How to Prevent Acid Reflux
To prevent acid reflux, avoid foods that are very fatty, like fried foods, and foods that are acidic, such as tomatoes and citrus fruits. Also, limit or eliminate spicy foods from your diet and cut down on carbonated beverages. Laying down after a meal can cause heartburn, so try going for a walk right after you eat instead. You can also take over-the-counter antacids or try H2 blockers to reduce and prevent acid reflux.
 Avoid fatty foods. Fatty foods are hard for your body to digest, which means that they stay in the stomach for longer. When foods slow down your digestive system, they are more likely to come back up your esophagus as reflux increases. Avoid foods such as: : Full-fat dairy products like butter, regular cheese, sour cream, and whole milk Animal fat like lard or bacon fat Fried foods like French fries, onion rings, and fried chicken High-fat snacks that don't have much nutritional value like potato chips, candy, or ice cream Avoid acidic foods. Acid reflux can be brought on by acidic foods. Citrus fruits are some of the most acidic foods. That doesn't mean you should cut them out of your diet entirely, but you should monitor how often you eat foods like: Tomatoes, salsa, tomato sauce, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, lemons, and limes Additionally, vinegar is an acidic condiment used in seasonings and can exacerbate acid reflux. Reduce your chocolate intake. If you are concerned about acid reflux, you may want to reduce the amount of chocolate you eat. Chocolate contains an ingredient called methylxanthine, which will relax the muscles in your esophagus. When the bottom of your esophagus stays open, there is a significant chance that food from your stomach could come back up. Cut back on garlic and onions. Garlic can give you an upset stomach and make you bloat. Both of these things can then lead to reflux. Many people with acid reflux have also found that their symptoms get worse when they eat raw onions. Stay away from spicy foods. Researchers debate whether spicy foods actually cause acid reflux. Regardless, many people find that spicy food upset their stomachs. Examples of spicy foods include jalapenos, banana peppers, and hot sauce (tabasco, sriracha, etc.). If you are prone to acid reflux, you will want to keep your stomach as happy as possible. This means avoiding foods, like spicy meals, that upset it. Drink fewer carbonated beverages. Carbonated drinks are filled with bubbles. They might look nice in the can or bottle, but it's important to remember that those bubbles will keep on fizzing in your stomach. The carbonation can make pressure build up inside your stomach. This can push the contents of the stomach back up your esophagus, causing reflux.  Eat smaller meals. When you limit yourself to small portions, your stomach has an easier time digesting what you put into it. A stomach that doesn't have a lot of pressure put on it to digest quickly is much less likely to push food back up your esophagus. If you get hungry when you make your portions smaller, consider eating six small meals a day rather than three larger meals. Aim for each small meal to contain roughly 300 to 400 calories. Eat low-acid foods. A good way to reduce acid reflux is to eat small meals made up of low-acid foods. Acid you eat will add to the acidity of your stomach. Some good examples of low-acid foods are: Leafy greens Melons Bananas Oatmeal Tofu Fennel Parsley Rice Lose weight. Obesity is one of the main risk factors in developing acid reflux. If you are overweight or obese, you should losing some weight if you want to prevent yourself from getting reflux. Eating healthy and exercising are the two main paths to weight loss. Stick to a healthy diet. Try to eat the five basic food groups (fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole wheat, and low-fat dairy products) every day. Avoid bad fats found in fried foods, candy, and other empty-calorie items. Exercise regularly. Doctors recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of exercise four to five days a week. If you exercise consistently, it can help you lose weight. Try walking, running, biking, swimming, or hiking. You can also go to your local gym and speak to a fitness trainer. A trainer can help you develop an exercise plan that's right for your needs.  