Tips for Gaining Weight Safely With GERD
Digestive HealthGERD

Tips for Gaining Weight Safely With GERD

Tips for Gaining Weight Safely With GERD
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Updated on September 2, 2025
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Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a condition in which acid and stomach contents regularly back up into the esophagus, according to the American College of Gastroenterology.

 This causes symptoms like heartburn and regurgitation. An estimated 20 percent of Americans have GERD, making it one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases.

While losing weight is often recommended to help manage GERD, this condition can also lead to unintentional weight loss. Gaining weight with GERD may be challenging because many calorie-dense foods, such as those high in fats, could exacerbate your symptoms.

 Finding the right lifestyle and dietary modifications can help.

Identify Your Trigger Foods

To gain weight, you need to increase your overall daily calorie intake. To do so, Mayo Clinic suggests eating nutrient-dense foods that are also high in calories.

 Some high-calorie foods can worsen GERD symptoms, but not everyone is affected by the same trigger foods.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, potential trigger foods include:

  • Spicy foods
  • Fatty foods
  • Chocolate
  • Alcohol
  • Coffee and tea
  • Mint
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions and garlic
Rather than automatically eliminating all such foods whether they bother you or not, research suggests following a personalized diet based on your symptoms.

 Optimizing the timing, size, and macronutrient content of your meals is also effective in helping to manage GERD.

Eat Smaller, Higher-Calorie Meals

Along with the type of food you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it can also impact GERD symptoms. Eating a large meal, especially late in the day, can trigger acid reflux. Instead, try to eat five to six smaller, nutrient-dense meals per day to ease symptoms while getting enough calories.

Johns Hopkins suggests opting for high-fiber foods, including:

  • Oatmeal
  • Brown rice
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Broccoli
  • Green beans
Drinking your fluids between meals will leave room to consume more calories at mealtime. Also, try to avoid eating or drinking two hours before bedtime to minimize reflux symptoms.

Consult a registered dietitian for help creating a custom meal plan, including details on timing and portions.

Avoid Lifestyle Triggers, Like Tobacco and Alcohol

Along with your diet, certain lifestyle changes can improve your GERD symptoms and help you gain weight. Smoking and drinking alcohol are two lifestyle factors that can aggravate acid reflux by relaxing your esophageal muscles.

Quitting smoking, in particular, can help support weight gain. Research shows that the nicotine in cigarettes reduces appetite, food consumption, and body weight.

 Smoking also makes it more difficult to gain weight because it increases the number of calories you burn daily, according to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

Research finds underweight smokers tend to have higher levels of weight gain once they quit, versus people who were already at a healthy weight.

 And the earlier you quit smoking, the more weight you may be able to gain.

Talk to your doctor about the best way to quit smoking, or check out one of the many free resources available through local health initiatives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also offers free programs nationwide, including phone, text, and app-based services.

Other lifestyle interventions, like sleeping with your head elevated, avoiding exercise right after eating, and skipping carbonated beverages, can also improve GERD symptoms.

Warnings and Precautions

If you have concerns about your weight or about GERD symptoms, it’s important to discuss them with your healthcare provider. When trying to gain weight, a registered dietitian can assess your current diet and make recommendations for how to gain or maintain weight in a healthy way. They can also give you tips on how to make sure you don’t worsen gastrointestinal symptoms.

Registered dietitian services may be covered by insurance, and the American Heart Association notes that many smoking cessation programs are as well.

The Takeaway

  • To gain weight safely with GERD, focus on consuming calorie-rich foods that don't trigger your symptoms, and consider eating smaller, more frequent meals.
  • High-fiber foods such as oatmeal, brown rice, and broccoli are beneficial as they rarely exacerbate GERD symptoms, providing essential nutrients and helping manage reflux.
  • Lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol, can aid in managing GERD and may also support more effective weight gain.
  • For personalized dietary advice and a comprehensive management plan, consult a registered dietitian.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Sarah Pflugradt

Sarah Pflugradt, PhD, RDN, CSCS

Author

Sarah Pflugradt is a registered dietitian, human performance and family nutrition expert, writer, author, editor, and nutrition advocate. She is a sought-after expert in food and nutrition, offering content and advice. Skilled in health communications, she translates the science of nutrition into actionable and realistic recommendations in her role as a professor, editor, human performance educator, and media dietitian.

In her spare time, you’ll find her running while listening to her favorite podcasts, attending her kids’ sports events, or cooking up something delicious in the kitchen.

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Resources
  1. Acid Reflux / GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). American College of Gastroenterology.
  2. GERD Diet: Foods That Help with Acid Reflux (Heartburn). Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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  4. 9 at-home treatments for acid reflux. Harvard Health Publishing. May 22, 2023.
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