Introduction  

Have you ever felt that your food betrayed you, causing you to reach for antacids or hold your chest halfway through dessert?

That searing, occasionally discomforting feeling at the table might point to two quite different problems: gastritis or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 

While GERD is most commonly associated with chest pain–otherwise known as heartburn–there is also a type of “silent GERD” that can present as a chronic cough that refuses to resolve. Gastritis symptoms are slightly different. It can feel like a knot, burning, or gnawing sensation just below your ribs. GERD generally appears higher in the chest – it burns behind the breastbone, like someone lighting a match under your sternum. The two conditions can occur simultaneously, but they generally don’t cause pain in the same spot.

Scientifically, gastritis is inflammation of the stomach’s inner lining while GERD – often casually referred to as chronic “acid reflux” or chronic “heartburn” – is all about stomach contents incorrectly flowing backwards past a weak lower esophageal sphincter. It’s a door left ajar, not a vat of acid suddenly boiling over. 

Foods That Contribute to Heartburn

Determining Gastritis vs. GERD.

How GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) Really Works

When the gatekeeper muscle (the lower esophageal sphincter) ceases to function, GERD — also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease — occurs as a result. That feeling of acid making contact with the esophageal lining generates the characteristic burning sensation, the “fire in the chest” people associate with heartburn.

Not limited to the classic fire-in-the-chest presentation, GERD tends to wander off-script. As mentioned earlier, it sometimes shows up as a nagging cough that refuses to quit, a hoarse voice that sounds borrowed, a throat left raw for no obvious reason, or a bad taste in the mouth every morning. Some people mention feeling like food stalls halfway down, or like an odd lump or blockage that isn’t really there. 

Unfortunately, while GERD can seem like an innocent, minor annoyance – it can have major long-term consequences if left untreated. Over time, esophageal tissue can become damaged, potentially resulting in a condition called Barrett’s esophagus, where the lining restructures to become more similar to that of the stomach. This condition is considered precancerous, so it’s important to stay on top of your GERD treatment.

Compounding the problem, long-term use of some of the medications used to target GERD can result in other problems, such as low stomach acid, nutritional deficiencies, and microbiome imbalances. It is one reason why we are passionate about using nutrition to help support the body and reduce symptoms.

Also read: The 10 Foods Most Likely To Flare Your GERD

What Gastritis Really Means

Gastritis develops when something damages the stomach lining. Nausea after a bite, bloating without reason, that gnawing feeling in your stomach refusing to quit—these symptoms can mark its presence. Behind those symptoms lurks an inflammatory response, and acid becoming corrosive against tissue it was meant to protect. 

Mild cases can resolve once the trigger is removed. However, left unchecked, gastritis can result in ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, and while rare, even malignancy.

Also Read: Our 7-day Gastritis Reset

What Sets Them Apart

GERD Causes

Root causes can vary. Here are some common ones:

• Meals that are too big. Picture your stomach as luggage crammed to bursting—the zipper finally gives, and acid is what spills out.
• Hiatal hernia. Part of the stomach sneaks up through the diaphragm, throwing off the natural plumbing.
• Pregnancy hormones. Muscles everywhere slacken, and the lower esophageal sphincter—already unreliable—decides to nap.
• Connective tissue disorders. With conditions like scleroderma, the very framework of the body betrays its own mechanics.
• Gastroparesis. Food lingers too long, pressure stacks up, and reflux occurs more often.
• Diet and Lifestyle. Habits like cigarettes, bottomless mugs of coffee, or greasy midnight pizza straight from the box. Nicotine and caffeine loosen the sphincter as if conspiring together.

Gastritis Causes 

Some of the biggest offenders are:

• H. pylori bacteria (a pylori infection that’s more common than you think)
• Long term use of painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen.
• Heavy alcohol consumption that wears down the stomach lining.
• Age – the older we get, the more fragile that lining becomes.
• Chronic stress or rough lifestyle habits.
• Autoimmune disorders where your own immune system attacks the stomach.
• Aggressive treatments like radiation for cancer

Treatment Approaches

Most of the time, initial GERD treatment involves adjusting the small daily routines that quietly complicate things – and potentially adding medication if the fundamentals won’t do the trick. 

GERD Treatment

GERD is one of those conditions that feeds off routine choices. The treatment playbook isn’t mysterious, but it does ask for some discipline.

• Eating smaller portions. Large meals press on your stomach and essentially plunge so much acid up there that it begins playing around.
• Skipping known triggers. Some of the strongest offenders include greasy, spicy, or fatty foods, as well as caffeine, carbonated drinks, and alcohol.
• Watching your weight. Even losing a small amount of excess weight will make that pressure feeling around your gut come off.
• You should not lay down flat for at least three hours after eating. Lying on the couch at dinner is almost guaranteed to encourage acid reflux. Consider going for a walk after your meals.
• Elevating your bed. Elevating your bed by only a few inches can stop midnight acid reflux from ambushing you while you are asleep.
• Giving up smoking. Smoking causes your valve that is supposed to close off your stomach to relax, and that’s when GERD strikes.
• Eating Before Bed. Try to eat 4 hours before sleep to let the food settle before lying down.
• Certain supplements – such as anti-inflammatory or soothing herbs, and probiotics can also be beneficial.

If such adjustments won’t do the trick, medications such as proton pump inhibitors or H2 blockers are often the next step. Ideally, these medications are only used short-term in conjunction with diet and lifestyle changes to prevent other side effects from developing. 

Gastritis Treatment

The fixes depend on what’s stirring the trouble:

• Anti-acid medication, including proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can be used to soothe the stomach lining.
• Avoiding Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• If H. pylori bacteria is the culprit, antibiotics may be required.

• A change in diet – avoiding similar offenders to that of GERD such as alcohol, caffeine, fatty and spicy foods .
• Supplements such as anti-inflammatory or soothing herbs and probiotics can be used here too.

In some cases, severe or persistent issues can occur – blood in the vomit, black stool, or sharp pain in the left side of the abdomen. Endoscopy or physical examination can be used to confirm the diagnosis and exclude complications such as stomach ulcers or bleeding.

How Can A Sarah Lynn Dietitian Help?

Digestive disorders are tricky because what looks like “just indigestion” may actually be a chronic condition like GERD or gastritis. When poor dietary habits that you may not have even known were quietly sabotaging you result in negative digestive symptoms, a skilled dietitian will work to find healthy substitutes – ways to work around the problem using empowering, individualized nutrition. A registered dietitian can hunt for the precise culprits behind your flare-ups, and translate dietary changes into a plan that actually matches the way you live.