I have to go on a GERD diet (1 Viewer)

[timschochet]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

 

[ChiefD]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Make sure you keep us posted with all of your thoughts, frustrations, questions....etc.

 

[the moops]

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Second opinion

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Gerd diet draft

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Did he prescribe Nexium or omeprazole to reduce acid production? Or were you already taking either of these or something similar? I take Nexium and avoid many of the foods listed, although not all of them. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in my 20's.

 

[msudaisy26]

I would start a political forum.

 

[Juxtatarot]

Perhaps you’ll be able to have some of these things “in moderation” over time?

Regardless, you’ll be able to find things you’ll like. And your tastes will adapt. Use it as an opportunity to clean up your diet.

 

[timschochet]

Did he prescribe Nexium or omeprazole to reduce acid production? Or were you already taking either of these or something similar? I take Nexium and avoid many of the foods listed, although not all of them. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in my 20's.

Yeah I’m about to be prescribed something. I think Nexium

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Yeah I’m about to be prescribed something. I think Nexium

Nexium has been very helpful for me.

 

[Scoresman]

I need to look into this. I mostly get silent reflux which means you don't get the heartburn pain, but can get sore throats, light-headedness, and sinus congestion all from acid getting all up in there.

 

[Don Quixote]

Yeah I’m about to be prescribed something. I think Nexium

Nexium has been very helpful for me.

I’m on Nexium as well. It has been helpful for me too.

Most of my issues are at night. I also bought a wedge pillow to sleep on.

 

[SWC]

maybe you could write a story compendium about it called mr ishidas book store part ii mr ishidas tummy sore take that to the bank bromigo

 

[MTskibum]

I have gerd/hiatal hernia.

I bought a tilting bed and that helped quite a bit. I do notice that both chocolate and caffeine can trigger it. Where as: salsa, onions, and tomatoes do not trigger it.

I am currently taking 40mg of ppi's, however I hope to drop it to 20mg and also add some famotidine. I am only 40 and do not want to be on ppi's my whole life if i can try other fixes however in the past when reducing my ppi dosage i get flareups that are pretty bad.

 

[brun]

Always listen to your doctor.
FWIW, I saw significant improvement by reducing processed carbs, not eating late at night.
I still eat plenty of onions & salsa. I also have a spoonful of apple cider vinegar a couple times a week.

 

[rockaction]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Sorry to hear this. I also have GERD from years of heavy drinking. My esophageal wall has hardened, and I'm a cancer risk now. Have to get endoscopies every five or so years. I'm overdue as of now.

I don't have any symptoms anymore since I quit the drink, so I have no remedies to give you other than sympathy about your plight and your diet, tim.

 

[Sleestak]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Plant-based diet, Tim. And for the rest of you gents, too.

 

[Doug B]

I need to look into this. I mostly get silent reflux which means you don't get the heartburn pain, but can get sore throats, light-headedness, and sinus congestion all from acid getting all up in there.

Did not know this. Would explain some things.

I don't get heartburn pain either, but let me eat some fried chicken an hour before going to sleep ... yowza!

 

[Doug B]

Plant-based diet, Tim. And for the rest of you gents, too.

Avatar does ... NOT ... check out ... ? Or is a Sleestak not a plant?

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

Did he prescribe Nexium or omeprazole to reduce acid production? Or were you already taking either of these or something similar? I take Nexium and avoid many of the foods listed, although not all of them. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in my 20's.

Yeah I’m about to be prescribed something. I think Nexium

I take Omeprazole - it's available over the counter, but since it's prescribed, I'm getting it for a lot less.

store - Walmart generic: 20mg caps (42 count) for $15 (take 2 a day)

prescription w/insurance: 40mg caps (90 count) for $8.76 ...sweet

works great - haven't had a problem in a long time.

 

[Scoresman]

I need to look into this. I mostly get silent reflux which means you don't get the heartburn pain, but can get sore throats, light-headedness, and sinus congestion all from acid getting all up in there.

Did not know this. Would explain some things.

