GERD Awareness Week: Which Foods to Eat and Which to Avoid This Thanksgiving

We're only a few days from Thanksgiving, and you're probably ready for the possibility of heartburn and acid reflux. But some people get acid reflux much more frequently, and GERD Awareness Week is dedicated to educating people about it. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic condition involving persistent acid reflux over a longer period of time.

Both GERD as well as infrequent acid reflux or indigestion are common, although influenced by diet and lifestyle:

• 20 percent of Americans suffer from GERD.
• Over 60 million Americans experience heartburn once a month.
• Over 15 million Americans experience heartburn every day.
• Westerners experience acid indigestion with greater frequency: 10-20% weekly versus 5% of Asian citizens.

Which Foods to Eat and Which to Avoid

Whether you suffer from GERD or just want to avoid the pain of heartburn, there are a number of steps you can take. The easiest, and most directly relevant to the upcoming holidays, is to limit your intake of certain foods and drinks that contribute to acid reflux. Among these are:

• High-fat foods: fried foods, gravies, desserts, fatty meats, full-fat dairy products.
• Oily or greasy foods.
• Citrus fruits and tomatoes.
• Chocolate: it relaxes the LES muscle.
• Spices: garlic, onions, other spicy foods.
• Alcohol.
• Coffee.

For a convenient visual guide, take a look at this special chart detailing what foods to choice and what foods to avoid to alleviate GERD symptoms.

You probably see most of your holiday meal on this list, but there's no reason to despair: many holiday favorites, such as turkey, chicken, fish, vegetables, and non-citrus fruits are not only safe, but may help manage reflux symptoms. Particularly important is increasing your fiber intake, which helps fight GERD symptoms and has a host of other benefits, including helping to control blood sugar, reducing cholesterol, and preventing hemorrhoids and other bowel issues.

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Are you looking to reduce your indigestion, heartburn, gas, and reflux? Visit Mountainside Medical Equipment to make this Thanksgiving more bearable, and click this link to visit our heartburn and acid reflux product collection!