Quit smoking. Aside from other health problems it causes, smoking can play a part in the development of acid reflux. This is because cigarette smoke damages mucus membranes in your body. Smoking also increases the amount of acid your stomach makes. Further, it relaxes the muscles that keep food from traveling back up your esophagus. Avoid lying down immediately after you eat. When you eat, your food travels down your esophagus and passes into your stomach. Gravity keeps the food in your stomach, making it harder to come back up in the wrong direction. When you lie down, you take away that gravitational pull. This makes it much more likely for food to go the wrong way and travel back up into your gullet, causing heartburn and reflux. The best thing to do after you eat is actually to go for a walk. A short walk will help your stomach start to digest. Keep your head and shoulders elevated when you sleep. If you are concerned that you might develop acid reflux, you might want to go prop your head and shoulders up when you lie down. Keeping your upper body elevated above your feet will help food stay in your stomach until digested, rather than coming back up. Wear loose clothing. When you wear tight clothes, the fabric, waistline, or belt can put added pressure on the stomach. This squeezes it while its trying to digest. The added pressure might be a little too much for your belly, and your food might work its way back up your esophagus. Try over-the-counter antacids. This medication acts as a neutralizer in your stomach. It reduces the acid by combating it with basic (the opposite of acidic) properties. You can get antacids without a prescription and can take them when needed. Common antacids include Mylanta, Tums, Caltrate, Maalox, and Mi-Acid. Take H2 blockers before each meal. H2 blockers reduce the amount of acid that your stomach creates to help it digest food. It may sound like a bad idea to do that, but H2 blockers actually don't have much of an effect on your digestive system. They do reduce acid reflux. Pepcid, Axid, and Zantac are some of the most common forms of H2 blockers. Taking these over-the-counter medications shouldn't do any harm if you take them as directed and you do actually have acid reflux. They will not be helpful if you are suffering from another condition you have mistaken for acid reflux. If this is your first experience with acid reflux, consult a doctor before taking these medications. The concern here is not negative side effects or possible harm. Rather, it is to determine if you are choosing the best medication for your problem. Talk to your doctor about trying a proton pump inhibitor. This medication, like H2 blockers, keeps your stomach from developing too much acid. When your stomach has a lot of acid in it, you have a better chance of developing acid reflux. Omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and pantoprazole(Protonix) are some of the most common proton pump inhibitors. If your doctors believes you have acid reflux, her or she likely prescribe omeprazole. This is usually the first-choice for medication, often prescribed before any additional testing. If your reflux gets better after taking this medication, this confirms the diagnosis. If you continue to have problems, further investigation and alternative treatments may be necessary. Strengthen your esophagus with prokinetic medication. This drug can help strengthen your lower esophageal sphincter. This is the little valve in the end of your esophagus that keeps food in the stomach. Prokinetic medication also helps your stomach to empty more quickly. This decreases food regurgitation. If other treatments haven't been effective, your doctor may try adding this medication to the mix to create a combination of effects. Your doctor will come up with the right combination and regimen that works for you. You may be prescribed medications like bethanechol (Urecholine) or metoclopramide (Reglan or Maxeran). Prokinetic medications may have severe, serious side effects. These include fatigue, sleepiness, depression, irregular heartbeat, anxiety, and problems with physical movement (such as muscle spasms). Consider surgery. If medication doesn't work or your suffer from esophageal damage due to chronic reflux, you may be a candidate for surgery. The main procedure is called fundoplication. This surgery entails wrapping the upper part of your stomach around your the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This helps in preventing reflux through the LES. Generally, patients can leave the hospital within 1-3 days and can go back to work within 2-3 weeks. Patients requiring proton pump inhibitors for over 10 years should consider surgery as a more cost-effective solution. 
 Avoid acidic foods. Reduce your chocolate intake. Cut back on garlic and onions. Stay away from spicy foods. Drink fewer carbonated beverages.  Eat low-acid foods. Lose weight.  Avoid lying down immediately after you eat. Keep your head and shoulders elevated when you sleep. Wear loose clothing. Try over-the-counter antacids. Take H2 blockers before each meal. Talk to your doctor about trying a proton pump inhibitor. Strengthen your esophagus with prokinetic medication. Consider surgery. 