I don't get heartburn pain either, but let me eat some fried chicken an hour before going to sleep ... yowza!

I was diagnosed with this right when the pandemic started, so I was going nuts testing myself for the constant congestion, sore throat, etc.

 

[SWC]

tim in all seriousness i hope you are ok and get better fast take that to the bank bromeister

 

[timschochet]

tim in all seriousness i hope you are ok and get better fast take that to the bank bromeister

Thanks. Hey it’s not something life threatening, I can deal with it. Just hate that all my favorite foods and spices are suddenly on the no no list. Take lemons- I’ve been putting lemons on everything my entire life!!

 

[urbanhack]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

good. it's better to treat the cause rather than mask the symptoms with prescription meds.

 

[Clown Car]

I went off coke to see if it helped. I was hoping it wouldn’t but it did by a lot. You should see great improvement just from that alone. Good luck.

 

[zamboni]

I’m having acid reflux problems so my doctor is prescribing me a new diet. Everything I love is being taken away from me: lemons, vinegar, onions, tomatoes, salsa, caffeine, carbonated drinks, dairy, chocolate.

I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Plant-based diet, Tim. And for the rest of you gents, too.

Given his survival in the Land of the Lost, I'd listen to this guy.

 

[urbanhack]

I went off coke to see if it helped. I was hoping it wouldn’t but it did by a lot. You should see great improvement just from that alone. Good luck.

This and dairy.

 

[belljr]

Had it for years, actually rushed myself to hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack the pain was so severe.

I still have coffee and bad foods but try to limit fried, spicy, soda as much as possible

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

tim in all seriousness i hope you are ok and get better fast take that to the bank bromeister

Thanks. Hey it’s not something life threatening, I can deal with it. Just hate that all my favorite foods and spices are suddenly on the no no list. Take lemons- I’ve been putting lemons on everything my entire life!!

Or you could try all the things that your doctor said not to take, one at a time, to see if there is any impact. Some will have your condition flare up, some will have mild symptoms and some will have no impact. The doctor will tell you everything that can be bad, not is bad in your case......
Maybe the medication allows you to continue taking some of these foods as well.

Not a doctor, but why deprive yourself of some joys if you dont have to

 

[SWC]

what if you just hit the hell out the gerd with a cocktail of ghost pepper jalapenos double lemons super salsa extra strength vinegar expreso coffee and triple fizzy soda and blasted the gerd right into space i am just sayin it could work take that to the bank brohans

 

[BigJim®]

I have not changed my diet at all. I took omep for a few months with minimal help and then was prescribed Flovent spray in addition which has resolved my symptoms - though I'm not sure what happens when my Flovent ends.

 

[PIK95]

Cold Brew Coffee is your friend. Cut all bread, dough, tomatoes, and most alcohol. I got to Barrett's Syndrome before I turned it around. It's no joke.

 

[AAABatteries]

Had it for years, actually rushed myself to hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack the pain was so severe.

I still have coffee and bad foods but try to limit fried, spicy, soda as much as possible

Fried spicy soda sounds disgusting - good thing you are limiting it.

Good luck Timmy.

 

[The General]

This sounds horrible. Good luck and best wishes.

 

[rustycolts]

Did he prescribe Nexium or omeprazole to reduce acid production? Or were you already taking either of these or something similar? I take Nexium and avoid many of the foods listed, although not all of them. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in my 20's.

Yeah I’m about to be prescribed something. I think Nexium

I take omeprazole once a day and eat whatever I want. Jalapeños fear me and you can't make chicken wings too hot.

 

[Scoresman]

A little Pepto mixed in with sauces and chili helps too. Helps make my Bolognese that much silkier.

 

[BrutalPenguin]

I take Omeprazole 3 times a week and eat whatever I want. Every year or so I try stopping just to see if the gurd comes back. It always does.

 

[Corporation]

I need to look into this. I mostly get silent reflux which means you don't get the heartburn pain, but can get sore throats, light-headedness, and sinus congestion all from acid getting all up in there.

