The best natural treatment for GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease, also known as acid reflux), consists of making some simple changes to your eating and lifestyle habits. If you are suffering from acid reflux, it is recommended that you treat your condition by cutting out certain foods that are known to cause heartburn.

To help aid you in this, here is a list of foods and substances to stay away from:

Fruit – Particularly acidic fruits and juices including: orange juice, cranberry juice, lemonade and lemons. Believe it or not, tomatoes are known to cause heartburn as well.

Vegetables – Avoid raw onions!

Meats – Buffalo wings (for that matter, spicy stuff in general), chicken nuggets, marbled sirloin and chuck ground beef.

Grains – Spaghetti with sauce and macaroni & cheese should be kept at bay.

Dairy – Cottage cheese, ice cream and sour cream are some dairy products to stay away from.

Sweets - Chocolate (sorry!), brownies, doughnuts and butter cookies, as well as regular potato chips, corn chips, and french fries are all no good if you are trying to naturally treat acid reflux.

Substances - If you want to optimally and successfully treat your GERD, alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants should be limited as well.

Your natural treatment for GERD can also be aided by eating foods that are highly unlikely to cause you heartburn:

Fruit - Dried or fresh apples are great to eat, and safe for GERD sufferers. Apple juice is good to go as well.

Vegetables - Cabbage is an awesome vegetable for many reasons and will not cause you heartburn. Further, some research has suggested that cabbage may work to relieve or reduce symptoms of acid reflux.

Meats - Egg whites or substitutes can be eaten, as can lean ground beef, skinless chicken breast, london broil, and fish that has no extra oils or fats.

Grains - While possibly not the healthiest choices, pretzels, graham crackers and corn bread can be eaten. So can: white or brown rice, cereal and multi-grain or white bread.

Dairy - Fat-free cream cheeses and sour creams are OK, as is soy, feta or goat cheeses.

Sweets - It is said that fat-free cookies should be OK to eat. Also: red licorice, jelly beans and baked potato chips are some recommendations here.

Natural Treatment for GERD Expanded

In addition to cutting out the bad foods/substances, and focusing on the good foods such as cabbage in your diet for acid reflux disease, the proper practice of acid reflux food combining is very important. In other words, how you combine and portion the foods you eat has a big influence on whether or not you will suffer from GERD.