Eating habit changes for hiatal hernia or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)Changing your eating habits may reduce your chances of
having
heartburn. Suggestions include the following: - Avoid alcohol, chocolate, and peppermint- and
spearmint-flavored foods. These can make your heartburn worse by relaxing the
valve between your esophagus and stomach (lower esophageal
sphincter, or LES), allowing
stomach juices to back up into your esophagus.
- Avoid foods that make your symptoms worse. These may include
coffee, acidic foods (such as orange juice and tomatoes), carbonated drinks,
and possibly spicy, fatty, or fried foods. If you notice that your symptoms are
worse after eating a specific food, you may want to stop eating it and see if
your symptoms get better.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Having
a very full stomach increases the likelihood that the pressure in your stomach
will push on the LES and allow stomach juices to back up (reflux) into your
esophagus.
- Do not eat for 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
- Use chewing gum or hard candies to increase the amount of saliva
that your mouth produces. Saliva washes stomach juices out of the esophagus
into the stomach and can neutralize stomach acid.
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