GERD diet?

[Maccarena]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and I'm stunned by all the good free information! So I decided to jump right in and start my first thread.

I've been suffering from reocurring heartburn for over two months now. It does not occur often, so I decided not to go the doctor yet and try to change my eating habits first as I read that changing your dietary habits is a very important factor in overcoming acid reflux. The diet I stumbled upon is called GERD diet (found it here) and suggests to prevent all acidic and fatty foods.

Has anybody tried this kind of diet yet and did it work?

Liv

Edited by Maccarena - 12/15/11 at 3:13pm

[tifpaul]

I just saw this

http://www.ruthsrealfood.com/2011/11/can-apple-cider-vinegar-treat-your-gerd.html

[Mom2SammyJoe]

I also suffer from heartburn. When I finally went to the dr. a few years ago, he did an endoscopy to look at my stomach and esophagus. I have a hiatial hernia, so the top of my stomach bulges up through my diaphragm, when the esophagus comes through. This was good information to know. Sometimes I will still have heartburn no matter what I do. It is just how I am built.

I have learned what works for me, so I will share some of that here.

If I gain weight, it gets worse. If I keep my weight down, it is much better. I was able to be off of my reflux meds for over a year. About the time I entered the 2nd trimester of this pregnancy, I had to go back on them because nothing I did was helping. Increased weight (or a baby) puts pressure on my stomach and makes that hernia worse, allowing stomach acid to go up the esophagus.

My symptoms are always worse at night. I take a once-a-day pill, and I learned that I do better taking it in the afternoon, an hour or 2 before dinner, than in the morning. This way it is working at its best when I lay down at night and need it the most.

It really helps me to not eat for at least 2 hours before laying down for the night.

Certain foods bother me more than others. I just can't do coffee with caffeine these days, though a small amount of decaf with cream doesn't seem to bother me. Soda also really bothers my stomach.

Acidic and fatty foods can be bothersome, but I am more likely to make sure to take my meds than to completely avoid them forever

I don't really know if this helps, but it is my experience from the past  7 years or so. I guess a big point is that it can be really good to know what is wrong so that you can treat yourself properly.

[pandd06]

I was diagnosed with GERD after throwing up for 30 weeks of my PG. I started looking into a GERD diet over life-long Zantac when I discovered that I had become lactose intolerant (well, more like lactose sensitive). I gave up drinking cow's milk and I almost never get reflux anymore. I am still able to consume fermented dairy. While I know that most people will not have such an easy fix, I figured it was worth mentioning. GL!