By reading the previous chapters of this book, you hopefully understand that reflux disease is caused by both acid and pepsin, and that most of the inflammation and tissue damage is due to pepsin—remember those lobsters? When you have pepsin on or in the lining membranes of your throat, esophagus, etc., it doesn’t take a lot of acid to activate it. That’s why we recommend a low acid diet.
We tested the pH (acidity) of many foods and beverages. For the reflux diet, foods and beverages below pH 4 are too acidic. For the first two weeks of the diet, we recommend avoiding anything pH 5 and lower. Remember, low pH means high acidity, and the best pH values for foods/beverages are pH 5–7. After the initial two weeks, pH 4–5 foods are okay.
If you have severe reflux and/or your doctor has prescribed special anti-reflux medication, you should consider the Induction Reflux Diet for two to four weeks—that means eat nothing below pH 5. If your reflux is not severe, then the Maintenance Reflux Diet will do; that is, you should restrict your diet to nothing below pH 4. By the way, there is a moderate “middle ground.” The listed red items … it doesn’t mean that you can never have any of these foods or beverages … but the red items are bad for reflux. When you are well, by all means, you may have some of those red items some of the time.
Remember, the pH scale is tricky; pH 4 is ten times as acidic as pH 5, and stomach acid is usually between pH 1 and pH 4. In the lists below, red means that the pH is less than 4. Green is greater than pH 4. Also note that some restricted foods and beverages are red because they are bad for reflux for some reason other than just acidity (pH).
ACIDITY (pH) OF COMMON DRINKS & BEVERAGES AVOID, VERY ACIDIC (LESS THAN PH 4.0)
(B means “Bad for Reflux” for reasons other than acidity)
ACIDITY OF FRESH FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND COMMON FOODS
(B means “Bad for Reflux” for reasons other than acidity)
For more information about The Reflux Diet and to check out our latest recipes,
see www.refluxcookbookblog.com
