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Acid Reflux Diet Food Facts And Figures - Myths And Diet Solutions

Submitted by Loring A. Windblad on February 11, 2010

Diet Tips For Treating Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a condition that is more simply called acidity. This is an irritating condition that is caused by too much acid being created in the stomach. This is a complex process that is controlled by the hormone gastrin. Gastrin works at many levels in the stomach and its release is triggered by signals from the brain that come down from the vagus nerve. The exact reasons for the creation of a condition like acidity are myriad and it is very important to consider this problem a disease.

This is first of all because of the problems to the esophagus that it creates.

When acidity becomes a chronic problem, the acid will start to eat away at the valve between the esophagus and the stomach called the esophageal sphincter. When this occurs, the valve will stop functioning and will simply remain open.

This will cause even more reflux and with no stopping the food from coming up into to the esophagus there can be many complications like never being able to sleep in a supine position ever again. This is because of the possibility of food coming up the esophagus during sleep and entering the lungs causing aspiration pneumonia.

Acid production in the stomach is normal but what usually makes things go wrong is eating the incorrect type and amount of food.

The main offenders are acidic foods and fatty foods; one contributes to the acidity of the stomach while the other causes more acid to be secreted. Treating this problem requires some dietary discipline. It is one of the biggest myths that drinking milk is the secret to being acidity free.

This is incorrect because milk is also acidic and though it gives some relief will cause the problem to resurface again in a matter of minutes.

Filling up the stomach is also not a good idea because the more the stomach is full the more acid that is produced.
The first step to take is to eat more vegetables and greens. These contain a high amount of alkaline material and neutralize the effect of acid in the stomach. The simple act of eating a banana after the end of a meal or for that matter any kind of fruit will greatly reduce the over production of acid. Keeping away from spices is also important because some of these will also induce acidity. Stay off any kind of fatty and oily food.