The foods that you eat and the likelihood of experiencing acid reflux are very closely correlated. Most people know that foods such as those high in fat are chiefly responsible for causing acid reflux, however there are some other foods that cause acid reflux that may surprise you. Some of these are foods that many people believe can be a remedy for acid reflux but which do in fact make things worse for some. In this article we will discuss food and acid reflux and some misconceptions regarding it.

Quite often it is not just the actual foods that you eat but the amount of them or the speed at which you eat them. Eating food too fast or eating too much food, causes the stomach to take on more food that it is naturally able to deal with. A good analogy for this situation is to imagine a full tube of toothpaste with the lid on loosely. If the tube is squeezed then more than likely some paste will seep out. By the same token, if you eat too much and then bend over, the same thing happens to your stomach and acid is "squeezed" up through your throat and into the esophagus. This causes the painful heartburn sensation that troubles so many people. That being said you will find that there are foods that cause acid reflux even when eaten in moderate portions.

One food in which there exists some debate regarding its effect on acid reflux is milk. Many people believe you can drink milk as a soothing remedy for acid reflux. However, on closer inspection it is easy to see why milk can actually aggravate the condition. Milk as you know contains protein which can cause the stomach to produce more acid. Also, especially in the case of full-fat milk, the fat in milk is difficult for the stomach to break down which also causes more acid to be produced.

I am sure you have heard the advice of eating everything in moderation many times before. Well, when it comes to eating foods that cause acid reflux this advice can usually hold. Eating 5 or 6 smaller meals per day rather than the traditional 3 large meals can be the best way to go about your diet. Smaller meals are much easier for the stomach to digest, and far less likely to cause the excess acid that causes the symptoms of acid reflux.

There are many misconceptions going around regarding acid reflux and one of these is to with the effect of drinking coffee and citrus fruit drinks. The common belief is that these drinks cause the stomach to produce more acid. In actual fact they main effect is of diluting solid contents in the stomach. This means these contents are more likely to seep back up through to the esophagus.

So, there is much to consider when thinking of the foods that cause acid reflux. It is not always just the types of foods that you eat that you need to keep an eye on. The size of your portions and also how you mix your foods are often the most important things. Keeping a journal of the foods you consume and their effects on your acid reflux can help you to spot patterns and be able to modify your diet to help control acid reflux.

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