If you suffer from frequent or intense acid reflux or heartburn, you need to know which acid reflux foods to avoid. Some foods can aggravate the condition or cause excess acid production which can lead to acid reflux. Avoiding these foods can help prevent symptoms or at least reduce the intensity and frequency of your heartburn symptoms.

While there are some foods that are more likely to contribute to acid reflux, it’s always a good idea to keep a food diary for a while so that you can see what particular foods trigger your symptoms. You may find that some foods listed as those to avoid don’t really cause you any problems while others not listed do. Your doctor can tell you more about how to keep a food diary and interpret the information with you.

In general though, you’ll want to keep a food diary for at least several weeks and you may want to consider continuing if you aren’t finding a pattern. You’ll keep track of everything that you eat and any symptoms that occur. By tracing your symptoms and what you eat, you’ll be able to identify if certain foods trigger your symptoms.

Your doctor will likely recommend that you also make some lifestyle changes in order to help reduce symptoms as well. Some people find that they can eat "bad" foods if they follow these guidelines. Some of the lifestyle changes are staying upright for at least an hour after eating, eating smaller meals more often throughout the day, and elevating your head in bed if you suffer from symptoms at night.

Some of the acid reflux foods to avoid are those that high in fat. These foods often take longer to digest in the stomach, allowing more acid to accumulate. When you can, choose low or no fat options which will digest faster.

You may also want to avoid acidic fruits like lemons and juices like orange juice, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. In addition, many individuals have problems with tomatoes and tomato sauces. If you do, it’s important to keep this in mind when you are thinking of eating foods like pizza, pastas, soups, and sauces which have a tomato base.

Some beverages can also increase your chances of acid reflux. Beer, in particular, can dramatically increase your acid production which can lead to acid reflux. Other liquor, coffee, and tea can also trigger acid reflux for some people.

High fat desserts, salad dressings, meats, and dairy products can also trigger an episode. For some individuals, vegetables like onions and French fries can cause problems. As with other foods, generally there are substitutions that you can make to help you avoid acid reflux symptoms.

By knowing which acid reflux foods to avoid and making a few lifestyle changes, you can often reduce or prevent the acid reflux symptoms that you have. This can keep you from having to take medications to control your acid reflux.