One of the most effective lifestyle changes you can make to prevent the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is to ensure your diet and eating habits do not trigger symptoms. “In fact, dietary change may be all that is necessary in people with infrequent and mild GERD,” says Dr. Lawrence S. Friedman, chair of the Department of Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Newton-Wellesley Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. People with more frequent or severe GERD, he