Acid Reflux, Eat better.

Except if you have a birth defect in your digestive tract or an acquired special disease, you must not suffer from GERD.

It is one of the foods born diseases costing a heavy burden in the western world and starting in developing countries.

GERD is unknown in the population used of the Mediterranean diet and other plant-based diets.

Folate rich plant-based diet treats GERD and weight gain.

The GERD (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease) is a side effect of poor western eating, the most suspicious being the so-called “junk food”.

It has now reached a critical level, sugary fatty and salty processed food continue to invade groceries and fast-food restaurants.

There are numerous pills to block acid secretion with different side effects on your metabolism.

Nutritional plan to reduce acidity reflux.

It is important to realize how the acid secretion is the key to eat and use the food to maintain your health. The most reliable way to improve digestion is to use an organic plant-based diet.

There are different paths to reach the goal

 1/Eliminating processed food.

Allergy and intolerance to processed foods are the number one factor of acid reflux.

The general treatment is to avoid all foods you know giving you any burning sign.

The consistency of the meal has to be thick enough to not be regurgitated, especially in the 6 hours before sleeping.

For example, add oatmeal to smoothies, chose steamed cooked vegetables to salads, avoid fried vegetables. Avoid French fries, chips, donuts, etc.

Consider baked sweet potatoes or yam, steamed potatoes instead of bread

Eat poached or grilled fish as frequent as possible

Avoid all kind of mayonnaise-like sauces or anything with fat, and eggs, and added sugar.

Avoid all carbonated drinks.

Drink frequently water and herbal teas.

It is better to avoid caffeine from coffee and teas, but you can have serious reflux and tolerate caffeine.

Caffeine is irritating the digestive mucosa, and relax the sphincters but is not directly stimulating the acid secretion as do sugar and fat.

This is a very general presentation.

There are some individual sensitivities that contribute to more personal symptoms you must consult a professional to avoid wrongdoing.

According to Gastroenterology and Hepatology societies, no studies have been able to conclude that caffeine is a definitive trigger for GERD symptoms.

Many different studies have demonstrated the effects of poor folate diet linked to digestive sickness and more if it is not corrected.

Eating a plant-based diet has always shown healthy improvement. It is interesting to see studies from poor countries with good medical level showing excellent results with enough vegetables in the nutrition. The Buddha bowls are very popular in countries without obesity and GERD.

Eat small portions five times a day for a few weeks

If you take antacid pills :

Get enough iron and folate from your food during your treatment. It is well documented now how anti-acid treatments are interfering in the reabsorption of nutrients, creating an insufficiency in the vitamin B group, which is difficult to diagnose by standard procedure.

Ask your doctor if you feel depressed, it can be low-level of folate.

Example of food schedule:

Waking up:

I glass of warm water before anything, adding a fresh lemon juice can help to create an alkaline reaction and prevent acid secretion.

Breakfast

Getting ready to work, take oatmeal, instant packages with boiling water and add fruits you like: mango, pineapple, berries, kiwis.

It is better to add savory food like eggs, marinated fish like herrings, anchovies, mackerel to start the day with umami taste and avoid sugar.

Drink less than a pint of good coffee with low acidity 100% Arabica, avoid all robusta coffees rich in caffeine with a high acidity

10am

Tea with a snack you like.

Lunch: Poached fish with spinach, broccoli or any steamed vegetable.

5 pm

Again have tea and a pleasant snack. It is good to eat some raw nuts ( Not oil and salt-roasted)

Dinner:

If in society take again a fish and veggies, try to not drink more than one glass of wine or beer and don’t take dessert with a high level of sugar and fat.

If at home: have a home-made soup or if you buy it watch out for sugar, fat sodium and additives on the ingredient list. You can add instant oat to make it thicker. Oat contains healing nutrients, useful to regulate acid secretion.

.

In conclusion :

Try to drink half a gallon of liquids a day:

2 pints of tea a day, complete with water. Nut milk is good in general if unsweetened.

Do not eat more than two fruits

Avoid juice from concentrate and soda.

It is better to avoid beer and wines when you start don’t take more than 1 pint of beer, wine or any alcoholic beverage if you are in a social dinner.

If you take chicken, be sure to get it organic.

Try to eat fish almost every day.

Eat meat as a treat, when you are in good company. Eat oatmeal every time you feel a burning heart; this may help you to get a better digestive tract in months.

It may take some weeks to decrease the pills, then a few months to be pill free when you have changed your lifestyle.

In my experience when people were upset by a gain of weight or a GERD, treating one of the 2 was in a few weeks treating both.

Have a question?

---

GERD References:

Can We Use Diet to Effectively Treat Esophageal Disease? A Review of the Current Literature.

Newberry C1, Lynch K2. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2017 Aug;19(8):38.

Foods Inducing Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms in Korea

Jung Wan Choe, Moon Kyung Joo, Hyo Jung Kim, Beom Jae Lee, Ji Hoon Kim, Jong Eun Yeon, Jong-Jae Park, Jae Seon Kim, Kwan Soo Byun, and Young-Tae Bak*

J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2017 Jul; 23(3): 363–369.