1. Chocolate
Okay, before you throw your coffee at the screen or worse, close this window, let’s get something straight: Different foods affect different people differently. This article presents a baseline of the most common triggers of acid reflux in most sufferers. Comment below if any of these affect you…or not. Clear? Great. Now let’s talk chocolate. This sweet contains naturally occurring substances called methylxanthines that cause smooth muscles to relax. At the bottom of the esophagus and above the stomach is a valve called the lower esophagus sphincter. When this valve relaxes or stays open, it allows digestive acids to rise from the stomach into the esophagus. This is reflux. No research supports this, but the sphincter could be affected by the methylxanthines in chocolate, leading to symptoms of reflux. The high fat content could also be a trigger. (See #7) Do you get reflux after eating chocolate? Comment below.
2. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits have similar characteristics. They have juicy flesh and a thick, leathery skin or rind. Some fruits in this family include citron, lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit. If you’ve ever squeezed one of these and had juice squirt in your eye, you know the juice is highly acidic. When you eat a citrus fruit, the acid it contains relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, and this leaves an easy escape passage for the acid to travel up. If this happens, heartburn and reflux are sure to follow.