Trigger Me This: The Challenge of GERD Trigger Foods

One of the challenges of managing GERD is knowing your triggers.  If only there was a fool-proof guide!  From my own experience, and from what I've read, triggers are different for everyone.  And, sometimes, what will be a trigger varies from day to day.  

For me, I can usually tolerate chocolate and caffeinated teas after eating other foods.  Lately, I've been drinking a high quality green tea (sencha) around 10:30 AM with no problem -- in fact, my whole body feels great afterwards!  A few months ago, any green tea would not work out.  I don't know what has changed to allow my body to tolerate green tea again.   Tomatoes and onions don't bother me at all, but processed sweets (packaged cookies, supermarket cupcakes) can instantly flare up my reflux.  Yet, the famous Berger cookie -- a processed "cult cookie" from Baltimore -- does not trigger anything.  Drinking water or any liquid too fast usually results in the "food in throat" feeling, like literally water is sloshing up to the middle of my esophagus.    

With all these possibilities and sometimes contradictions, I was interested to read a thread on CafeMom discussing GERD triggers.  I am interested to know what other people can eat or avoid -- and how variable this situation is for all of us.  

From the CafeMom thread, here are the items that trigger GERD -- and don't:

TRIGGER FOODS

Cilantro

Red pepper

Fatty foods

Really cold water

Chocolate

Banana

Carbs

High sodium foods during or after dinner

NON-TRIGGERS

Orange juice

Tomato

Raw vegetables 

Eating small portions

Vegan diet

Aloe

Baking soda (as a heartburn relief)