If you are struggling with a disease named Gastroesophageal reflux disease as known as GERD, the GERD diet will be a perfect and suitable eating method for you. In this article, Kerri Ann Jennings will not only share with you lots of helpful information about GERD diet but also give you a very detailed GERD diet plan menu. Now, let’s get started with us!
What is GERD?
The definition of GERD – Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
GERD is known as the disease called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Basically, when talking about GERD, we will think of the way our body processes foods. Basically, food goes down the food pipe to the stomach when a person swallows. After food enters the stomach, a ring of muscle tissue called the lower esophageal sphincter contracts. The food will not be able to return up the food pipe as a result of this. The contents of the stomach can flow back up into the food pipe if the esophageal sphincter does not close properly, causing GERD.
Some Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease symptoms can be seen as:
- Barrett’s esophagus
- Esophageal strictures
- Adenocarcinoma
- PPIs
- Obesity
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Constipation in some cases
Some less common symptoms of GERD are included like:
- Hiccups
- Burping
- Wheezing or weak coughing
- A sore throat
- Changes to the voice, including hoarseness
- Food regurgitation
For that reason, today, Kerri Ann Jennings will give you the most detailed information about the GERD eating method you have ever seen! Not only giving you that information, but we also bring you a very helpful GERD diet plan menu with 7 different menu ideas!
Foods that may cause GERD
Foods that are high in fat, salt, or spices can cause heartburn or GERD, which causes the esophageal sphincter to relax and delay digestion, allowing food to stay in the stomach longer.
- Fried food or fast food
- Potato chips, other processed snacks
- Chili powder
- Pepper (black, white, cayenne)
- Bacon, sausage, other fatty meats
- Cheese
Other foods that can cause the same problem include:
- Tomato-based sauces
- Chocolate
- Peppermint
- Citrus fruits
- Carbonated beverages
Read more: Pescatarian Keto: Complete Guide with Meal Plan and Food List
List of food you should pay attention to on GERD diet
“Diet plays a major role in controlling acid reflux symptoms and is the first line of therapy used for people with GERD”
says Ekta Gupta, M.B.B.S., M.D., gastroenterologist with Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Having a commitment to a special diet means that you have to pay closer attention to all of the food that you’re gonna consume. During a GERD diet plan, you have to select food and ingredients as well as read the nutrition facts label carefully. And as you know, a very must thing to do in every type of diet, especially the GERD one, is choosing foods wisely. In the GERD diet plan, you can eat some specific foods but you also need to avoid quite a few. Don’t worry, we have made a list of what food you should eat. Let’s take a closer look at it, shall we?
Foods to eat and buy in the GERD diet plan
In the GERD diet, you should pay attention to the food that can prevent acid reflux or heartburn, such as:
High fiber foods
- Whole grains: oatmeal, couscous and brown rice
- Root vegetables: sweet potatoes, beets, carrots,…
- Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables: kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage,…
Alkaline foods
Alkaline foods are foods with a high pH and it helps to offset strong acids in the stomach, such as:
- Bananas
- Melons
- Cauliflower
- Fennel
- Nuts
Watery foods
These can dilute and weaken stomach acid, such as:
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Lettuce
- Watermelon
- Broth-based soups
- Herbal tea
- Pears, apples, coconut, honeydew melon.
See also: Can You Freeze Watermelon For Later Use?
And during this GERD diet, it is really important to take up some new and healthy eating habits. It is recommended that you should follow these eating tips:
- Eating small meals
The way of consuming less food more often will help you to reduce the pressure on your stomach. It is proved that high stomach pressure may cause your LES to relax, allowing your stomach’s contents to flow up into your esophagus
- Eating slowly
Take your time! When you are dealing with GERD, you have to spend more and more time to shallowly eat those foods slowly.
- Do not lie down right after eating
It is not advised to lie down right after having a meal. If you stay upright for two or maybe three hours after eating, you will reduce your risk of reflux. When you stand or sit upright, gravity will help you to keep your stomach’s contents from flowing upward. And that’s what we want.
- Do not eat snacks unless you are truly hungry
Eating snacks just because you want to will increase the stomach pressure, which leads to some serious GERD symptoms
- Avoid wearing tight clothes around your waist
If your clothes put pressure on your abdomen when you are eating, this will put some pressure on your stomach and LES.
See: Keto For Women Over 50: What You Need to Know?
Foods to avoid in the GERD diet
Besides some really good and delicious foods you can eat, you have to remember carefully the foods list below. These are the foods that you are not allowed to eat during the GERD diet. Here is the list:
- Alcohol
- Caffeinated beverages
- Carbonated beverages
- Chocolate
- Citrus fruits
In a GERD diet, you are not allowed to eat fatty food or dairy food such as:
- French fries
- Deep-fried onion rings
- Potato chips
- Butter
- Whole milk
- Cheese
- Ice cream
- High fat sour cream
- High fat creamy salad dressings
- Creamy sauces and dips
- High-fat cuts of red meat, such as marbled sirloin or prime rib
Related: Dairy Free Diet Plan For Beginners
Or
- Garlic and onions
- Tomatoes and tomato-based foods
- Pineapples
- Spicy foods
- Sweets such as candies, chocolate and so on.
- Heavily processed foods
- Antibiotics
- Aspirin or other pain relievers
- Mints such as peppermint or spearmint
For any further questions about what you can not eat, please ask your doctor carefully.
Since you have just known what to eat and avoid during a GERD diet, we will give you a very special present. Today, Kerri Ann Jennings will share with you the most detailed sample of the GERD diet plan menu a whole week long.
