Many years ago, I had heartburn that persisted over a few weeks. When I told my doctor about it, she didn’t seem concerned and chalked it up to me eating too many acidic foods. She prescribed medication for Acid Reflux—which worked—but the heart burn came right back once the round of treatment ended. I realized I was just treating the symptoms, as opposed to getting to the root cause of my problem.

What is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux occurs when the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus incorrectly relaxes to allow stomach acid back up into your esophagus, which can cause heartburn and other symptoms. Frequent or constant reflux can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Acid Reflux medications just mask symptoms and can often have many side effects. My doctor should not have waved off my heartburn as if it was no big deal. It's great that she recognized food could be a source of the problem, but she should have elaborated on what foods were actually "acid-forming" to the body and also advised me to see a nutritionist.

Most often, it's not just one meal or food that does it, instead it is a series of meals and bad habits that create an acidic environment in the body by dropping the body's natural pH balance to below 7.35.

Acid Forming Foods

Acid forming foods are definitely a problem but what most people don't realize is that acidic fruits and foods like lemons, tomatoes, peppers or sauerkraut are not the problem. Instead, it is "acid-forming foods" such as processed foods and packaged goods that cause acidosis in the body and subsequent harm by disturbing the alkaline balance of the body.

A low pH and acidic environment within the body is also the perfect growing conditions for a bacteria called the Helico Pylori Bacteria (a.k.a H. Pylori) which inhabits the stomach and the esophagus. H.Pylori stimulates cells in the stomach to produce excessive amounts of gastric or hydrochloric acid which can make their way back and up into the esophogus causing “Heartburn” or GERD.

Doctors usually prescribe a heavy dose of antibiotics for H.Pylori, but since the antibiotics themselves can often do a lot of harm, eating the right foods can help to re-balance the gut to create an alkaline environment (not allowing the H.Pylori to come thrive or back.)

Preventing heartburn can be a way of preventing bigger problems down the road and since there are already lots of lists avaiblable on the internet to help alleviate heartburn once you have it, I have instead created a list that will help balance your gut flora to keep you from experiencing heartburn in the first place:

5 ways to clean up your diet and keep heartburn at bay:

1. Switch to whole foods

   Ditch the foods that come in a prepackaged box and stick to fresh produce, eggs, meat, legumes and minimally processed whole grains (not flours, but whole kernels like basmati or jasmine rice, quinoa, spelt or buckwheat).

   Food products, meaning anything that is pre-packaged and processed, will do a number on your system as they are usually full of sodium, preservatives, dyes and other chemicals.

   Stay away from anything that has not been grown naturally in nature. This includes anything that comes in a box and has been labeled as "all natural" "healthy" "sugar-free" or "made from whole grains". Yes, that means that cereals are a no no, as are snack bars and most breakfast bars. The only packaged food I encourage you to eat more of, is high quality, well fermented yogurt (and not the fruit on the bottom stuff).

   As you can imagine, switching entirely to whole foods can be very difficult at first, but using a meal planner to plan and prepare meals that you make from scratch ahead of time, including easy-to-grab snacks such as nuts, cheese, plain Greek yogurt, or sliced fruit, can help keep you on track.

2. Use coconut oil or butter

   Healthy fats and oils are necessary for energy production, brain and nerve function, and hormonal balance. Olive oil and nut oils are monounsaturated fats that raise good HDL cholesterol, lower bad LDL cholesterol, and protect against the buildup of plaque in your arteries. Just remember that you should not cook with monounsaturated fats as they have low burning points.

   Stay away from trans fats (fats created through a process in which hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to create a longer-lasting, solid-form fat) by avoiding margarine, shortening, foods that list partially hydrogenated vegetable oil as an ingredient and processed snack foods, such as doughnuts, store bought French fries, chips and cookies as well as commercially-prepared pie crust, and deep-fried foods not made at home.

   For cooking, use butter or coconut oil, which are healthy saturated fats that are very stable under most cooking temperatures. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride which makes it ultra resistant to oxidative damage and free-radical formation. It is quickly converted to energy (less likely to be stored in the body as excess weight) and is also a natural antibacterial that may help kill H.Pylori.

3. Don't be afraid of tart fruit, even the pickled kind

   Lemons, grapefruits, tomatoes and other acidic tasting fruit actually create an alkaline environment (and are not acid-forming) in the body.

   Tart fruit actually lose acidity once you eat them becuase the breakdown of these fruits during digestion produce an alkaline residue.

   Foods like pickled plums, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables can contribute to a healthier gut flora since fermented foods provide beneficial bacteria that balance out the H.Pylori population in your stomach. Just beware that many of the fermented foods sold in stores are pasteurized, which kills off any beneficial bacteria, so be sure to check the label to see if it has been pasteurized or easily make some at home (here are some recipes for all kinds of pickled vegetables)

4. Watch the sweetner

   The H.Pylori bacteria thrives in an acidic environment and sweetner is a key contributor to acidity. There are added sugars and hidden sugars in practically every food product on the shelves, and I want you to notice how once again I use the term "food product".

   Food products are foods that are processed and packaged, such as crackers, cookies, snack bars and especially those 100-calorie snack foods and so on. Stick to whole foods and produce to bypass any added sugars that you may not be aware of —this also means stepping away from sweeteners and athletic supplements.

   Yes you read that correctly, that bottle of pre-workout supplement, that protein bar or the post-workout protein shake that promises bigger, leaner muscles is actually a chemical laden, acid forming supplement that may wreak havoc on your body.

   Instead stick to eating real food that is grown in nature and minimally processed to get all of the complex nutrients your body needs to grow and sustain your muscles.

5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate... with water and chamomile tea

   Our digestive system continuously needs water to keep our blood pumping and our organs functioning while fending off germs and processing waste.

   Drink plenty of water (8-10 glasses per day) to keep your system in optimal shape so that when you eat, your body can effectively pump your blood to deliver the nutrients it has extracted to the rest of your body.

   Add on 3-4 cups of chamomile tea throughout the day to help heal mucous membranes that have become inflamed from constant acid regurgitation.

I can honestly say that just by switching to whole foods and cooking at home, I have been able to experience better overall health, prevent heartburn and not need any medication.

Just remember, I am in no way a doctor, nor do I claim to be one. You should always seek the advice of your physician prior to following any of the suggestions presented above. These suggestions have helped me with my own personal heartburn issues and when creating performance nutrition suggestions for my clients. My suggestsions are always rooted in the consumption of whole foods that follow the edicts of healthy nutrition.

To Being Positively Heartburn Free,

Sunny

References

1. Jones R. Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in general practice. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 1995;211:35–38.

2. Chen JL, Lucas JE, Schroeder T, Mori S, Wu J, Nevins J, Dewhirst M, West M, Chi JT. The genomic analysis of lactic acidosis and acidosis response in human cancers. PLoS Genet. 2008;4:e1000293

3. Graham DY, Yamaoka Y. H. pylori and cagA: relationships with gastric cancer, duodenal ulcer, and reflux esophagitis and its complications. Helicobacter. 1998;3:145–151.

4. Feldman RA, Eccersley AJ, Hardie JM. Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori: acquisition, transmission, population prevalence and disease-to-infection ratio. Br Med Bull. 1998;54:39–53