GERD: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

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What is GERD? The term GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease, which occurs when your stomach contents come back up into your esophagus (NIDDK). The gastroesophageal refers to the stomach and esophagus while reflux refers to the back flow of acidic or nonacidic contents in the stomach. One symptom of GERD that is commonly known is heartburn, which is when you have a sense of burning in your chest after eating and lasts from either several minutes or hours. Heartburn or GERD can most likely be found in people who are; overweight or obese, a pregnant woman, taking certain medication, and a smoker or someone who is exposed to secondhand smoke (NIDDK). Why GERD happens has to do with a muscle in your esophagus that acts as a valve between …show more content…

There may be certain foods and drinks that you need to avoid which can make you symptoms worse. Some of these foods that may make GERD worse are; chocolate, coffee, peppermint, greasy or spicy foods, tomatoes and tomato products, alcoholic drinks, high fat foods, onions and carbonated beverages (About GERD). Variety is key when it comes to making modifications to your diet, you want to try and choose many different fruits vegetables, proteins, and grains as you can. For fruits you want to choose fruits such as bananas, melons, apples, pears, or any other fruits that are non-citrus. For vegetables, you can choose from a wide variety but just avoid or reduce your intake of high fat toppings such as tomatoes and onions. For proteins choose lean meats that are grilled, poached, broiled or baked, and with eggs stick to the whites and stay clear of higher fat yolks. And lastly for grains, you can eat oatmeal, whole grain bread, and rice are all good sources of healthy carbs, and whole grains and brown rice add fiber to your diet. Some great healthier fats to eat while trying to reduce your GERD symptoms are; monounsaturated fats, which include olive oil, sesame oil, canola and sunflower oil. The other healthier fats are polyunsaturated fats which include soybeans, tofu, fish such as salmon, and trout (About GERD). These dietary modifications will help with your symptoms from GERD including

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