See more: What To Eat On Phentermine Diet Plan?
Sample GERD diet plan menu on 7 days
We hope that the sample GERD diet plan menu below will give you a wonderful meal plan for a whole week long. Kerri Ann Jennings promises that these delicious ideas will bring you to the kitchen and try them all happily.
| Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Rice Chex cereal with some sliced banana and almond milk | – An apple served with some almond butter – Banana bars | Tuna salad wrap | Gluten-free chicken spaghetti |
| Tuesday | Green smoothie with coconut milk and spinach, mango | – Banana bars – Almonds | Peanut butter and honey sandwich with baked potato slices | Baked chicken thighs with brown rice |
| Wednesday | Simple rice pudding which is made with cooked rice, rice milk and a little bit of sugar | – Granola bar – Baby carrots and hummus | Avocado turkey wrap | Homemade steamed shrimps with fresh slices of ginger, soy sauce. Eat with a small bowl of brown rice |
| Thursday | Eggs and turkey bacon | – Coconut yogurt and some banana slices – Baked rice crackers | Baked pork chops with mashed potatoes | Mixed veggies topped with some chicken salad |
| Friday | Oatmeal topped with walnuts and maple syrups | – Rice cakes were eaten with peanut butter – Air-popped popcorn | Boiled eggs eat with crackers and apple sauce | Turkey meatballs serve with 1 serving of gluten-free pasta |
| Saturday | Peanut butter smoothie: nuts milk, yogurt, peanut butter and bananas | – Trail mix without the chocolate dressing – Baked potato chips with a small bowl of ranch dip | Meatball subs with some mayonnaise on top | Honey mustard glazed over the steamed salmon. Serve with a small bowl of rice or brown rice. |
| Sunday | Greek yogurt topped with some slices of bananas and blueberries | – 1 medium apple with some peanut butter – Gluten-free cookies | Shrimp salads with lots of veggies to make some wraps | Homemade pizza made with gluten-free crust and mushrooms sauteed. |
GERD diet meal planning tips
To prepare a GERD diet plan menu, you don’t need any complicated tools, it just might take a bit longer to get used to at first.
Plan ahead
You should make a list of foods you want to eat for the week before going to the supermarket. This may seem time-consuming, but in reality, it will save you more time and money in the process of shopping and preparing meals for the week.
Buy tips:
- Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. they are just as nutritious as fresh ones, and they keep for longer, they are also less expensive.
- Buy grains in bulk. With dry, long-lasting items such as rice, oats, other cereals,… you should buy in bulk to save more.
- Buy meat on sale: While they are close to their expiration date, they can still be used within a few days if frozen immediately after purchase.
Preparing meals for this GERD diet is not too difficult if you are a skilled cook. Since this diet allows you to pre-cook food and can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave, check with the prepared GERD diet plan menu what to cook first to make sure it stays fresh. delicious within 3-5 days (such as vegetables, whole grains, protein).
Preparing in advance will save you from worrying about what to eat for the day.
See: Low Calorie High Volume Meals for Weight Loss
Flexible
In case you have not prepared a GERD diet plan in time and went to the market, this diet is not too restrictive, you can still cook a delicious meal with the remaining food in the refrigerator. Or when you can’t find the ingredients you want, you can still use other healthy foods instead.
Tips to follow GERD Diet sucessfully
In addition to avoiding dietary triggers, we recommend several lifestyle changes you can make to alleviate GERD symptoms
- Consume 4-6 smaller meals throughout the day.
- Avoid meals within 3 hours of bedtime.
- Get sufficient sleep each night.
- Maintain a healthy body weight by exercising most days of the week
- Elevate your head when lying flat.
- Avoid using tobacco.
- If you’re having trouble staying hydrated, try flavoring your water with frozen berries, sliced cucumbers, or powdered water flavorings.
See: The Pegan Diet Plan: Benefits, Downsides, and Sample Menu
Home remedies for heartburn
Instead of reaching for antacids, over-the-counter medications that neutralize stomach acid, you can eat the following foods to help relieve symptoms:
Milk
Milk can relieve heartburn, but it depends on what kind of milk you use – whole milk with the full amount of fat, 2% fat, and skim or nonfat milk.
The milk’s fat content can aggravate acid reflux, so you can not use whole milk with full fat
But skim milk, 1% or 2% milk or nonfat milk can act as a temporary buffer between the stomach lining and acidic stomach contents, thus provide immediate relief of heartburn symptoms.
Ginger
Taking a sip of ginger tea is the most common digestive aid that many people use when they have GERD. It’s alkaline in nature and anti-inflammatory, which eases irritation in the digestive tract.
Apple cider vinegar
Many people still use apple cider vinegar to relieve acid reflux, but not many studies prove its effectiveness in this. You can still drink apple cider vinegar by mixing a small amount into warm water and consuming it with meals. Avoid taking it directly as it contains strong acids that can irritate the esophagus.
Lemon water
Similarly, you can also drink a small amount of lemon juice mixed with warm water and honey. Lemon will neutralize the acid in the stomach and honey will protect the health of cells thanks to its antioxidant content.
Ending
Finally, you have reached all the important information about GERD, as known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. With our sharing today, Kerri Ann Jennings hopes you can put down all the key-note information and have yourself the personalized GERD diet plan menu. If you find our sharing is helpful, please hit a notification button and share it with your friends, family and loved ones. We bet that you will find our menu sample for a whole week long is amazing! Thanks for your reading and don’t forget to hit the notification for the newest, latest information about diets.
Don’t forget to find out more Diet plans and Recipes on Kerriannjennings.com
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