Reducing symptoms of GERD through diet - Canada Diagnostic Centres

It was such a pleasure to work with CDC to help raise awareness of GERD and provide some tips on how to elevate symptoms through the diet. 

GERD is a common digestive disorder that occurs when stomach acid, and sometimes bile, refluxes or flows back into the esophagus causing this feeling we most commonly known as heartburn. This may be caused by several factors, which may be detected with a UGI exam by Canada Diagnostic Centres. It is surprising to know that the greatest population receiving these types of exams are women between the ages of 36 and 54.
​
There are many diet and lifestyle modifications that can be made to reduce the symptoms of heartburn. One of the most effective ways is to avoid the foods and beverages that trigger symptoms.

Now there isn’t one diet that fits all and many controlled studies performed by researchers had led to inconclusive results which means that GERD must be approached on an individual level.

It best to avoid foods that commonly heartburn triggers such as:

• Fatty or fried foods: Fat takes the longest time to leave the stomach so try reducing the total amount of fat that you eat at a meal. This includes margarine, butter, gravy, and full-fat dairy/milk products
• Caffeine: Irritates the stomach lining. This includes coffee, black tea and chocolate 
• Carbonated beverages, spicy foods, tomatoes and alcohol all have shown to increase acid or irritate the lining of the stomach

In addition, eating smaller meals and avoid overeating can help with the symptoms of heartburn.

Now taking an optimistic approach, let's talk about what we can add to your diet when experiencing GERD to promote calming of the digestive system:

Pineapple
Pineapple contains Bromelain which is a digestive enzyme that help with the breakdown of protein. Adding pineapple to your diet can help alleviate these symptoms by facilitating the breakdown of proteins.

Drinking Tea – Ginger or Anise Tea is most effective.
Water will help dilute stomach acids which will reduce the risk of reflux. This is claimed to be a particularly effective treatment as ginger root is known to absorb stomach acid and calm the nerves.

Lastly, my favorite! Probiotics. 
Probiotics are the good bacteria that exist in your gastrointestinal tract and are directly connected to the health the immune system. Eating probiotic rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut or kefir, you can restore this balance to achieve a properly functioning stomach and digestive system.
.