healthy fats.

LISTEN: Acid Reflux Isn’t Too Much Acid: Heartburn Root Causes Most People Miss | Dr. Daryl Gioffre

Foods to Avoid with GERD

1. Citrus fruits

Lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit have a higher acidity level that can contribute to GERD symptoms in some people.

2. Spicy foods

Capsaicin is the compound in foods like peppers that contributes to that feeling of spice. If you like spicy foods you may enjoy that burning sensation, but your esophagus doesn’t and it can contribute to more heartburn by triggering sensory nerve receptors (TRPV1) that perpetuate the feeling of burning. (3)

3. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are highly acidic and are often included in spicy foods like salsa or chili. They are also a staple ingredient in pasta sauce and ketchup, so be mindful of your condiment and sauce consumption as well if you struggle with GERD.

4. Caffeine

Not only does caffeine stimulate acid production, it acts as a stimulant that encourages the smooth muscle of the LES to relax. (3) When this happens, acid starts to escape, contributing to reflux and heartburn.

5. Chocolate

At first glance, chocolate doesn’t seem like it would be a problem for people with GERD as it’s not acidic. But chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine and sneaky compounds known as methylxanthines (specifically an alkaloid called theobromine) that can inhibit the function of your LES and exacerbate acid reflux.

6. Fatty foods

There are a few reasons why fat isn’t ideal for those struggling with GERD. First, fat takes the longest for your body to digest, so it sits in your stomach for longer. Secondly, your body releases the hormone, cholecystokinin (CKK) when you eat fat. This hormone tells your LES to relax, perpetuating symptoms of GERD.

Now it’s important to note that we aren’t necessarily talking about sources of healthy fats like wild-caught salmon or avocado oil. While some people may still be more sensitive to these foods, they also contain important nutrients that can be beneficial for healing. Instead, we are talking about fatty, fried foods like potato chips and processed meats that have little to no nutritional benefit on top of being a trigger for GERD symptoms.

Proper eating habits with GERD

Since symptoms of GERD can get worse right after eating or when laying down, these are some rules to live by while you are working through your healing journey.

• Go on walk after eating: After a meal, it’s tempting to want to lay down, rest, and digest. But going on a walk or lingering longer at the table will keep gravity in your favor and help ensure your LES stays closed. Walking after a meal also helps keep your blood sugar from spiking. It’s a win-win.
• Practice mindful eating: Larger meals can make GERD symptoms worse. Eating smaller meals, listening to your body, and eating slowly will help you hear when your body tells you it is full. When you eat quickly, your mind doesn’t always recognize that it is satisfied until you feel too full.
• Keep a food journal: Since everyone is different, keeping a journal to track your symptoms and daily food intake will help you identify your individual food triggers for GERD flare-ups.
• Alleviate stress: Your gut and brain are in constant communication through the gut-brain axis, and stress can disrupt digestion and how we experience gastrointestinal symptoms. That doesn’t mean GERD is “all in your head”, but it does mean that supporting your nervous system through getting adequate sleep, daily movement, and mindfulness techniques like meditation are an important part of a comprehensive approach to GERD management.

Seeking help from a functional medicine expert

As we’ve learned, GERD is more complex than just having too much stomach acid. Therefore, when it comes to managing GERD, following a restrictive diet isn’t always the solution. Instead, start by identifying your personal food triggers while building your diet around nutrient-dense foods that support digestion and a balanced microbiome. For many people who are just starting their healing journey, a making dietary changes with a GERD diet that limits common triggers such as caffeine, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and spicy foods, can be a great first step in taming chronic symptoms.

Food and lifestyle changes are a powerful piece of the puzzle, but if you are struggling with GERD, working with a functional medicine practitioner to determine what is causing your particular symptoms can be the next step in overcoming this condition. In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, we specialize in identifying the underlying cause of GERD in order to put together comprehensive, tailored protocols that finally address the root cause.

As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe. 

Photo: Unsplash.com

Sources

• Richter, J. E., & Rubenstein, J. H. (2018). Presentation and Epidemiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Gastroenterology, 154(2), 267–276. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.07.045
• Cheng, J., & Ouwehand, A. C. (2020). Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Probiotics: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(1), 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010132
• Patcharatrakul, T., Kriengkirakul, C., Chaiwatanarat, T., & Gonlachanvit, S. (2020). Acute effects of red chili, a natural capsaicin receptor agonist, on gastric accommodation and upper gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy volunteers and gastroesophageal reflux disease patients. Nutrients, 12(12), 3740. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123740
• Liszt, K. I., Ley, J. P., Lieder, B., Behrens, M., Stöger, V., Reiner, A., Hochkogler, C. M., Köck, E., Marchiori, A., Hans, J., Widder, S., Krammer, G., Sanger, G. J., Somoza, M. M., Meyerhof, W., & Somoza, V. (2017). Caffeine induces gastric acid secretion via bitter taste signaling in gastric parietal cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(30), E6260–E6269. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703728114