I’m an accredited acid reflux practitioner supporting those suffering with heart burn, reflux and silent reflux, having personally been diagnosed with GORD (chronic reflux), I understand how you feel and the steps you need to take to try and keeps things under control and support the healing of the inflamed mucosa. If you’re dealing with burning chest pain, acid reflux, GORD, bloating, or that uncomfortable lump-in-the-throat feeling, you’re not alone. Millions of people experience acid reflux symptoms every week — and many rely on medications without addressing the root cause. In my nutrition and herbal medicine practice, I’ve seen how simple diet and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce acid reflux naturally. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what causes acid reflux, the best foods to eat, what to avoid, and gentle herbal remedies that support digestion and healing.
Symptoms of acid reflux are not just limited to the throat, the acidic vapours can rise into the nasal passages causing sinus irritation, into the ear canals causing symptoms of ear irritation and into the lungs where they can cause breathing problems. This is how I was diagnosed with GORD, I was struggling to breath at night and didn’t realise I had acid reflux because I thought it was normal for food to move into the throat, plus I didn’t experience the burning sensations because I had ‘silent reflux’ so it was easier to think I didn’t have anything wrong. This was before I had studied nutrition, I’ve since done additional post graduate training with pharmacist and nutritionist Debbie Grayson where I can also support those taking PPI medication as well as how to manage acid reflux naturally. Long-term PPI medication can cause nutritional deficiencies and are only meant to be used for the shortest possible time according to the NICE guidelines. So unless you have a medical condition or take certain medications that require long-term PPI use, it’s worth looking at what you can do to naturally reduce acid reflux.
Certain foods are know for making acid reflux worse, usually because they cause the lower oesophageal sphincter to relax and therefore stay open rather than closed where it should keep the stomach acid in the stomach. These foods are high fat foods, spicy foods, chocolate, peppermint, coffee, caffeine, carbonated drinks, alcohol, tomatoes and citrus. Removing these foods can help to eliminate a food trigger.
Eating smaller frequent meals rather than large meals puts less pressure on the stomach so food is less likely to reflux into the throat. After eating it’s also important to not lie down as this will cause food to move upwards rather than down, for this reason it’s best not to eat too close to bedtime. Being overweight or pregnant also puts pressure on the stomach, so losing weight can help, and after pregnancy reflux can subside. Eating ‘on the go’, when stressed and eating too fast can play a big part in acid reflux because the digestive system doesn’t work very well when we’re not relaxed. Chewing our food well enough before swallowing is also an important step that a lot of people don’t do, if we don’t chew our food properly then the rest of the digestive system has to work harder in order to break the food down so the body can absorb all the nutrients.
There is also the debate about whether acid reflux is from too much or too little acid, sometimes it’s just acid in the wrong place due to the relaxed oesophageal sphincter not closing the top of the stomach off properly. If you have low stomach acid then food can sit in the stomach for too long which can lead to fermentation and reflux. Symptoms of high stomach acid are usually burning sensations in the stomach. Supporting optimal digestion and movement of the food through the stomach is the main goal here, if we can digest our food well then it’s more likely to cause less problems.
Foods that can support reflux are those that are low in acid and easy to digest such are porridge, vegetables, melons, bananas, and cooked foods like soups and stews because the cooking process softens the foods making it easier to digest. Herbs like ginger are also good as they have a prokinetic action helping to move food through the stomach so it’s not sitting around for too long. Herbal bitters also support digestive secretions through their stimulatory action on the bitter receptors on the tongue and within the digestive system, this stimulates the release of digestive secretions which supports digestion.
Some women find that acid reflux starts or gets worse during peri-menopause and menopause, this is because hormonal changes cause the oesophageal sphincter to relax, increase in tissue sensitivity (in the throat) due to lower oestrogen, increase in weight gain which increases pressure on the stomach and slower gastric emptying.
If you’re experiencing burning sensations then herbal powders with a mucilaginous consistency like slippery elm can help to soothe and heal the lining of the throat, this is really important because stomach acid is very erosive, if left untreated for too long then it can cause damage. The aim with treating acid reflux is to support optimal digestion, balance stomach acid and promote healing to the delicate tissues that can become irritated. If you still need to take a PPI then there is still lots you can do nutritionally to support the use of these medications and hopefully keep you on the lowest possible dose for the lowest possible time, although certain health conditions will need long-term PPI use which can still benefit from nutritional support as an adjunct to medication use.
If you need help with acid reflux or any other health issue then contact me here where we can discuss how I can best help you.
Written by Tina Prajapat DipCNM, mANP, rGNC – Registered Nutritional Therapist, Herbalist and Naturopath specialising in digestive health, acid reflux, gut health and personalised nutrition, herbal medicine and lifestyle approaches.
Find out more about my Gut Health and Acid Reflux Nutritionist UK support here.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace personalised medical advice, diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional. Every individual is different, and information shared on this website may not be appropriate for your particular circumstances.
Please speak to your GP, pharmacist or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, medication or supplements, particularly if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have an existing medical condition, or take prescribed medication.
If you have symptoms that concern you or require urgent attention, please seek appropriate medical care. Never stop or alter prescribed medication without discussing this with the healthcare professional who prescribed it.
The information on this website reflects general educational content and should not be taken as a substitute for individualised professional advice.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8754510
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35047433
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heartburn-and-acid-reflux
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg184/chapter/Recommendations
