Ask Leyla: Should I avoid meat if I experience GERD?

Q:  If a person has GERD occasionally, would be it advisable to refrain from eating meat since it is acid-forming?
 
A:  This is a common misconception for sufferers of heartburn and GERD. Meat is easily digestible and isn’t a cause of GERD. Spicy foods are contraindicated in GERD as are other foods such as anything greasy/deep-fried, acidic foods such as citrus, coffee and tea, certain raw vegetables and fruits, chocolate, and certain carminatives such as peppermint which can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter.  
 
The fact that meat is acid-forming in the body doesn’t mean it exacerbates or causes GERD.  You may have heard that eating more “alkalizing” foods is desirable versus acid-forming foods for optimal health. That eating more vegetables and fruit which are alkaline-promoting, and eating less acidic foods is the way to go for a healthy body and good bone health.  
 
Fortunately, Nature has taken care of this for us. In our ancestral diet, there was a balance of acid-forming and alkalizing foods. The animals our hunter-gatherer ancestors killed and ate, and the leaves, vegetables, and roots they gathered fell into either category of acid-forming or alkalizing foods. Animal proteins being acidic, and produce, seeds, and most nuts being alkalizing.  
 
The natural fats inherent in our food are neutral, for the most part, neither acidifying nor alkalizing.        
 
Now in our modern diet, which began with the dawn of agriculture, we have two additional food groups: grains and dairy. Both of these food groups are mostly acid-forming (with the exception of yogurt and whey). Most beans and legumes are also acid-promoting.    
 
So how important is all this? Read on.  
 
PH is a measure of acid and alkaline in the body on a scale of 0 to 14. The lower the pH, the greater the acidity; the higher the pH, the greater the alkalinity. The acidic or alkaline nature of the foods we eat has little influence on our serum pH. We are happily balanced at a healthy 7.4 pH which is slightly alkaline. Our metabolisms function elegantly to maintain this blood level pH, or we would not exist. Indeed, a small shift in either direction would have dire consequences. Excretion of acid or alkaline urine by the kidneys is the mechanism that helps the body to maintain a constant pH.    
 
On the other hand, urine pH is affected by diet, diseases and certain medications. The range for urine pH is generally between 4.5 and 8.0. Urine that is at the extreme high or low end of pH is a risk factor for kidney stones. As you can see, a mid-range pH is desirable.  
 
Keep in mind that urine pH levels are an imprecise indicator of the overall pH of the body, so don’t bother with urine pH strips. Yes—those strips will show a more alkaline urine after you have a green drink or smoothie for breakfast but several hours later, the body will return to homeostasis—which is where it needs to be.   
 

To your health!

Leyla Muedin, MS, RD, CDN