Acid Reflux Diet Plan
Are you experiencing heartburn or acid reflux? Use our acid reflux diet plan guide and access a template to kickstart your journey.
Fact Checked by Nate Lacson.
What Is an Acid Reflux Diet Plan?
The acid reflux diet plan is a resource that provides a simplified framework for manageable steps to approach the acid reflux diet. The diet itself is typically recommended by health practitioners, such as general practitioners and registered dieticians, for patients experiencing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
GERD, commonly known as heartburn or acid reflux, occurs when the esophageal sphincter relaxes, causing food and stomach acid to push up the esophagus (Gupta, n.d.). Individuals with GERD may experience a burning feeling in the chest, a sour taste, coughing, or trouble slowing (Lachtrupp, 2023).
Though GERD can be caused by several factors, food, and eating behaviors have a major role in the development and persistence of this chronic disease. Certain foods such as raw garlic and spicy foods, can worsen symptoms, while others, like oatmeal and avocados, may alleviate symptoms (Lachtrupp, 2023). Furthermore, changing behaviors by eating smaller, more frequent meals and maintaining a healthy weight may reduce symptoms, but these may differ across people.
Using the acid reflux diet plan template, health practitioners can collaborate with their patients to inform an effective treatment approach to GERD. The template provides recommendations for non-triggering foods and behaviors and is a form of documentation to track progress. This may help reduce patient experiences of GERD and enhance overall health.
Printable Acid Reflux Diet Plan PDF
Download and access our free Acid Reflux Diet Plan PDF here
How Does it Work?
The template operates as a resource for devising an acid reflux diet plan and tracking any patient experiences or progress following the diet. To show you how this works, we have broken down the template into the following steps:
Step 1: Access the Template
You can access our template here or download a printable copy using the following link:
Step 2: Patient Consultation
Before beginning any planning, it is important to schedule a patient consultation to discuss the acid reflux diet, complete routine measurements such as weight, and document the patient’s current health status. This may involve recording any symptoms, discussing patient concerns, and noting any patient allergies, needs, or preferences regarding food.
Step 3: Devise a Food List
Collaborate with your patients to develop a food list by having patients document any current trigger foods and non-trigger foods that may inform the diet plan. The template has a list of common trigger foods and non-trigger foods. However, reactions may differ between patients.
Note that this list may require ongoing revision, as patients may identify new trigger foods throughout the diet plan.
Step 4: Create a Plan
Work alongside patients to develop potential meal ideas for the diet plan using the food list. This may involve looking at recipes with non-trigger foods, substitutes for trigger foods, and devising a weekly grocery list.
Step 5: Ongoing Monitoring and Support
Once patients have begun implementing the diet plan, it is essential to have ongoing consultations to track symptoms and experiences. Doing so will inform ongoing documentation that can be used to revise the diet plan. This may allow for long-term prevention of GERD symptoms.
Acid Reflux Diet Plan Example (Sample)
Implementing the acid reflux diet plan can be complex, as the process requires ongoing revision, and patient experiences may differ. We have constructed an example acid reflux diet plan template based on a fictitious character to show you how our template works. It is recommended to use this as a reference when developing personalized patient plans. However, practitioners should note that this is an example that should be different from direct health advice or personal templates.
The example can be accessed here or downloaded as a PDF using the link below:
Download the Free Acid Reflux Diet Plan Template PDF Here
When Would You Use This Template?
Health practitioners can use the acid reflux diet plan template to collaborate with their patients in developing a treatment plan. Although this is mainly for the treatment and prevention of GERD symptoms, here are some scenarios in which the template may be beneficial:
- Adherence to the Diet: The template provides recommendations for non-trigger foods and a customizable meal plan that may remove the complexities around the diet. This may enhance adherence to the diet for long-term prevention.
- Adjusting Eating Behaviors: Individuals seeking to alter their eating behaviors may find a list of recommendations that aid digestion and alleviate GERD symptoms.
- Dietary Management: For individuals experiencing food sensitivities, the template may help identify trigger foods. Documenting food items alongside their reactions may help patients and practitioners in their dietary management strategies.
