Certain foods can contribute to acid reflux, such as chocolate, drinks with caffeine, fried food, mint and peppermint flavored candy, spicy food, garlic, onions and of course citrus fruits like grapefruit, lemon and limes.
When the muscle that is supposed to prevent stomach acid from escaping up into the esophagus gets to weak to do its job and the acid keeps on gushing back to the esophagus, that is called acid reflux. It is a lot like heart burn but a lot more uncomfortable as generally there is much more acids and pepsins pushing back to the esophagus.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a disorder that results from stomach acid moving backward from the stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus is the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach by the way.
It is worth cutting back on tomato based foods like chilli, pasta and pizza sauces with tomatoes in it as tomatoes are known to cause an increase in stomach acids, which in turn can trigger heartburn and GERD symptoms.
Keep a food diary to track everything you eat and drink if you suffer from acid reflux as diet plays a part in generating stomach acid, and if the acid levels are managed and kept low then you are less likely to experience the reflux.
The thing about surgery for acid reflux and indigestion is that the recovery can be difficult and the results are not always consistent. Many people will feel complete relief and others won’t. In addition, it is often possible for the problem to reoccur, even after surgery and more surgery may be necessary.