Overview
About Reflux Diet
Reflux-friendly compatibility measures how an ingredient fits an eating pattern built on lean, low-fat and low-acid choices, with the classic triggers like coffee, chocolate and citrus set aside.
In the data
What the grading picks up
- Naturally acidic, which can aggravate acid reflux, GERD and a sensitive stomach independently of the caffeine
- It raises stomach acid output and loosens the lower esophageal sphincter, a reflux mechanism entirely separate from the caffeine that survives decaffeination
Examples
A few ingredients either way
To avoid
Grading
How we grade Reflux Diet
Every ingredient in the database carries one grade for reflux diet, and this page, the checker and the app all read that same grade. It describes the ingredient as it is usually eaten. Portion size and preparation move it.
Reflux Diet is kept as a matter of degree. In the app, a borderline ingredient shows on the ingredient screen without counting against the day.
Practical
Following Reflux Diet
- Swap fried and very fatty ingredients for lean, simply cooked ones.
- Meet the classic triggers one at a time and let your diary show which ones matter.
- Keep a detailed food and symptom diary to track your personal reactions
- Eliminate the suspected trigger completely for 2-4 weeks
- Reintroduce gradually to find your personal tolerance threshold
- Work with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian for guidance
- Remember that food sensitivities can change over time
Method
Test it with a diary
Most people find their own triggers by logging meals and symptoms for a few weeks and reading the result back. Three steps.
- 1Log every meal for a few weeks. Type it, say it out loud, or scan a barcode, and it lands as a list of ingredients.
- 2Rate how you feel through the day on whatever you are tracking, whether that is bloating, headaches, skin or sleep.
- 3Read the pattern back. Every ingredient you logged is scored against the days you felt worse, and the result ranks reflux diet against everything else you eat.
Questions
Questions people ask
Does coffee cause acid reflux and heartburn?
It aggravates them through two mechanisms at once. Coffee stimulates gastric acid secretion, and it reduces pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter, the muscular valve that normally keeps stomach contents down. Both effects persist to some degree in decaf, so if your heartburn survives the switch you are looking at the coffee rather than the caffeine. Drinking it with food instead of on an empty stomach, choosing a darker roast or cold brew, and moving your last cup earlier in the day all help more than switching to decaf alone.
More about coffeeRead next
Where to go next
Get started
Following Reflux Diet?
Log what you eat and how you feel, and the app finds the pattern for you. Or look an ingredient up here first.