Heartburn while eating very healthy, no heartburn when eat junk

devorahna
devorahna Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,
I have been eating very well and logging all of my food for the past 30 days. Problem is I have been getting horrible heartburn! I am so uncomfortable and I can barely sleep! Today (after a month of great eating) I was exhausted and ate lots of cereal and very few fruits/vegetables.....and low and behold...no heartburn. So I would really like to loose the weight and eat all my wonderful fruits and vegetables, but I do not want to suffer with heartburn! any ideas?
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Replies

  • 2fastasleep
    2fastasleep Posts: 24 Member
    Can't help but can sympathise. Last year I tried swapping bread for veg and ended up very, er, windy. Needless to say that didn't last too long!

    But hey, cereals aren't junk are they? They're food (I sincerely thought)
  • devorahna
    devorahna Posts: 7 Member
    Well I ate some m and m's too. Its just frustrating because I ate perfectly for 30 days and get awful heartburn ,and then i eat carbs and chocolate and I feel much better! frustrating because I want to loose 20lbs!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Do you eat late in the evening or maybe too much volume?
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Heartburn can be a symptom of gallbladder problems.
  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
    Which vegetables and fruits are you eating? Some can be very acidic, whereas something like cereal is much easier to digest. I can't eat too many tomatoes or grapes without getting heartburn.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    You can look more closely at which fruits and veggies you are eating. Cucumbers and green peppers upset a lot of people, fruits high in acid, like citrus and pineapple, can also upset your stomach.

    Also, are you getting fats with your healthy eating? Fats help the digestive process.

    Good luck!
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Why is cereal considered "junk" while veggies are "very healthy?" It seems to me that, in the context of your digestive issues, it should be the opposite.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Why is cereal considered "junk" while veggies are "very healthy?" It seems to me that, in the context of your digestive issues, it should be the opposite.

    For me it is. I have Crohn's and veggies, fruit, fiber, nuts, seeds, legumes, spices, etc are horrible for me and create an array of GI issues but my body has no problem (usually unless in bad flare where even water irritates me and in moderation) digesting potato chips, chocolate, white bread, white rice, potatoes, etc.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    Zantac per my doctor. Don't have a gallbladder. I can eat chips, crackers, cookies...junk...no problem.

    Not eating low carb, just trying to eat more protein so that's a bigger part of my diet overall and it has been ouchy...wakes me up pain and tightness ouchy. And, no, not my heart, ruled that out.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Have you seen a GI Dr?
  • belinda_73
    belinda_73 Posts: 149 Member
    I had similar issues and found a nutritionist that specializes in digestive issues, together we figured out what it was and now I can eat veggies.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    edited March 2016
    Ya know, I have a funky stomach too. Seems like every other week it's different in a new challenging way. Since watching what I eat, I burp way more than usual and it drives me crazy. I have on and off heart burn, mostly when I'm hungry which is unfortunate. I had fish and French fries and ketchup last night- huge meal. No heart burn. Today I ate plain noodles with chicken and a small portion of peas, and a green salad and my stomach feels awful. Bloated and burpy, heart burn. And that was lunch, not dinner.

    Honestly I can't figure it out either! Eating all the "healthy" options (basically anything that isn't edible right from the package), makes my digestion uncomfortable and not so healthy/packaged foods make my system feel normal/fine.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    It is probably the acid, or either a 'trigger' like onions are for me. Tomatoes are bad because of both, so I have to go off them occasionally, which I hate.

    Try taking your Zantac closer to when you eat those foods. Drink milk with them (milk helps me a lot added to other foods), or eat alkaline veggies with them like kale, collards, broccoli. Bananas are the best fruit for when it gets bad. Sweet potatoes are good, too. This advice is just from personal experience and research, where the acidic nature of the foods is really why they bother me.

    If you drink coffee, just cut that back some and you can probably eat the fruits fine. Coffee is a big trigger, unfortunately! I basically now drink coffee-flavored milk ;)

    You can ask your doc about raising the dosage, too. Fruits and veggies are so good for you that it is nice to be able to eat them in quantity. It's possible your acid problem just got a bit worse and you only notice it with the more acidic foods.
  • chulipa
    chulipa Posts: 650 Member
    If your eating lots of tomatos, onion, garlic, and anything spicey will make it worse i have dealt with this for over 25 years if changing your diet doest help see your doctor. My heart burn was real bad for a long time and it was because of a hernia that wanted to live in my esofagus
  • devorahna
    devorahna Posts: 7 Member
    I don't think cereal is inherently bad but I do try and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables because a. you can eat more of them and feel fuller and get less calories b. I try to eat "clean" and basic which means more fruits and vegetables. Obviously I have to rethink how I am eating, because it does not agree with my body. I don' eat a lot of acidic foods, i guess I just need more carbs because they are more settling for the stomach.
  • rosecropper
    rosecropper Posts: 340 Member
    I also have touchy stomach. I use a ninja blender to make smoothies out of fruits & veg and it helps reduce the discomfort.
    Fermenting grains, beans, lentils, quinoa, etc before cooking makes digestion easier too. Just put in bowl with enough water to cover, add some liquid from a carton of plain yogurt that had active cultures or buy the probiotic capsules & sprinkle a little into the soaking liquid and leave on counter overnight.
    You might try drinking more water with meals too. Produce has lots of fiber, needs more fluid to move through.
    If you like more starch to settle your tum, maybe exchange whole grains for the processed cookies & cereals.
    Since you are already taking Zantac, consider asking your MD to test you for h.pylori as it causes stomach ulcers and is treatable.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Heartburn can be a symptom of gallbladder problems.

