Quick answer: A food diary for acid reflux should record what you ate, how much, what time, and how long before you lay down or went to bed, plus when heartburn or regurgitation started and how bad it was. Reflux triggers are often about timing and meal size as much as specific foods. Keep it for 2–4 weeks, then look for repeats. Guidelines suggest avoiding your personal trigger foods, not a generic list.
Every acid reflux article has the same list: coffee, chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, spicy food, fat, alcohol, mint. Some of those may bother you. Some may not. The American College of Gastroenterology suggests avoiding "trigger foods," but notes the supporting data are limited and variable [1]. In other words: the list is a starting point, and your diary records observations to discuss, rather than proving which food caused reflux.
This guide covers the reflux-specific things to log (most food diaries miss them), an illustrative week, and how to tell a food trigger from a timing or portion problem.
Key takeaways
- Log meal time, meal size and when you lay down, not just the food. Eating within 2–3 hours of bedtime is a common, guideline-recognized driver [1].
- Common trigger lists are a starting point; guidelines recommend avoiding your triggers, with low-level evidence behind general food bans [1].
- Note symptom type: burning behind the breastbone, sour regurgitation, cough or hoarseness can all be reflux [3].
- Trouble swallowing, weight loss, vomiting, bleeding or anemia are alarm symptoms that need a doctor [1].
- New or unexplained chest pain needs urgent medical care first, not a diary [5].
What should a reflux food diary track?
A reflux food diary should track food and drink, portion size, meal timing, what you did after eating (especially lying down), symptoms with type and start time, and any medicine you took. Reflux is sensitive to position and stomach fullness in a way most gut symptoms aren't, so these fields matter more than calorie detail.
| Field | What to write | Why it matters for reflux |
|---|---|---|
| Food and drink | Main items, sauces, drinks (coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks) | Some foods and drinks trigger symptoms for some people [2] |
| Portion | Small / normal / large; "second helping" | The NHS suggests smaller, more frequent meals [4] |
| Meal time | Clock time | Lets you measure the gap to bed |
| Lying down / bedtime | Time you lay down, napped or went to bed | The ACG suggests avoiding meals within 2–3 hours of bedtime [1]; NIDDK suggests eating at least 3 hours before lying down if symptoms are worse at night [2] |
| After the meal | Bending, tight clothing, exercise soon after | Common practical aggravators people notice |
| Symptom type | Heartburn, sour taste or regurgitation, cough, hoarse voice, nausea, trouble swallowing [3] | Different patterns matter to your doctor |
| Start time and severity | Clock time, 0–10, how long | Links symptoms to meals and position |
| Medicine | Antacid or other medicine, time, whether it helped | Shows how often you need relief |
| Context | Sleep, stress, smoking, new medicines | The NHS lists stress, smoking and some medicines (such as anti-inflammatory painkillers) as contributors [4] |
What are common trigger foods for acid reflux?
Commonly reported trigger foods include coffee and other caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, high-fat foods, mint, spicy foods and acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes [2]. The ACG guideline also mentions carbonated drinks [1].
But "common" isn't "universal." In laboratory studies cited by the ACG, coffee, caffeine, citrus and spicy food had little to no effect on the valve between the esophagus and stomach (the lower esophageal sphincter), though they might still irritate and provoke symptoms in some people [1]. That's why the guideline makes only a conditional, low-evidence suggestion to avoid trigger foods, while giving stronger weight to weight loss in people who are overweight [1]. A diary may highlight repeated associations to discuss with your clinician; it does not establish personal triggers by itself.
A sample acid reflux food diary
Here's an illustrative five days for someone with evening heartburn who suspects tomato sauce and coffee. Illustrative data, not a real case.
| Day | Meals and drinks (time, size) | After eating | Bedtime | Symptoms (start, type, 0–10) | Medicine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8:00 coffee, oatmeal · 13:00 chicken salad · 20:30 large pasta with tomato sauce, glass of wine | Couch from 21:00 | 22:00 | 22:20 heartburn 6/10, sour taste | Antacid 22:30, helped |
| Tue | 8:00 coffee, eggs · 13:00 turkey sandwich · 18:30 normal portion pasta with tomato sauce | Walk 19:15 | 23:00 | None | — |
| Wed | 8:00 coffee, toast · 12:30 burger and fries (large) | Back at desk, slumped | 23:00 | 14:00 heartburn 4/10 | — |
| Thu | 8:00 tea, oatmeal · 13:00 soup, bread · 21:00 large curry, beer | Lay down 21:45 | 22:30 | 22:00 heartburn 7/10; cough at night | Antacid 22:15, partial |
| Fri | 8:00 coffee, yogurt · 13:00 salmon, rice · 18:30 normal pizza slice x2 | Walk | 23:00 | None | — |
How do you find your heartburn triggers?
