While most of us love to eat good food, if you’re having troubles with acid reflux, what happens after you eat good food can fill you with dread. This article will show you some ways to avoid acid reflux. Use the tips and you can start enjoying wonderful food again.

Did you know that losing weight can help tame the symptoms of GERD? There is scientific proof that having too much body fat leads to the release of chemicals which cause digestion not to function correctly. This can lead to acid reflux and its resulting suffering. Shed the pounds and feel better!

When you are done eating a meal, prevent acid reflux by chewing on some gum. More saliva is produced when you chew some gum. The more saliva that is produced during digestion, the less acid is produced, in turn, preventing acid reflux from occurring. Ideally, you should chew on sugar-free gum.

For quick relief, pick up cinnamon flavored gum. When you chew gum, your salivary glands pick up the pace which can help neutralize stomach acid. On top of that, you’ll swallow more and help clear the acid out of your esophagus. Lastly, choosing non-mint and non-citrus flavors ensures you don’t trigger your acid reflux.

Some foods are very likely to cause acid reflux or make existing reflux worse. Fried foods, caffeinated beverages, chocolate, and alcohol are some common trigger items. Foods that are highly acidic like tomatoes, oranges, grapefruits and lemons can cause acid reflux. Specific triggers can vary for each person, so you will have to experiment to figure out which particular foods trigger your acid reflux. Avoid all of this, and your chances of suffering from acid reflux decline tenfold.

Stay upright after eating. It can be quite helpful if you stay sitting or standing for at least two to three hours after you eat a meal. This will give your food time to digest and help keep your acid reflux symptoms down to a minimum. If you must lie down, do your best to elevate your body above your waist.

Contracting the abdominal muscles can make food that is in your stomach to make its way back into the esophagus. This is why you need to wait until at least one hour after eating before you attempt to do any physical exercise. You should also avoid any other types of physical exertion directly after meals.

Make sure you’re eating your food as slow as you can. Try eating until you are still a little hungry. Eating slowly and enjoying each bite will end up helping you out. Eating too fast or past the point of feeling full can worsen your acid reflux. A trick that may help you is to set down your fork between bites.

Smaller portion sizes will help you control your acid reflux. If you eat a little less at each meal, you shouldn’t have as much trouble with heartburn. You could also try eating five or six small meals, instead of three large meals each day if you want to make a difference.

Do not smoke. If you smoke now, do your best to stop and if you don’t smoke, do not pick up the habit. If you smoke, quit. Smoking has the ability to cause your lower esophageal sphincter to fail and not be able to do its job of blocking stomach acid.

Immediately after you have consumed a meal, do not lie flat. This can cause the food you have eaten to remain trapped in your esophagus, worsening acid reflux. Instead, walk around and remain upright for at least two hours. Doing this will assist in digestion, which will relieve your acid reflux.

Changing the time you exercise can help decrease the amount of acid reflux symptoms you get. Contracting your abdominal muscles can force any food in your stomach to go back into your esophagus. It is best to wait about an hour after you exercise to take part in any sort of exercise.

Try to eat slowly. Eating too fast will cause acid reflux to strike. If you find that you have trouble with this, make an effort to take a bite and then put your utensil down. This will ensure that you don’t put too much food in your mouth at any given time.

A great way to eliminate your acid reflux is to switch your diet over to a plant based diet. Meat is a huge contributor to acid reflux. This seems to be contradictory because meats seem to be very alkaline when tested prior to consumption. The problem is that after meat is digested, it will leave a highly acidic residue within the body.

Eating a meal can be less than enjoyable if you know acid reflux is coming. Therefore, utilize the great tips provided above in order to prevent acid reflux from occurring. Make a few changes to your habits and you will soon enjoy your favorite foods again.