Knowledge is power when it comes to acid reflux. This piece will provide you with useful ways to eliminate your acid reflux. Continue reading to get more information.
You should consume your last meal of the day more than three hours prior to going to bed. In a seated position, food and secreted stomach acid is forced downward to your stomach. If you lay on your back, the acid will come back up through your esophagus. So you should remain active and upright for a couple of hours before you hit the sack at night.
Fatty foods are a serious no-no for reflux sufferers. These can encourage acid to flow in the wrong direction by sending incorrect messages to the esophageal sphincter. In addition, these type of foods make you prone for weight gain. People who are overweight struggle even more with acid reflux. Eat healthy to remain healthy!
Trigger Acid Reflux
There are certain foods that can trigger acid reflux in our bodies. Foods such as chocolate, fried foods, alcoholic beverages and caffeinated beverages can trigger acid reflux. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and other acidic foods are also big contributors. Triggers vary by person, so you should learn from your own experience as to what does and doesn’t cause you problems. To be perfectly safe, you can avoid all of these items.
Keep a food journal if you suffer from acid reflux. People who have acid reflux have triggers that make things worse. Becoming aware of your own triggers can help you to avoid those foods and alleviate reflux.
It is always a good idea to keep upright after eating a meal for at least a couple hours. If you don’t, acid is more likely to rise up toward the esophagus. You can provide your esophagus with relief by sitting or standing.
Once you have eaten, exercising too soon after can definitely make your acid reflux worse. It could force food in the stomach to travel upwards, back to the esophagus. You should wait a minimum of an hour or two after eating before engaging in exercise activities.
Elevate the headboard of your bed. You can lift this up by using bricks or a piece of wood. The head of the bed should be approximately six inches higher. If you elevate your head and chest, you could stop the rise of stomach acid while you sleep.
Some foods are much more likely to cause acid reflux than others. Find out what these triggers are for you and reduce your consumption. Among these items are carbonated and acidic beverages, high fat fast food, alcohol, tomatoes, milk, coffee and hot/spicy foods.
Acid Reflux
Try a simple exercise like walking to keep you upright. Walking is ideal for improving acid reflux symptoms. First, when you sit or stand upright, your stomach has an easier time digesting food. Secondly, it promotes weight loss which has also been shown to help with acid reflux. Avoid intense exercise, especially anything that might stress the stomach or abominable areas, it can make reflux worse.
Lose weight if you’re heavy. Carrying extra weight (especially over the abdomen) can cause acid reflux. Your esophagus fills with stomach acid as a result of the excess weight. Your esophageal lining becomes inflamed and uncomfortable as a result. Living a healthy lifestyle with exercise and a healthy diet is the perfect way to lose weight and keep it off.
What are your trigger foods? Some specific foods have been linked to reflux, such as fatty and fried foods, alcohol, caffeine, mint or min-flavored items, citrus, tomatoes, spicy foods, garlic, onions, and carbonated drinks. Not everyone has the same triggers; therefore, if any of these mentioned foods do not bother you, it’s okay to eat them in moderation.
Stay away from fatty foods. Therefore, fried foods, red meat, fast foods should be eliminated from your diet. However, if you cannot completely eliminate them, at least minimize your consumption of them. Check out nutritional labels for fat content.
With knowledge in hand, it is time to make some changes. Don’t suffer from this condition any longer. You should remove it as a concern and enjoy your life.