You don’t always need to take expensive prescription medications that may have unwanted side effects just to be free of the discomfort and pain of acid reflux. Many doctors will recommend that you adopt an acid reflux diet, which is quite simply done in just seven simple steps.

1) Lose Some Weight
Many acid reflux sufferers are overweight. This is because obesity increases the chances as well as symptoms of acid reflux. Simply losing a bit of weight will cause your symptoms to lessen in severity. Some of the other steps in the acid reflux diet will help you with this weight loss, so read on to learn what they are.

2) Avoid Overeating

In the acid reflux diet, you are advised to change your eating habits from three large meals per day to maybe four or five smaller ones, depending on your lifestyle. Having too much food in the stomach at one time definitely makes the symptoms of acid reflux worse, as you have probably noticed. It is especially important to avoid eating a large amount before you go to bed, which brings us to the next step:

3) Sit Up

If you lie down too soon after eating, you just make it easier for the food and stomach acids to re-enter the esophagus. Keep gravity on your side and avoid lying down for at least an hour or two after eating and you’ll notice a difference.

4) Complex Carbs

Unlike many diets that are popular nowadays, the acid reflux diet involves eating many complex carbohydrates, because they can help reduce the stomach acid by combining with it. Stick with the more nutritious whole grain carbs to get all the benefits.

5) Ditch the Fast Foods

It will come as no surprise to you that most fast foods are not good for you. The high fat, sugar, and calorie content not only cause weight gain and other health problems, but also aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux. This step of the acid reflux diet will also help you immensely with the first one, losing weight.

6) Cut Down on Alcohol

As alcohol is known to help you relax, is also helps the muscles of the esophagus relax. However, this is a terrible thing for acid reflux sufferers, as you want the esophageal to contract more strongly, not less. Avoid alcohol while following the acid reflux diet, or at least limit it to a small amount on occasion.

7) Eliminate Acidic Foods

Many foods either contain acids themselves or cause the stomach to produce more acids, so the final step of the acid reflux diet is to avoid or cut down on these foods. They include, but are not limited to, coffee, chocolate, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and almost anything spicy.

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