Reflux and eating well

Herreramom6
Herreramom6 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hello, I am brand new to this. I have sever reflux which I take medication for but I have to be super careful what I eat anyway. I can't eat a lot of fresh veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, certain lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, super acidic things like oranges, lemons, limes) any tips on food and motivation!!

Replies

  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Both hubby and I have reflux and take drugs. Hubby has a hiatal hernia as well. I take omeprazole and he takes esomeprazole.

    We do a couple of things to keep our GERD under control. We take drugs but we also have raised the heads of our beds. I have 4 inch blocks under the head end of mine. He has full-sized cinderblocks under the head end of his. (Now you see why we finally broke down and got twin beds.)

    We also make sure not to eat too close to bed time. Fresh veggies aren't much of an issue if we allow time before bed. What is most likely to cause severe acid reflux is too much fat in the late evening. Having emergency Gaviscon in the medicine cabinet helps.

    You may want to consider getting an appointment with an allergist and get tine tests for food sensivities. I have a bunch of them diagnosed and avoid those foods, especially in the evenings.

    I have not had GERD problems since I started keeping my eating under control. Since I'm not snarfing a sleeve of crackers with butter or cheese at 11 pm or the like, there's no bedtime GERD. Once again, it may not be all veggies that are the problem but only some and when you eat any fatty foods.

    Best wishes. And do raise the head of your bed! It's by far the cheapest solution and if its only 4" or so like mine, you won't even notice it after a few nights.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,283 Member
    At 220+ I had what I called the GERD From Hell. It ruled my life. What I ate. Where I could go. Sleep deprivation. I took all the pills and they had ceased being effective. The ACV “cure” was a joke, but I tried.

    Even drinking a glass of water or simply swallowing wrong could bring on a bout. I was terrified I was going to choke to death in my sleep and would lay awake worrying “is this the night?”, afraid to drift off- as if I could have with the pain.

    My Gastro doc told me point blank that weight loss would help.

    When I started losing weight (for another reason, because I was too damn stupid to listen to the Gastro doc) an “unexpected” result was that the GERD disappeared almost immediately.

    It has paid only one brief, insipid visit back, when I grossly overate some heavy food, but enough to remind me I don’t EVER want to go there again.

    If for no other reason, lose weight for GERD. I can’t express how life changing having that King Kong off my back has been.

    Now that it is gone, I can eat anything. Spicy, acid, bushels of tomatoes.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Very few veggies are off the menu for me, but peppers, onions, and cucumber give me issues. Citrus fruits and tomatoes can be a problem.....oh yeah, and garlic (darnit!).

    I can only eat chocolate in very small doses. Too much caffeine can be a problem. The only soda I ever drink now is A&W Diet root beer.

    Eating before bed can cause problems for many. I can usually have some light popcorn.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited July 2020
    For me the quickest path to get off my medication was to stop eating dinner but I realize not just anyone can do that. When I did indulge I stayed very low fiber and fat and nothing within 3 hours of bed.

    Now that I have lost a whole lot of weight I have a higher tolerance before I need to take a pill but it is not cured. I can eat right before bed if it is a small snack. I can eat some fat and fiber as long as keep moderation in mind. Broccoli in cheese sauce would not be on my evening menu.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    Herreramom6 wrote: »
    hello, I am brand new to this. I have sever reflux which I take medication for but I have to be super careful what I eat anyway. I can't eat a lot of fresh veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, certain lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, super acidic things like oranges, lemons, limes) any tips on food and motivation!!

    Are you talking raw or cooked veggies? This spring I've been having a lot of problems with raw veggies like kale and peas, but can eat them cooked/blanched.

    What's also helped me is smaller meals. Dinner was always my largest meal - @ 600 calories - and the meal that caused me reflux - but I have no issues if it is @ 400 calories.

    Unlike many other people, I can have food (200 calories or so) immediately before bed with no problems.

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