Foods to reduce acid reflux

Foods to reduce acid reflux are usually smaller, lower-fat meals with non-acidic foods chosen according to your personal triggers. No single menu suits everyone. A useful starting point is to eat slowly, avoid very large portions, and record what you eat alongside burning, sour taste, regurgitation, cough, or night symptoms.

Acid reflux happens when stomach contents move upwards into the oesophagus. Fatty or greasy meals can remain in the stomach longer and may worsen symptoms for some people. Spicy foods, tomato, citrus, chocolate, peppermint, coffee, fizzy drinks, and alcohol are common triggers, but a food is only a trigger if it repeatedly affects you. Cutting out many foods without a clear pattern can make meals unnecessarily restrictive. Reflux may also be worse after lying down, particularly when dinner is close to bedtime.

Try modest portions of vegetables, oats, rice, potatoes, whole grains, bananas, melons, and lean protein if these are comfortable for you. Choose grilling, baking, or steaming instead of frying, and limit rich sauces. Keep a food-and-symptom diary for a short period so you can test one suspected trigger at a time. Leave a few hours between your evening meal and lying down, and consider raising the head end of the bed if night reflux is frequent. A pharmacist or clinician can advise whether an antacid or another treatment is appropriate, especially if you take regular medicines.

Arrange a medical review if reflux is frequent, keeps returning despite changes, disrupts sleep, or requires regular over-the-counter treatment. Seek urgent help for chest tightness or chest pain with breathlessness, sweating, faintness, or pain spreading to the arm, back, neck, or jaw; do not assume these symptoms are reflux. Prompt assessment is also needed for trouble swallowing, food sticking, vomiting blood, black stools, repeated vomiting, or unexplained weight loss.

Ask which symptoms fit reflux and which need another explanation, whether your medicines can worsen symptoms, and how long to try dietary changes before review. Bring your food-and-symptom diary, including the timing of meals, bedtime, and any cough or sleep disturbance.