Breakfast Menus for the Acid Reflux Diet

See what to have for breakfast that is good for heartburn

Updated April 23, 2018
Oatmeal breakfast
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What can you have for breakfast that won't trigger your acid reflux? Some traditional breakfast favorites are on the list of foods you may want to avoid, including fried food, high-fat meat, and whole-milk dairy products. The usual big American breakfast of bacon, sausage, fried omelets, and hash browns will need a makeover. Even coffee, orange juice, and doughnuts can be a problem when you have acid reflux.

To enjoy a variety of food that is acid reflux-friendly for breakfast, you can follow this week's worth of sample menus. They draw from the list of safe foods for the acid reflux diet.

Breakfast Ideas

You can easily change the order of the days, pick out your favorites, or substitute with foods you have found are agreeable to your digestive system. 

Breakfast Day 1

1 cup hot oatmeal cereal
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
1/2 cup papaya slices
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 tablespoon margarine

Breakfast Day 2

1 English muffin (2 halves)
1 tablespoon margarine
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
1/2 cup sliced peaches

Breakfast Day 3

1 1/2 cups puffed wheat cereal
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
2 slices whole-wheat toast
1 tablespoon margarine
1 small banana

Breakfast Day 4

1 cup bran flakes cereal
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
1 English muffin (2 halves)
1 tablespoon margarine
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Breakfast Day 5

1 cup hot oatmeal cereal
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
2 slices whole-wheat toast
1 tablespoon margarine
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Breakfast Day 6

8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
1 bagel
1 tablespoon peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese
1 small banana

Breakfast Day 7

1 cup corn flakes
8 ounces skim or 1 percent milk
1 small banana
1 English muffin (2 halves)
1 tablespoon margarine

What Breakfast Food Should You Avoid When You Have Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux symptoms may be triggered by spicy foods, fatty foods, fried foods, mint, chocolate, tomato-based foods, onion, garlic, coffee, alcohol, and citrus fruits.

  • It is good to avoid high-fat breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon.
  • Omelets, eggs, and hash browns may be fried in butter or oil, making them high in fat. Some dishes may include onion or spicy peppers.
  • High-fat pastries such as doughnuts.
  • Skip the orange juice, grapefruit juice, and tomato juice.
  • Bloody Marys are spicy, tomato-based, and contain alcohol, and should be skipped.
  • You may need to avoid coffee and cocoa.

Another factor is simply to have smaller meals, as meals with a larger amount of food and calories can trigger acid reflux.

Sources:

GERD Lifestyle and Home Remedies. Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20025201.

Heartburn and GERD: Treatment options for GERD. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072436/. Published November 18, 2015.