• ENG

Should you avoid eating garlic if you have acid reflux?

Should you avoid eating garlic if you have acid reflux?
But it is advisable to speak to your doctor before removing garlic from your diet altogether.

For people with severe acid reflux, doctors typically advise avoiding garlic, especially in raw form. However, some say it can be used as natural remedy for acidity. Read to find out who is right and who is wrong.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : February 1, 2021 11:22 AM IST

Acid reflux is a common condition that causes a burning pain in the lower chest area, known as heartburn. It occurs when stomach acid flows backward into the food pipe. Certain foods can trigger or aggravate acid reflux. If you have this condition, your doctor may not recommend eating garlic. Although garlic is associated with many health benefits, a few studies suggest it may increase the likelihood of heartburn in people with acid reflux - especially raw garlic.

However, not everyone may have the same effect. Food triggers for heartburn or acidity may differ from person to person. So, it is advisable to speak to your doctor before removing garlic from your diet altogether because eating garlic is known to help lower cholesterol as well as reduce risk for certain cancers.

Also, some experts suggest that taking garlic in the form of medicine can help alleviate heartburn and soothe acidity by balancing the good and bad bacteria in the digestive tract. Because garlic has anti-bacterial properties, it helps kill H.pylori bacteria which is responsible for 90 per cent of all heartburn cases.

Also Read

More News

They say that consuming raw garlic cloves may help you get immediate relief from the symptoms of acidity such heartburn, stomach-ache and discomfort. Here's how to use garlic as medicine for acidity Chop fresh garlic cloves and keep it for 10 minutes than eat.

Caution: If you experience severe heartburn or discomfort after consuming garlic in any form, it is best to avoid eating it. For some people, raw garlic can be a huge acidity trigger.

Common food triggers for acid reflux

What you eat determines the amount of acid your stomach produces. Therefore, monitoring your diet is important to prevent or combat acid reflux. In addition to garlic, there are many other foods that are known to aggravate heartburn.

Eating fatty and greasy foods take longer time to digest, leading to production of more irritating stomach acids. Plus, high-fat foods can cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax. LES is a bundle of muscles at the low end of the esophagus that prevents acid and stomach contents from traveling backwards. So, a relaxed LES means you're more likely to have the stomach juices splash back up your throat.

Here are other top foods that are associated with acid reflux:

  • spicy foods
  • alcohol, particularly red wine
  • black pepper
  • raw onions
  • chocolate
  • citrus fruits
  • coffee and caffeinated drinks
  • peppermint
  • tomatoes

However, not all these foods may cause you heartburn. So, find out your specific triggers and avoid them.

Not just what you can trigger your heartburn symptoms but how much and when you eat can also fuel the flame of heartburn. Large meals and late-night dinner are a NO-NO when you have acid reflux.

Too much food stretches the stomach and puts pressure on the LES. When this happens, juices from your stomach may flow backward into your food pipe, and cause heartburn.

Don't overeat, instead eat several (five or six) small meals each day. Avoid eating right before bedtime. You should have at least 2 hours to digest your food before lying down.