I have this as well, he said about 20% of people don't show the symptoms.

 

[timschochet]

Cold Brew Coffee is your friend. Cut all bread, dough, tomatoes, and most alcohol. I got to Barrett's Syndrome before I turned it around. It's no joke.

Oh come on. Nobody said anything about bread.

 

[Dwayne Hoover]

I have same thing GERD/hiatal hernia
Those pills will help. Its tough thinking about giving up coffee, I cant do it myself. Its been fine once on the pills.
I watch the spicy food I eat but also love it, I haven't given it up completely.
I don't drink soda at all, that was an easy one and try not to overdrink alcohol

 

[Cowboysfan8]

I went from getting heartburn/reflux from almost everything almost every day to finally talking to my Dr and getting a scrip for 20mg of pantaprazole once a day and rarely having any problems. I take famotidine for symptoms once in a blue moon.

Life changing

 

[Terminalxylem]

tim in all seriousness i hope you are ok and get better fast take that to the bank bromeister

Thanks. Hey it’s not something life threatening, I can deal with it. Just hate that all my favorite foods and spices are suddenly on the no no list. Take lemons- I’ve been putting lemons on everything my entire life!!

Or you could try all the things that your doctor said not to take, one at a time, to see if there is any impact. Some will have your condition flare up, some will have mild symptoms and some will have no impact. The doctor will tell you everything that can be bad, not is bad in your case......
Maybe the medication allows you to continue taking some of these foods as well.

Not a doctor, but why deprive yourself of some joys if you dont have to

Most of the GERD dietary recs are based on limited evidence, from small, poorly designed studies. I wouldn’t take any of them as gospel, but there may be some value in sequentially holding some of the possible contributors, to see how it impacts your symptoms.

If you find a trigger food/beverage, you may be able to shorten them time you take acid suppression. PPIs like Nexium are some of the most widely (over)prescribed medications, and not without potential for adverse effects. Even if they help your symptoms, it’s recommended to try and wean off them after 8 weeks.

American College of Gastroenterology GERD guidelines

Diet and Lifestyle Changes​

Common recommendations include weight loss for overweight patients, elevating the head of the bed, tobacco and alcohol cessation, avoidance of late night meals and bedtime snacks, staying upright during and after meals, and cessation of foods that potentially aggravate reflux symptoms such as coffee, chocolate, carbonated beverages, spicy foods, acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes, and foods with high fat content [28]. Supporting data for these recommendations are limited and variable, often involving only small and uncontrolled studies, and rarely as the only intervention, making interpretation and definitive recommendations difficult. However, multiple studies, including several randomized controlled trials, have demonstrated improvement in nocturnal GERD symptoms and nocturnal esophageal acid exposure with head of bed elevation or sleeping on a wedge. Also, compared to lying left-side down, lying right-side down increases nocturnal reflux and reflux after meals, presumably because right-sided recumbency places the EGJ in a dependent position relative to the pool of gastric contents that favors reflux [29, 30].Thus, patients might be advised to avoid sleeping right side down [31-34].

Several studies have evaluated the effects of various foods on LES pressure to try to determine which items might lead to GERD. In laboratory studies, coffee, caffeine, citrus, and spicy food had little to no effect on LES pressure [35, 36]. However, some of these items might have irritant effects that could evoke GERD symptoms without influencing reflux. Alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, chocolate, peppermint, and high-fat foods do reduce LES pressure in the laboratory, but few studies document the benefits of avoiding these foods and practices. Smoking cessation was shown to improve GERD symptoms in a large cohort study [37]. Patients in a smoking cessation study had GERD symptoms measured by validated questionnaire, and those who successfully quit smoking for a year had 44% improvement in GERD symptoms, compared to 18% in those who continued to smoke [38].

