How to Choose the Right GERD Diet
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How to Choose the Right GERD Diet

How to Choose the Right GERD Diet
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Updated on February 14, 2025
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If you’re experiencing heartburn or other symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chances are good that your diet is one of the first things your doctor will ask you about.

Certain foods tend to encourage symptoms of GERD. You may be advised to eat these foods less often or to cut them out of your diet completely.

If your esophagus is damaged by GERD, it’s also important to avoid foods that can irritate this more sensitive tissue and damage it further.

The way you eat may also be a factor in your symptoms. Changing the size and timing of your meals can significantly reduce heartburn and regurgitation — also known as acid reflux (though non-acidic reflux can occur with GERD, too).

You may also be advised to eat in a way that helps you lose weight, since extra weight can put pressure on your abdomen and increase your risk of GERD symptoms.

Is There a GERD Diet I Should Follow to Ease Symptoms?

Gastroenterologist Felice Schnoll-Sussman, MD, gives some pointers as to foods and diet patterns that will help you manage GERD.
Is There a GERD Diet I Should Follow to Ease Symptoms?

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Foods to Avoid

Certain foods and beverages can exacerbate GERD symptoms, which include heartburn and a sour taste from regurgitation.

Foods and beverages that people with GERD are often advised to avoid include:


  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Chocolate
  • Tomatoes and tomato-based foods
  • Garlic
  • Mint
  • Onions
  • Spicy foods
  • Fatty foods
  • Fried foods
Some of these — including fatty foods, chocolate, peppermint, tomato-based sauces, citrus fruits, and alcohol — are thought to worsen GERD symptoms by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the ring of muscle that separates your stomach from your esophagus. This allows the stomach’s contents to enter the esophagus.

Because it’s carbonated and also often contains caffeine, soda can be an especially problematic beverage for people with GERD.

Chocolate may be aggravating for people with GERD because it contains high levels of fat.

While nonfat milk can work as a buffer between the stomach lining and acidic contents in the stomach, and help relieve GERD symptoms, full-fat dairy products can worsen acid reflux. So can fatty cuts of red meat and processed foods.

Different people will have different reactions to individual foods. Pay attention to your diet, and if a food or beverage gives you heartburn, consider avoiding it.

Foods to Consider Including

Since you’ll probably need to eliminate certain items from your diet to reduce symptoms of GERD, it may be helpful to know about alternative foods that are less likely to cause problems.

The following replacements may help you avoid symptoms.

Low-Fat Milk Products Opt for reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk, yogurt, cheese, or ice cream. (As noted above, full-fat dairy may aggravate GERD symptoms, but nonfat milk and yogurt can actually have a protective effect.)

Alternatively, you can try nonfat, nondairy options like soy or almond milk, or low-fat, nondairy ice cream alternatives.

High-Fiber Foods Whole grains, including oatmeal, quinoa, and brown rice, and vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, and green beans, along with root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets provide healthy fiber. Fiber fills you up and makes you less likely to overeat, which is helpful because overeating can bring on heartburn.

Lean Meats Choose lean meats that are grilled, poached, broiled, or baked, suggests Harvard Health.

Fruits Fresh fruits like bananas, melons, apples, and pears are less likely to worsen symptoms the way acidic citrus fruit can.

Watery Foods Fruits like watermelon, as well as celery, cucumber, and broth-based soups can dilute and weaken stomach acid with their water content.

Daily Habits

In addition to changing what you eat, your doctor may ask you to change the way you eat to get acid reflux under control.

Common recommendations include:


Eat smaller meals. Eat less food, but more frequently, to reduce pressure in your stomach.

Higher stomach pressure may cause your lower esophageal sphincter to relax, allowing your stomach’s contents to flow up into your esophagus.

Eat slowly. You’re less likely to stuff yourself or irritate your esophagus or stomach if you take smaller bites and chew your food thoroughly.

Don’t lie down right after eating. If you stay upright for two to three hours after eating, you’ll reduce your risk of reflux. Wait at least three hours after eating dinner before you go to bed. When you stand or sit upright, gravity helps keep your stomach’s contents from flowing upward. When you lie down, it’s easier for partially digested food to enter your esophagus.

Don’t do vigorous exercise right after eating. Wait a couple of hours.

Don’t snack unless you’re actually hungry. When your stomach is full, eating more will increase stomach pressure.

Avoid tight clothing around your waist. If your clothing puts pressure on your abdomen when you eat, this can in turn put pressure on your stomach and lower esophageal sphincter.

Eat to maintain a healthy weight. Extra pounds are a source of pressure inside your abdomen.

The Takeaway

  • To manage GERD symptoms, consider eliminating certain foods from your diet, including alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, and spicy and fatty foods.
  • Adding high-fiber foods like oatmeal and whole grains, as well as lean meats and non-citrus fruits, to your diet can aid digestion and prevent the overeating that can trigger symptoms.
  • Eat smaller meals, eat slowly, and avoid vigorous exercise or lying down right after eating to reduce GERD symptoms such as acid reflux.
  • If you notice severe or persistent symptoms despite dietary changes, talk with your healthcare provider, as untreated GERD may lead to complications that require medical attention. And consider consulting a registered dietitian-nutritionist for personalized nutrition advice.

Additional reporting by Quinn Phillips.

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Acid Reflux/GERD Overview. American College of Gastroenterology.
  2. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Mayo Clinic. August 22, 2024.
  3. Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for GER and GERD. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. July 2020.
  4. GERD Diet: Foods That Help With Acid Reflux (Heartburn). Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  5. Change How You Eat to Help Reduce Acid Reflux. Northwestern Medicine. January 2025.
  6. GERD Diet: Foods to Avoid to Reduce Acid Reflux. Harvard Health Publishing. July 31, 2023.
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Roxana Ehsani, RDN

Roxana Ehsani, RD

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Roxana Ehsani, RD, is a Miami-based licensed dietitian-nutritionist, board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, and media spokesperson, consultant, and content creator for food and nutrition brands. She is an adjunct instructor for sports nutrition at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

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