The first thing you need to do when eating pizza despite having acid reflux is to avoid the effects of fried, oily foods, cheese, chocolate, or anything slow to digest. Avoid drinking plenty of water before meals and practice walking after meals.
Refrain from drinking direct alcohol as it irritates the stomach lining and worsens the pylorus valve, which controls the entry of food and fluids.
What is Acid Reflux?
Everyone loves to eat pizza, but eating pizza causes many problems, one of which is acid reflux. There is a valve at the entrance of the abdomen. It is known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) of the muscle.
It usually shuts off very quickly as the food goes on. If the LES doesn’t block all the way, the acid produced in your stomach can get into your esophagus.
It can cause a burning chest and discomfort called heartburn. If the symptoms of acid reflux are seen more than 2-times a week, you may have acid reflux disease, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Why can Eat Pizza Cause Acid Reflux?
The fatty ingredients in pizza stay in your stomach for a long time and take time to digest, and produce much more acid. Then there are layers of cheese, crust, and sauces, which are high-acid foods; tomato sauce is the most acid for those suffering from acid reflux.
Which Foods are Responsible for Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux is a stomach ailment that is caused by certain foods or irregular lifestyles. It isn’t easy to get rid of but easy to control. If you wonder how to eat pizza with an acid reflux problem, you must know the whole thing in detail. Change your lifestyle, don’t overeat, eat less, and cut down on fatty foods.
You should avoid highly fried food that excludes tomatoes or fatty cheese from your menu. Put salad or low-fat cheese on the menu, and add white meat or chicken and turkey instead of fatty meat, this way you can enjoy the pizza of your choice without any problems.
How to Eat the Pizza Despite Having Acid Reflux?
We already know what acid reflux is, so we must control it and eat it if it is pizza. If you can take a regular antacid or follow some lifestyle tips, it is possible to keep acid reflux under control. Now, we will know how to eat the pizza of our choice despite having acid reflux and how to soothe the acid reflux.
First, you need to be mentally fit; you may have eaten a whole pizza effortlessly before, but now you are having acid reflux problems. After eating, you should refrain from eating an entire pizza; you can enjoy a slice of pizza if you want, even though it will not be a problem. You may have gone to a party with friends where pizza, cheese, or tomato sauce is served; you will try to eat in moderation.
You may have to stop doing this as soon as you eat or go to bed or go to sleep, as it does not digest food properly, which causes prolonged diarrhea and gas in the stomach. If you suffer from overweight or obesity problems, consult a doctor very quickly before eating pizza, acid reflux can be very painful for this reason.
How to Keep Acid Reflux Under Control?
You should plan an acid reflux-friendly diet if you take specific steps or avoid foods that can make you reflux as much as possible.
- Eat as much as you can, or eat as little as possible.
- Make it a habit to eat slowly, do not eat fast.
- Do not go to bed after the meal; wait at least 2 hours.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages, especially in the evening.
For the time being, if you take these steps, the acid reflux will be under control, and you will be able to enjoy a slice of pizza.
Some Lifestyle Tips to Reduce Acid Reflux
Health is wealth. But if you like pizza but have a problem with acid reflux, you should follow some lifestyle approaches to enjoy your tempting pizza. Therefore, here are tips to reduce acid reflux:
Disciplined Lifestyle:
Avoid tight-fitting dresses, skirts, and high-waisted pants. If acid reflux occurs while you go to sleep, put in extra pillows to relieve the symptoms. Stop if you are a smoker because the nicotinic acid in it is capable of making horrible things.
Taking Antacids and Follow Diet Regularly”
It is fantastic if you are taking antacids regularly, but of course, it is better to take the advice of a doctor. You can have a regular diet if you want, it will increase your stomach activity, and you will be able to eat the pizza of your choice.
Avoid Tomato Sauce
It is impossible to imagine a delicious meal like pizza without tomato sauce; you might be wondering what a little sauce can do. So be aware that tomatoes are one of the most acidic foods, and unfortunately, acidic foods can increase GERD or acid reflux. If you want to enjoy pizza and don’t want to feel uncomfortable at night, then you must avoid tomato sauce.
There are different types of sauces available in some pizza places, where you can use those sauces instead of tomato sauces, some restaurants offer white sauce or cream with pizza, and you can use it as an alternative if you want, and some people add barbecue sauce. If you’re going to enjoy pizza despite having acid reflux, you must avoid barbecue sauce, tomato paste, and vinegar used to make it.
Choose Light-Fat Cheese Or Refrain From Cheese
High-fat cheese and butter can cause GERD burns by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter. This is the flap that prevents acid from entering the esophagus. Fatty food takes a long time to digest, so you have to get acid for a long time to break down food and fats, which can make your condition worse.
If you find low-fat cheese somewhere, choose it; if it doesn’t, take light cheese; if not, skip the cheese. You should try to eat as little fatty cheese as possible, thinking about your loss or better if you don’t eat it.
Avoid Fatty Meats and Choose Non-Acidic Vegetables
Remove pepperoni or sausages that have a lot of fat and spicy ones from the topping. Put chicken on top of your meat. You should avoid acidic or spicy fruits like pineapple, jalapenos, olives, and tomatoes.
You can also make an excellent pizza using some ingredients: spinach, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Using these, you can make a delicious pizza with chicken topping, and by eating this pizza, you can get some essential nutrients.
Even if you have acid reflux, you need to have proper self-knowledge to know how to eat pizza in this situation. You can learn about all the different causes of GERD and drive yourself accordingly. You must know which foods increase the symptoms of reflux and look at them. If you want to eat pizza, you have to control the acid reflux first, so you are wondering what kind of food to eat; let’s discuss-
- Put on top of baked potatoes and low-fat salad meals.
- Broth-based soup and mushroom soup are the best.
- Less fried foods.
- White meat without fat.
- Light sweet, chicken, turkey, vegetables, and whole-grain bread.
We have discussed lifestyle tips above, but it’s best to control acid reflux in the end, or you can eat some diet pizza that will fill the gap in your desired pizza. Hopefully, these foods will not cause gas in your stomach, due to which you will get relief from acid reflux.
White Pizza Alternative Arrangement
The main ingredients of a traditional pizza are tomato sauce and cheese, responsible for high acid reflux. If you want to enjoy pizza, you have some options when ordering. You take the menu and look at the whole wheat food section, consider a white pizza, and add any sauce based on olive oil instead of tomato sauce.
Check if you want to have lean cheese with it, as thin cheese helps reduce acidity. You may need to test many types of pizzas to find the pizza of your choice centered on your problem. Choose a dipping sauce for the pizza for extra taste and moisture in the pizza.
Conclusion
I think it’s essential to eat a white whole-grain pizza; you can also keep low-fat cheese and salad, which is beneficial for indigestion. You can use any other sauce instead of tomato sauce because the acid of acidic food in tomatoes makes gas in your stomach.
Try to eat less fried food, do not eat too fast, and keep your weight under control. If you eat food, do not lie down immediately as it will cause digestive problems, walk for a while or go to sleep at least 2 hours later, I think if you can follow all the lifestyle and diet rules and find the right pizza, you can eat pizza despite having acid reflux.