Find your heartburn triggers by sorting each symptom episode into food, timing, or volume explanations, then checking which ones repeat. Using the illustrative week above:
- Timing pattern. The two worst nights (Mon, Thu) both had a large meal within about 1.5 hours of lying down. Tuesday had the same tomato pasta, eaten early and in a normal portion, with no symptoms.
- Volume pattern. Wednesday's daytime heartburn followed a large, high-fat lunch, not dinner.
- Food pattern. Coffee was drunk on symptom and symptom-free days alike, so it isn't standing out. Tomato sauce caused symptoms only when combined with a late, large meal and wine.
- Combination pattern. Alcohol appeared on both bad nights, alongside large late meals, so it can't be separated yet.
Conclusion for this illustrative person: the strongest lead is large meals eaten late, with alcohol as a possible amplifier. That's a different fix from cutting tomatoes and coffee. A sensible next step would be to keep the foods but move dinner earlier and keep portions moderate for two weeks, then compare.
General tips to make the analysis cleaner:
- Compare days with and without each suspect, not just bad days. Our guide on spotting real food-symptom patterns shows a simple counting method.
- Change one thing at a time. If you move dinner earlier and cut coffee and raise the bed, you won't know what helped.
- Keep it going for 2–4 weeks. IFFGD designs its daily diary for 2–4 weeks [6], enough for most foods and situations to repeat.
- Look at non-food fixes too. The ACG suggests elevating the head of the bed for nighttime symptoms [1], and the NHS suggests raising it by about 10–20 cm rather than adding pillows [4].
For a fuller walk-through of moving from diary to tested trigger, see how to identify food triggers. To see a fully filled-in general diary week, see our food and symptom diary example.
How to track acid reflux
Paper works well for reflux: food and symptom diary example." Log as you go, especially the bedtime and symptom start time, which are the fields people forget.
For ongoing records, explore the Get Regular food and symptom tracker. Check the current workflow, privacy information and access before entering sensitive information. A recorded association is a question to investigate, not a confirmed trigger.
When to see a doctor
A diary is for everyday heartburn. See a doctor promptly if you have any of the alarm symptoms the ACG lists: trouble swallowing (or food getting stuck), unintended weight loss, bleeding (vomiting blood or black, tarry stools), persistent vomiting, or anemia [1]. Also see a doctor if you have heartburn most days, or lifestyle changes and pharmacy medicines aren't helping [4], or if symptoms don't improve with over-the-counter medicines or lifestyle changes [3].
Chest pain: Heartburn can feel like chest pain, and heart problems can feel like heartburn. The ACG recommends that heart disease be properly ruled out before chest pain is attributed to reflux [1]. Chest pain, heaviness or discomfort is the most common heart attack symptom; call 911 for it, even if you're not sure it's a heart attack [5].
FAQ
How long should I keep a food diary for acid reflux? Two to four weeks is a good target [6]. That's long enough for most foods, late meals and busy days to repeat so you can compare them.
Do I have to give up coffee and tomatoes? Not necessarily. The ACG suggests avoiding foods that trigger your symptoms, and the evidence behind blanket food bans is limited [1]. A diary helps you find out whether those foods are actually a problem for you, and in what amount or at what time.
What time should I stop eating before bed if I have reflux? The ACG suggests avoiding meals within 2–3 hours of bedtime [1]; NIDDK and the NHS suggest about 3 hours or 3–4 hours [2][4]. Log your meal and bedtime so you can see what gap works for you.
Is a GERD tracker app better than paper? Either works if it captures meal time, portion, bedtime and symptom start time. Apps make timestamps automatic and are easier to keep up; paper is simple and private.
Can stress cause acid reflux? The NHS lists stress and anxiety among things that can make heartburn and reflux more likely [4]. Logging stress alongside meals can show whether bad nights cluster around stressful days.
Sources
- Katz PO, Dunbar KB, Schnoll-Sussman FH, et al. ACG Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022;117(1):27-56. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8754510/
- NIDDK. Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for GER & GERD. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-adults/eating-diet-nutrition
- NIDDK. Symptoms & Causes of GER & GERD. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-adults/symptoms-causes
- NHS. Heartburn and acid reflux. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heartburn-and-acid-reflux/
- NHLBI. Heart Attack: Symptoms. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart-attack/symptoms
- IFFGD. Personal Daily Diary (IBS), publication #147. https://iffgd.org/resources/publication-library/personal-daily-diary-ibs/
This article is for general education and isn't medical advice. Get Regular is a tracking app — it doesn't diagnose or treat any condition. If you have red-flag symptoms or ongoing changes in your digestion, talk to a doctor.