Dieting for the Lactose Intolerant and Acid Reflux-ers

half_moon

Hey guys!

So I know there have already been a few "I can't eat enough calories!" threads, but I thought I'd throw this one out there for anybody in my position.

I am ridiculously lactose intolerant (I swear my body does not produce an ounce of lactase) and I also have horrible heart burn/acid reflux problems. This means no tea, cheese, yogurt, milk (though I DO love me some almond milk), coffee, oranges, grapefruit, orange juice, tomatoes, onions, spicy foods, most nuts, avocados-- SERIOUSLY. The list goes on and on. I rely on turkey and eggs for protein and my acid reflux seriously cuts into the yummy higher calorie fruits and nuts I could be eating.

I've tried all of the medicine for heart burn and lactose intolerance. It helps somewhat, but not enough to make it worth dealing with. My purse is pretty much filled with Lactaid and PepCid, etc. I'd like to just avoid this completely!

Anybody with these issues have any suggestions on things I can include to my diet to raise my caloric intake while avoiding painful stomach/acid reflux issues?

Oddly enough, though nuts can cause heartburn, almond milk does not affect me. So YAY! [/ramble]

dnish53

Have you been to your doctor about the acid reflux? If not you need to get there as soon as you can. After suffering from it for a year and taking over the counter meds I finally saw my doctor. Because I didn't go when I should have the acid reflux is now more serious and I have Barrett's esphogus. Prescription pills work so much better, and losing weight has also helped the situation to where I can now have all of the things you said you couldn't ear.

half_moon

Redtango76

Dnish53 is right... I have this problem too and so does my mother . My mother waited for years to see a doc and as a result has Barrett's esophagus . I learned from her and saw a doctor quickly . RX meds are higher strength and way more effective. I'm sorry your suffering it does get better with treatment.

vijitjain

There is an excellent site who provide home remedies to tackle problems such as lactose intolerance. You can try their remedies. The suggestions are natural, home based and so there's no harm trying them out.
https://www.gasrelief.com

Their approach is to bring back your digestive system to as much normal as possible so that all digestion related ailments such as lactose intolerance, gas problems and acidity etc all can be managed.

Good luck!

nickyrobinson

My husband is the same (acid reflux and lactose intolerant). We found this book that was actually incredibly helpful, as some of the standard advice on what to foods to eat and what to avoid isn't great:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Acid-Reflux-Solution-Lifestyle/dp/1607742276/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342168554&sr=8-3&keywords=acid+reflux+diet

crimson_seven

My mom and I both have acid reflux. but mine is not quite as severe as hers or yours. We both take omeprazole for it and it works really well. It is expensive but it does not require a prescription.

twixpop

HI!
I'm new to this but saw this post and had to respond. I, too, have both acid reflux (GERD) and am severly lactose intolerant. It makes eating so difficult. I either eat pb&j sandwiches all the time and meat or cereal (w/ lactose free milk). I take an RX for the GERD but am serverly allergic to lactaid pills. Anyway, I've gained some weight and want to lose it but it's so hard since there is like nothing I can eat. Any suggestions would be helpful.

h822

For GERD, you might want to google "low acid diet food database" to choose low acid food. For lactose intolerance, google "lactose content of foods".

Nan_

I have acid reflux too and take prilosec twice a day. Oddly enough my reflux has been acting up the last couple of days but I'm thinking it might be the starch/sugars in the bananas.

I eat chicken and lean ground turkey and turkey ham for my meat meals for dinner. Sometimes I eat pork loin chops too. However I like to have non-meat meals too.

If I make a casserole I use 98% fat free chicken soup. I can eat teriyaki chicken with rice, beef stroganoff (I use lean ground turkey instead and the 98% fat free soup). Sometimes I can eat tacos and I use soft tortillas and ground turkey. I make a quiche with eggs and Bisquick baking mix, turkey bacon and cheese (but have to be careful with cheese).

I seem to be able to eat salads o.k. and I use fat free dressing. I can eat lean lunch meats for a sandwich or just for a protein. Breakfast is either oatmeal or cereal with fat free milk. Strawberries seem to bother me, and I'm thinking the banana bothers me too, at least if I eat it every day. Pears, peaches, apples and melons seem to be o.k.

clee369

Strangely enough my acid reflux has caused me a serious choking problem, one that I've had since I was young little boy. I just happen to get food stuck in my esophagus every once in a while and have to throw up to get it out. This happens like once every few months. Anyways I'm on prescription strength Zantac for my acid reflux and it works wonders. I can eat everything that would give me reflux. However I would recommend the paleo diet in your case. Might work really well for you

clynissa

I know this thread is old but I wanted to add my two cents in case others looking for help are on this page. Most of what I've learned is based off of my own self diagnosis, lots of research, things I've tracked and finally finding a doctor that listens and looks at my whole being not just interested in giving me a pill <-- which is not healthy long term. Heartburn can be caused by many things and if you're having issues I would encourage pursuing an elimination diet to figure out if there is a food you're intolerant to. I've also read about the possibility of too low of acid in the stomach - Dr Brownstein is a good reference for this - in his book he talks about having several patients in for heartburn issues and in the ones with altered levels of acid all but one was actually LOW in acid. I have his book, here is a link to the book that I read http://www.drbrownstein.com/Drugs-that-Don-t-Work-Natural-Therapies-That-Do-p/naturalt.htm. Another area to look at is stress. I don't feel like I'm stressed so this was a hard one to wrap my head around. I've noticed that when I can confirm I'm 'stressed' my heartburn is worse. When I backtrack to when my heartburn issue started I realized I started a new job (which I was told by others in the field was a stressful position), and I found out that we had to go through fertility treatments. Lately my heartburn has been flaring up again and I have events happening that I know are stressful. Just something to consider. Managing that stress is still something I need to work on. And for the heck of it - get your hormones tested. If your hormones are off balance it can cause stress and many other symptoms you might find are related. I found a nurse practitioner in a local doctor's office that did it and it was covered under insurance - I encourage holistic health but it's not always feasible as it tends to not be covered. Good Luck!!

Aigul2014

hi,

I have exactly the same. And lately I started thinking that the Lact-Aid pills actually cause GERD with me.
So, after the latest GERD attack this morning, which happened right after I finished Lactose-free yogurt with Lact-aid pills, I have decided to stop eating yogurts and Lact-aid all together. It is not worth it and i spend so much money on all these pills that I have to carry around at all times! I have googled and found non-dairy sources of calcium - collards, spinach and sardines. That's what I am gonna eat from now on. Hope this idea helps.