The acid reflux diet focuses on minimizing and eliminating symptoms of gastroesophageal disease, or GERD, by identifying trigger foods through an elimination phase. For many people, trigger foods include high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, acidic and spicy foods, dairy, coffee, chocolate, and citrus. Everyone has varying responses to different foods, though. 

You can actively avoid and replace your triggers with healthy options that don’t induce symptoms. Many people with acid reflux find success with GERD recipes and eating plenty of vegetables and non-citrus fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins.

Your Calorie and Nutrition Goals

You’ve probably noticed that most nutrition facts labels use 2,000 calories as an estimation for the general population. They also base the percentage of the recommended intake for certain nutrients off a 2,000-calorie diet. While it is a solid estimate, everyone’s calorie needs vary depending on a variety of factors, including: 

• Age
• Gender
• Height
• Weight
• Body composition
• Activity level
• Medical conditions

The acid reflux diet doesn’t require you to adhere to a specific caloric intake; rather, you’ll focus on avoiding trigger foods and replacing them with healthy options. Discover how many calories you need each day with our online calorie calculator. 

Hydration Tips

The adage when it comes to water intake is “eight glasses a day.” But how big are those glasses? Ice or no ice? So many questions. 

There is no universal number of ounces you should drink each day as there’s no “best” number of calories everyone should eat daily. Instead, the total amount of fluid a person needs to drink is individualized and depends on several factors, such as body weight, activity level, and the amount you perspire, to name a few.

As for actual beverage choices, plain water is usually the best choice for hydration, but it can get boring. You may want coffee, soda, or juice instead, but the carbonation, caffeine, and acidity could trigger GERD. If these beverages trigger you, avoid them. 

If you’re having trouble staying hydrated, try flavoring your water with frozen berries, sliced cucumbers, or powdered water flavorings. Hot teas are also a great way to consume more water but you may want to avoid lemon and mint varieties when you have GERD. 

GERD Recipe Grocery Staples

Veggies, veggies, and more veggies. Produce will be the base of your diet when minimizing GERD symptoms, with moderate portions of lean proteins, non-citrus fruits, and whole grains. You’ll stay away from fatty, spicy, and acidic foods. 

Vegetables: Stock up on leafy greens, root vegetables (sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, etc.), and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower).

Fruits: Bananas, pears, apples, coconut, plums, honeydew melon, apricots. 

Grains: Choose whole grains like quinoa, bulgur, amaranth, and rolled oats. 

Protein: Stick to lean proteins without skin, such as skinless chicken breasts and 90% lean ground turkey. You might also enjoy fish, tofu, beans, and pork.

Expand your horizons with herbs and spices if you’re worried about GERD recipes lacking flavor. Try these flavorful alternatives to spices like cayenne and red pepper that won’t cause an upset in your stomach:

• Basil
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano

Chances are, you already have compliant and non-compliant foods at home to create GERD recipes. If you’re unsure about whether an item is compliant, check the label for non-compliant ingredients and nutrition facts. If it’s extremely high in fat, sodium, or caffeine, it’s probably not compliant. Compliant items are minimally processed and free of ingredients on the non-compliant list. 

Other tips when shopping for GERD recipes:

Shop the Frozen Section. Frozen fruits and vegetables are as nutritious as fresh ones and last longer. Frozen produce is usually also less expensive than fresh. 

Buy Grains in Bulk. You can save money by purchasing slow-perishing items in bulk, including rice, oats, and other grains. 

Buy Meat When It’s on Sale and Freeze it. Catching a great deal on proteins is exciting! If you see a two-for-one deal at your grocery store, stock up and freeze what you won’t use in the next few days. 

GERD Recipes

When starting an acid reflux diet, you may be overwhelmed or stressed about recipe ideas. On this plan, you can eat a variety of satisfying and nutritious foods. Try these recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. 

Breakfast GERD Recipes

• Roasted root veggie breakfast tacos
• Two slices of whole-wheat toast with apricot preserves
• Healthy whole-grain wild blueberry muffins
• Warm rolled oats with cinnamon, berries, and banana slices
• Sweet potato toast with ginger-honey almond butter and kiwi slices
• Powdered peanut butter and banana shake

Lunch and Dinner GERD Recipes

• Tomato sauce-free lasagna
• Low-fat chicken parmesan
• Grilled vegetable kabobs
• Quinoa-stuffed chicken roll-ups
• Spinach salad with sliced apples and pumpkin seeds

Snacks

• Banana with nut butter and cinnamon
• Low-fat homemade french fries
• Oven-dried persimmon rounds
• Steamed edamame

Desserts

• Low-fat or nonfat custard, pudding, frozen yogurt, or ice cream
• “Nice cream” made from bananas
• Papaya yogurt and walnut boat
• Fat-free and airy angel food cupcakes
• Low-fat cookies

Cooking and Meal Planning

Thankfully, you won’t need any special equipment or fancy tools to cook up delicious, nutritious meals on the acid reflux diet. These few tips can take you a long way:

Meal Planning and Prepping

Save time, effort, and money by shopping with a plan. Before you head to the grocery store, decide what you want to eat for that week, make a list, and stick to it at the store. 

Once you plan your menu and purchase food, it’s cooking time. The acid reflux diet emphasizes plenty of foods that can be prepared ahead of time and reheated on the stove or in the microwave, so you don’t have to worry about meals sucking up a bunch of your time. Most vegetables, whole grains, and proteins will stay fresh in the fridge for three to five days.

Use What You Have on Hand

If you feel like you’re in a pinch for ingredients, you might not actually be. The acid reflux diet isn’t necessarily restrictive, so you can whip up a tasty meal even when your pantry is getting bare. Think simple, like Italian-seasoned rice or rolled oats with mashed bananas. 

A Word From Verywell

Choosing a diet is a big personal decision requiring contemplation over your health goals. The acid reflux diet focuses on easing symptoms of a particular health condition and might not be best suited to people who don’t have acid reflux. However, it’s a healthy and balanced diet and doesn’t present any dangers for the general population.

If you have acid reflux, this diet, GERD recipes, and healthy foods may help and even lead to secondary benefits like weight loss and improved long-term eating habits. However, research suggests limiting foods may not always work and that trigger foods vary from person to person. Working with a registered dietitian can help you identify trigger foods and create an individualized meal plan that meets your needs.