Acid Reflux Problem, Looking for advice.

benjaminpatt
benjaminpatt Posts: 1 Member
edited March 7 in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everybody,

I have a problem where I am getting an acidic stomach after eating, I would love to know if any out there is having the same problems and knows how to put a stop to it. I cant pin point when it started but I've been to the doctors numerous times, had a gastroscopy blood tests for gluten intolerance and even been put on acid reducing pills (omeprazole) which I don't want to on for the rest of my life.

I avoid refined sugar but eat fruit, I feel I have a pretty clean diet. I am 5'9" and weigh 69kgs and reasonably fit.I thought I might have been was gluten intolerant but I get acid reflux from gluten free rice and oats. Here is a list of some foods that trigger my acidic stomach white & brown bread, white & brown rice, oats, legumes, crackers basically I feel as though it might be a starch intolerance or something similar, I feel that dairy doesn't effect as I drink two cups of instant coffee a day with a small amount of milk which has no effect. If I am intolerant to some form of starch could someone give me a little more information on what I should be avoiding.

I have had no luck with the doctor so hopefully someone has experienced something similar to me and can steer me in the right direction.


Thanks in advance

Ben

Replies

  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    You can always do an elimination diet to figure out all the food triggers. Usually when it is just acid reflux its mainly don't eat fatty, fried, spicy and acidic foods. Chocolate, caffeine, broccoli...other stuff. You can start by eliminating all intolerable foods for about 3 weeks. After the 3rd week you slowly start adding back food. A different food group every few days. This allows you to find your food triggers. By the time you have completely added back all groups, you basically will know what food you can tolerate and what you cannot not.
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
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    This book has helped me.
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
    A couple of people posted in another thread (that I can't seem to find now, sorry) that going low carb helped them control their reflux. Since you're reacting to so many carby items, maybe it's worth considering.

    Good luck! I found out that I have it recently and I'm still trying to figure out what helps me. It seems all the foods I love - coffee, chocolate, cheese, onions, etc - are on the "problem" list!
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    KylaDenay wrote: »
    Usually when it is just acid reflux its mainly don't eat fatty, fried, spicy and acidic foods. Chocolate, caffeine, broccoli...other stuff.

    From what I've seen, the recommendation to avoid fatty and acidic foods comes from the misguided idea that acid reflux is the result of too much acid in the stomach. There's emerging evidence that that's actually not the case (sounds counterproductive, I know), and that things like too alkaline the pH balance or not enough acid (ie - overuse of antacids) might actually be the underlying cause.

    That said, I agree with the elimination diet suggestion. OP, you might want to check out the Paleo diet to use as a guide for what to eat, as it's grain and legume free. Start with that for a couple of weeks and see if you're still getting acid reflux. If you are, start with any starchy foods you may have included as replacement (ie - sweet potatoes). If you didn't sub in any other starches, then take a look at what you're eating and see if there are any other problem foods, such as high fructose/FODMAP foods or nightshades.

    If you're still having trouble, check in your area for a Registered Dietician that is familiar with food allergies/intolerances. They'll be able to help you work out a more detailed plan to find what may be triggering it.
    rivka_m wrote: »
    A couple of people posted in another thread (that I can't seem to find now, sorry) that going low carb helped them control their reflux. Since you're reacting to so many carby items, maybe it's worth considering.

    Good luck! I found out that I have it recently and I'm still trying to figure out what helps me. It seems all the foods I love - coffee, chocolate, cheese, onions, etc - are on the "problem" list!

    Going low carb helped me, too, so you can add me to that list.

    As for you, I feel like there's a commonality to the items you listed (or at least most of them), but I can't remember it offhand. Also, it may even be something completely unrelated that's actually causing those foods to be trigger foods (because it's causing underlying damage or imbalances).

    That said, if you can get yourself to the point that you're no longer getting triggered, you can work your way back to being able to indulge in those items on occasion, so there is hope that you won't have to completely forego some of those things!

    Also, here are a couple of questions you might want to consider to help narrow things down:

    1. Is it just onion, or does garlic trigger it, too? How about scallions or shallots? They're all from the same family and produce a compound that some people are sensitive to.
    2. Is decaf coffee a trigger? How about caffeinated tea? Caffeine can be a trigger (which can also explain the chocolate).
    3. Do other dairy products cause issues? Namely, does cottage cheese, or whey or casein protein powder, or greek yogurt? These are other sources of higher levels of milk proteins. Some people are sensitive to one or both proteins.

    You don't have to answer here, but how you answer should help you pinpoint the underlying compound(s) that are triggering you, which makes life easier than trying to play roulette with your food.
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