Typical items on the breakfast menu in a Western diet include porridge, eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, pancakes, waffles, bagels and pastries.

These are highly acidic foods that you want to stay away from especially if you suffer from acid reflux.

It is very individual but some people who skip breakfast in order to avoid experiencing heartburn symptoms will usually feel worse. That is because stomach acid is produced and there is no food to digest.

The best thing to do is to eat a breakfast that is mostly alkaline forming as well as nourishing for your body.

Oatmeal is a good example of a whole-grain breakfast idea that can not only provide your body with plenty of valuable nutrients but can also keep you full and absorb excess stomach acid.

You can always add some almond milk or rice milk and a couple of bananas which are alkaline forming. Sprinkle some raw nuts like walnuts or almonds on top and you should be fine.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post What is a good breakfast for acid reflux? first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

Here are a few things that you can do right now, while pregnant, to decrease and even stop your acid reflux almost instantly.

1. When pregnant, Make sure you don’t eat too much at any given meal. Use small plates only. Eat slowly. Stop eating while you’re still not feeling full. Drink water before your meal not during it.

2. What you eat is obviously very important so stay away from all citrus fruits, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Also, stop eating meat and dairy products. Highly acidic and can interfere with proper digestion.

3. Smoking while pregnant? you’re not only risking your baby being born prematurely but you’re also relaxing the LES which allows stomach acid and content to rise up into the esophagus. Stop smoking now!

4. Stop drinking alcohol and that includes red or white wine and of course, beer and any other alcoholic beverage.

5. Snack on almonds when experiencing heartburn. Almonds are highly alkaline but they have to be raw not roasted or salted for them to be effective in alleviating and stopping acid reflux symptoms.

6. Try eating some ginger. Ginger is very effective against an upset stomach and can also help with heartburn. It basically prevents stomach acid from traveling back up into the esophagus.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post Here’s How To Alleviate Your Acid Reflux During Pregnancy first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

But what if your gluten intolerance is behind your recent heartburn episodes ?

Several studies have shown that a gluten-free diet can help control esophageal symptoms and prevent recurrence.

Gluten-intolerant people that are put on a gluten-free diet seem to react favorably to their heartburn prescribed medication.

We are not talking about celiac disease here but an immune response or allergic reaction which may manifest as GERD symptoms such as coughing, heartburn and so forth.

I’m not saying you should avoid grains completely here but for a limited period of time it may be wise to test how well you tolerate gluten.

So first thing tomorrow morning, eliminate any type of food containing gluten especially breads and bagels for a period of about 3-4 weeks. See how you feel. Have symptoms abated? Do you no longer feel the same heartburn pain?

If after 4 weeks you feel much better then it would be wise to eliminate all gluten containing products for life. You may have a serious allergy or an intolerance so it’s simply not worth it.

Stay away from what makes you sick and always remember that you are your best doctor!

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program

The post TRUE OR FALSE: DOES GLUTEN HAVE ANY EFFECT ON ACID REFLUX? first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.

Essentially, the more beef you eat the better and quicker you will feel better.

It can be consumed using virtually any preparation method except FIRED.

Nothing even comes close to the positive benefits beef supplies to your digestive system.

I found through many of my meat eating friends that it seems to soak up the acid incredibly fast and not only will you feel better immediately, you also will feel better hours later.

But if you’re a vegetarian like me or even if you don’t like beef then that’s OK.

There are other foods that are going to consume large quantities of acid in your stomach and not cause debilitating side effects.

You really should have at least TWO of them with every meal if you are not having beef as the main course, with the exception of breakfast and there you should have at least ONE.

Here’s a list of foods that can help you reduce the excess acid in your gut:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Pasta
• Rice
• Potatoes
• Duck
• Bacon(must be cooked well done and should be thoroughly patted down afterwards to remove excess grease).
• Mushrooms
• Sushi –
• Soups(potatoes with chicken broth for example).

Please try at least some of these acid blocking foods. They are able to absorb and block the excess acid produced in the gut resulting in your stomach not generating large amounts of it.

Need guidance on how to control and manage your acid reflux? Check out my Heartburn No More program 

The post Beef as a Quick Relief Heartburn Remedy? Yes, That’s Right! first appeared on Jeff Martin's Acid Reflux Blog.