    ^^ this x100. Go get checked out by your doctor.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    Limit fruit and veg to breakfast and lunch and have a nice bowl of oatmeal for dinner.
  • jpswfe
    jpswfe Posts: 40 Member
    I have heartburn issues too. I've learned I can't eat certain veggies raw such as broccoli and cauliflower. I do take Prilosec daily and that helps tremendously. I suggest seeing your doctor.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Ashtoretet wrote: »
    Which vegetables and fruits are you eating? Some can be very acidic, whereas something like cereal is much easier to digest. I can't eat too many tomatoes or grapes without getting heartburn.

    This^

    Stick with fruit that has a higher PH. Bananas, melon, raspberries, cherries. Apples that are less acidic (high PH) are Fuji & gala.
  • hopeandtheabsurd
    hopeandtheabsurd Posts: 265 Member
    It shouldn't be too difficult to backtrack through what you have added to your diet to pinpoint what is causing the heartburn. You won't have to eliminate all fruits and vegetables, just the ones causing you difficulty.
  • Alassonde
    Alassonde Posts: 228 Member
    Tomatoes and lettuce can cause heartburn issues. I have a friend who has terrible heartburn when she eats lettuce, but when she substitutes spinach for lettuce she is fine.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Not enough fat? I get weird feeling when I eat too many veggies at once, especially green ones.
  • devorahna
    devorahna Posts: 7 Member
    Well, I cut way back on the vegetables yesterday and today and I feel much better. I guess I have to keep a food log for a while and see which vegetables are causing the heartburn. I saw people mention grapes, and I have been eating grapes recently as well as lettuce. Thanks for the advice! Its just frustrating when you think you are eating healthy and you end up causing yourself more problems!
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    My son has been going through heartburn issues, and the GI doc gave us a long list of foods to try and avoid, which include lots of fruits; apples, pears, strawberries, grapes... the list goes on. In addition, cow's milk was on it, along with large quantities of pasta and wheat-based carbs. So... almost everything!

    I'd recommend trying to sync up your food diary with your symptoms to see what is aggravating it. It's not an issue of healthy vs. junk, it's just finding your triggers. Mine was fried foods, had a horrible heartburn reaction one night (thought I was dying), which actually got me to realize I was eating like crap, which made me realize I was getting fat, which made me get back on the bandwagon with my diet and exercise, which got me to drop 35+ lbs since Thanksgiving! So I guess heartburn actually helped me...? Huh!
  • Rosyone
    Rosyone Posts: 74 Member
    You may well have a food sensitivity to one or more of the vegetables or fruits you've been eating. The manipulations I made to my diet to lose weight accidently exposed a sensitivity to russet potatoes. Even a plain, unsalted baked potato with none of the usual fixings will trigger an episode of heartburn, which used to be a fairly chronic problem back in the days when baked potatoes were a staple of my diet. It almost never happens now that I know to avoid them.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Drastic sudden changes in diet can bring an onset of heartburn for me. Also, when I was eating 'healthier', I was actually eating a higher volume of food (more fruit and veggies to fill my calorie needs). What worked for me was a balance of the two ways ( eat all foods at moderation) and boom, heartburn gone.
  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
    I was diagnosed with GERD a couple of years ago. Just reflux beyond measure and the Dr put me on medication for it. I never had heartburn until I started taking meds.... So, my chiropractor gave me a suggestion. Runners don't get heartburn. As I wasn't running at the time, he suggested getting a mini trampoline. Jump on it for 5 minutes a day. It sends your stomach downward, which in turn reduces heartburn. It really does work. My brother, who suffered for years, just recently started jogging to help him. Great reports back from him. Make sure you are doing something to effectively move your stomach down. For at least 5 minutes a day.
  • ald783
    ald783 Posts: 688 Member
    I would wait a bit longer and see if it continues and then consider talking to your doctor about it.

    I used to get it years ago when I was a lot heavier and routinely ate badly. I hardly ever had it for the several years I was losing and maintaining my weight, then in the past year have gotten it occasionally and almost always when I have eaten pretty healthily and not in high quantities. I think overeating or eating unhealthy foods (as well as being overweight) can be one culprit but sometimes certain foods, even healthy ones, can cause it as well. Or coffee, spicy foods, etc. Give it some time and see if it persists.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,201 Member
    +1 to the trigger food info, etc., above.

    Question (you don't need to answer explicitly): Anytime heartburn, or mostly at night? If mostly at night, try avoiding high-volume or high-acid foods closer to bedtime, and put risers under the top of your bed so it slants slightly. (Using multiple pillows is not enough: You need to slant your digestive organs a bit, not just your head/shoulders.)

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