- Meal Planning: This resource provides a 7-day template for which patients and practitioners can customize a meal plan, including snacks and beverages. The plan can then be used to construct grocery lists to simplify food shopping.
- GERD Prevention Plans: Patients experiencing or recovering from GERD symptoms, such as heartburn or acid reflux, may use this template alongside a broader prevention plan. The template may provide a structure for ongoing consultations and documentation, which may inform revisions of further strategies.
What do the Results Mean?
Results following the acid reflux diet plan may differ between individuals, as different foods and eating behaviors may trigger symptoms. However, close adherence to the diet may result in the following experiences:
- Improved Digestion: Acid reflux can often damage or weaken the organs and muscles involved in digestion. Adhering to this diet plan can help heal and improve digestive functioning.
- Neutralize Stomach Acid: Following the plan, patients may increase their intake of low-pH substances or foods that absorb stomach acid. This may neutralize the stomach and relieve patients of their symptoms.
- Reduce GERD Symptoms: The plan may treat acid reflux by focusing on behaviors and foods that reduce and neutralize stomach acid and strengthen digestive muscles and organs involved in digestion. Using the template can inform a long-term dietary management strategy that alleviates GERD symptoms.
- Strengthen the Esophageal Sphincter: Regular acid reflux can damage the esophagus and weaken surrounding muscles, which may cause further damage and health issues. Consuming non-trigger foods like fiber may help strengthen, protect, and heal the esophagus.
Why use Carepatron as your Acid Reflux Diet Plan app?
Carepatron is the ideal platform for dietary management and overall health documentation. Using our acid reflux diet plan template app and software, you can access thousands of resources like this to enhance your practice. Here are some reasons why Carepatron is the ideal software for you:
Effective Communication
Patients can track their experiences and access information relevant to their treatment plan using our patient portal. Additionally, our app allows for easy appointment scheduling and reminders to enhance communication channels between patients and providers.
Ongoing Documentation
As an online platform, Carepatron allows for quick access to patient medical notes and ongoing clinical documentation. This allows patients and health practitioners to continue monitoring progress and easily update patient treatment plans to follow a proactive approach to health management.
Worldwide Compliance
By global security requirements, our software ensures that any patient information stored within the app is kept safe and secure. This ensures that medical documents can be securely updated and accessed on request without breaching confidentiality.
You have an all-in-one platform by choosing Carepatron as your acid reflux diet plan app. This allows you to implement best practice and focus on providing your patients the optimal experience in their health journeys.
References
Baptist Health (2021). The GERD Diet Plan: Foods to Eat & Avoid. Baptist Health. https://www.baptisthealth.com/blog/baptist-health/the-gerd-diet-plan-foods-to-eat-avoid
Gupta, E. (n.d.). GERD Diet: Foods That Help with Acid Reflux (Heartburn). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/gerd-diet-foods-that-help-with-acid-reflux-heartburn
Iwakiri, K., Kinoshita, Y., Habu, Y. et al. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for gastroesophageal reflux disease 2015. J Gastroenterol 51, 751–767 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-016-1227-8
Lachtrupp, E. (2023). 7-Day GERD Diet Meal Plan. EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8050003/7-day-gerd-diet-meal-plan/
Newberry, C., & Lynch, K. (2019). The role of diet in the development and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease: why we feel the burn. Journal of Thoracic Disease, 11(12), 1594-1601. NIH, National Library of Medicine. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.06.42
OnPoint Nutrition, (n.d.). Acid Reflux Diet. OnPoint Nutrition. https://www.onpoint-nutrition.com/acid-reflux-diet
Commonly asked questions
An acid reflux diet plan template can be created by using our template and example. These documents can be used as a reference for personalized templates in consultation with patients.
These resources are used in the treatment of acid reflux and GERD. Health practitioners like general practitioners and registered dieticians can use these for patients experiencing symptoms and inform long-term dietary management strategies.
The templates provide a structure for the acid reflux diet plan. Patients and health providers can use this to inform their dietary management strategies.
An acid reflux diet plan template is created by collaborating with patients and health practitioners.
