Breakfast Menus for the Acid Reflux Diet

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.

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.

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

Day 2

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

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

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

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

Day 6

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

Day 7

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

Breakfast Food to Avoid

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. Follow these tips to avoid these common breakfast foods:

• High-fat breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon should be avoided.
• Omelets, eggs, and hash browns can cause problems because they may be fried in butter or oil, making them high in fat. Some dishes may include onion or spicy peppers.
• Pastries such as doughnuts may be high in fat and it's better to choose low-fat options.
• Orange juice, grapefruit juice, and tomato juice.
• Bloody Marys are spicy, tomato-based, and contain alcohol, and should be skipped.
• Coffee and cocoa will affect some people, so you may need to avoid them.

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