A recent paper, using data collected from the prospective Nurses Health Study, evaluated women without a known history of GERD for the impact of coffee, tea, soda, milk, water and juice on reflux symptoms. Six servings of coffee, tea, and soda were associated with increased reflux symptoms compared to zero servings per day. In contrast, milk and juice were not associated with increased reflux symptoms, despite the acidic nature of some of these beverages [39]. Substituting water for two servings of coffee, tea and soda was associated with a decrease in GERD symptoms, suggesting that substitution of water for these beverages might be helpful in the management of GERD.

The timing of food intake can also affect GERD symptoms. A short interval (<3 hours) between eating and bedtime or lying supine is associated with increased GERD symptoms and need for medication [40]. Weight gain has been associated with new onset of GERD symptoms [41], even in those with a normal BMI at baseline. Obesity increases the risk of GERD, possibly due to a combination of eating a diet high in fat and other foods that promote reflux, increased intra-abdominal pressure that promotes reflux due to increased intra-abdominal fat, and physiologic changes induced by products of visceral fat [42]. Several studies have examined the role of weight and weight loss on GERD. A population-based study in Norway assessed weight and GERD symptoms at baseline and 10 years later, and identified a dose-dependent improvement in GERD symptoms with weight loss [43]. Prospective and cohort studies also have shown improvement in GERD with weight loss. One study documented a 40% reduction in frequent GERD symptoms in women who reduced their BMI by 3.5 or more compared with controls [44]. A meta-analysis suggests that weight loss in overweight patients, avoidance of eating prior to going to sleep, and smoking cessation are effective in relief of GERD symptoms [45].

 

[Clown Car]

Do any of you fellow gerd sufferers have weird vocal problems? I’m phlegmy and I can’t yell or shout or sing. I sound like I have been smoking two packs a day for forty years. Has anyone dealt with that? Fixed it?

 

[Terminalxylem]

Do any of you fellow gerd sufferers have weird vocal problems? I’m phlegmy and I can’t yell or shout or sing. I sound like I have been smoking two packs a day for forty years. Has anyone dealt with that? Fixed it?

You likely have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), a condition related to, and often co-existing with GERD. Whereas GERD is due to dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (band of muscle which keeps stomach contents/acid from flowing back into/irritating the esophagus), LPR is caused by dysfunction of the upper esophageal sphincter, allowing secretions/GI contents to irritate the vocal cords.

Treatment is basically the same as GERD, including lifestyle modification, acid blockade and possibly surgery. An otolaryngologist (ENT) should stick a laryngoscope down your throat to ensure nothing else is going on, particularly if you have risk for laryngeal cancer (smoking, excessive drinking, HPV).

 

[Dickies]

I wasn't exactly diagnosed with GERD, but last year I was diagnosed with EoE which has a lot of the same symptoms. There was evidence of long term acid reflux, so I was put on daily omeprazole for around 6 months until I could get things under control. Maybe that means I have GERD, but my GI doc said he suspects the acid reflux was caused by the EoE.

In any case, I was on an elimination diet where I cut out dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, nuts, seafood, corn and meat. When I was told the list of food groups I had to cut out I honestly thought my life was over since I'm a bit of a foodie, but once I got into it I actually found it pretty fun to make adjustments to my favorite dishes to keep them compliant with the new diet. Eventually I was put on medication since the reintroduction of foods did not go as well as planned, but I'm now back on the elimination diet by choice since I don't feel like the medication is doing wonders for my body.

My GI doctor also said that spicy and acidic foods really do not cause acid reflux or any esophageal damage. I specifically asked because I love very spicy food and would routinely add ghost pepper flakes to my food while I was in the healing process.

 

[Phil Elliott]

FWIW - MIL had "the GERD" for a few years. Turned out to be a slowly failing gall bladder which she had removed last year. No more GERD.

 

[SWC]

Do any of you fellow gerd sufferers have weird vocal problems? I’m phlegmy and I can’t yell or shout or sing. I sound like I have been smoking two packs a day for forty years. Has anyone dealt with that? Fixed it?

i have this from my lipotor it makes my nose always stuffy and now when i try to sing to myself in the car it is horrible of course my lady told me long before lipotor that my singing was like a car crash so i guess not a lot has changed up in here take that to the bank brohanista