Consuming mashed potatoes can be good for acid reflux, as they are a low acid food that can help to soothe symptoms of acid reflux. Mashed potatoes are a complex carbohydrate, so they help to absorb stomach acid and reduce symptoms.
Potatoes — either boiled or baked and prepared without high-fat toppings — are a good option to help you prevent acid reflux.
Understanding the pH scale
Foods with a pH below 7 are considered acidic, while those with a pH above 7 are alkaline. Potatoes, with their pH range of 5.1 to 5.9, fall into the category of mildly acidic to neutral foods.
Potatoes, parsnips and sweet potatoes contain easily digestible fiber that can help neutralize stomach acid. Green vegetables such as spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts are alkaline and can help decrease stomach acid, too.
Choose baked, not mashed
For example, mashed potatoes can trigger heartburn, but baked potatoes may not. When it comes to dairy products, the less fat the better. So limit butter and avoid sour cream. But if you simply can't live without sour cream on your baked potato, choose a low-fat variety to limit acid reflux.
A diet that is heavy in carbohydrates can cause stomach-related issues like bloating, heartburn and gas. The foods responsible include starchy foods like pasta, noodles, potatoes and white breads. They are also loaded with polysaccharides – sugars which are hard to digest.
Whole grains such as oatmeal, couscous and brown rice. Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots and beets. Green vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli and green beans.
Avoid overly fatty and processed foods, which are harder to digest and offer little nutrition. Fortify your vegetarian diet. Many of the deficiencies associated with low stomach acid, including protein, iron, calcium and vitamin B12, are most abundant in animal-sourced foods, such as meat, fish and dairy products.
Saturated fats such as butter, cream and cheese, can be especially bad for acid reflux, so try to ensure that the fats you eat are healthier unsaturated ones, such as avocado or walnuts.
Avocado: Despite being high in fat, avocados are rich in healthy fats, which can settle your stomach and prevent acid reflux symptoms.
Green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, leafy greens, peas, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts are known to prevent and alleviate acid reflux. In addition to being very low in fat, these vegetables are also high in alkaline content. The low pH offsets the high pH of the stomach acid.
Broccoli
It's high on the pH scale, meaning that it's alkaline and not acidic.
Mashed potato – without the lashings of milk, cream or butter – is another go-to stomach-friendly food for when you're feeling ropey. Potatoes are an easy to digest starchy food at the best of times but mashing them into a puree helps breaks down the fibres, making them even more of a doddle to digest.
Because potatoes are alkaline, they are safe to consume for people suffering from acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.
However, can you eat potatoes with gastritis? The answer is yes, you can – but you should start with only a small serving and see how you are doing before consuming more. Try eating baked potatoes instead of mashed potatoes.
Oatmeal has been a whole-grain breakfast favorite for generations. It is a good source of fiber, so it keeps you feeling full and promotes regularity. Oats also absorb stomach acid and reduce symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Milk and dairy products are high in fat and tend to make heartburn worse. When you have frequent GERD symptoms, like heartburn, eating high-fat dairy products like cheese can aggravate your symptoms.
A 100% whole grain bread is a particularly healthy choice for people with acid reflux. Rather than containing only whole wheat, it can include other whole grains, so it provides a broader spectrum of nutrients.
Some people with GERD find that the yolk of the egg aggravates their symptoms. The good news is that you can easily enjoy just the egg whites. To avoid butter and oil, eat just the white of a hard boiled egg. A light scramble in a little bit of butter or coconut oil is another option.
While avocados are a very good-for-you food, thanks to its healthy fats6, if your diet is already packed with fat, eating high-fat avocados could bring about acid reflux (healthy nut butters may be a culprit here, too).
Toast can help decrease nausea and reduce heartburn, but not all toast is the same. Whole wheat bread is more healthful than white bread but is high in fiber and can be difficult for some people to eat.
Given that your dessert is one (or two) scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Wondering why we chose this flavour for your heartburn, out of all those other mouth-watering flavours? It is because vanilla ice-cream is just another version of cold milk (that is frozen) thought to be a good natural remedy for acidity.