Even more of a diet overhaul - need help!

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I just got diagnosed with acid reflux, which I have been struggling with for a while. My cooking usually entails spices, always garlic or onion, or both. Now I can't have either, or tomatoes, peppers of any kind(good bye dear bell pepper and ranch), fatty meats, fried foods, tea, coffee, dairy, chocolate, spicy food of any kind, wheat bread(white is fine for some reason)... and the oven doesn't work so it would have to be all stove top. My doctor suggested I seriously look into becoming a vegetaian.
I need recipe help badly!

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  • Akasa
    Akasa Posts: 25
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    I just got diagnosed with acid reflux, which I have been struggling with for a while. My cooking usually entails spices, always garlic or onion, or both. Now I can't have either, or tomatoes, peppers of any kind(good bye dear bell pepper and ranch), fatty meats, fried foods, tea, coffee, dairy, chocolate, spicy food of any kind, wheat bread(white is fine for some reason)... and the oven doesn't work so it would have to be all stove top. My doctor suggested I seriously look into becoming a vegetaian.
    I need recipe help badly!
  • tron3002
    tron3002 Posts: 440 Member
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    That seems extreme. My husband has acid reflux and wasnt told to give all that up. Why dont you take it out of you diet for a few weeks then try something one at a time and see if it affects you.
  • rowie
    rowie Posts: 75
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    I think it sounds extreme too. If you get medical advice, and it sounds odd, over the top, or incorrect then it is always a very good idea to get a second professional opinion. Another doctor might diagnose you with the same thing, but prescribe different actions to deal with it. It's worth a try to keep the eating plan a bit more open for you. The above advice is good too, so while waiting for your appointment with a new doctor you could try singling out specific food items to see how they effect you. good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
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    Found this:

    Acid Reflux Diet Myth

    Myth 1: Drink milk

    A lot of people try drinking milk to ease acid reflux before sleep. But often, milk ends up causing acid reflux during sleep. To understand the whole situation, we have to realize that the problem roots from eating too much at dinner time. Eating a big meal at dinner causes excess stomach acid production. Drinking milk could be a quick fix to the acid reflux problem. Unfortunately, milk has a rebound action and would eventually encourage secretion of more stomach acid, which causes the acid reflux. To solve the problem, try adjusting your diet by eating a small meal at dinner and have a small snack such as crackers before sleep.

    Myth 2: Avoid coffee, citrus fruits and Spicy food

    We have been told for years that coffee, acidic fruit as well as spicy foods can aggravate acid reflux. Therefore, we should avoid these in our daily diet in order to reduce acid reflux. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in May 2006 showed that none of these myths hold true. Researchers from the Stanford University found that the only two behavioral changes can reduce symptoms of acid reflux - eating less and elevate your head while sleeping.

    Acid Reflux Diet

    First of all, try to eat small, frequent meals instead of three big meals a day. Small amounts of food each time would exert less workload on the stomach and therefore requires less acid secretion for digestion. Make sure to include foods that are high in complex carbohydrates in each meal. These foods, such as rice, breads and pasta, are able to tie up excess stomach acid and are often easy on the stomach.

    Avoid high-fat meals such as those from the fast food chains. High fat foods will remain in the stomach longer, thus causing the need for more stomach acid in order to digest them.
    But remember, don't overeat! Eating too much of any foods will stimulate the stomach to secret more acids for digestion.

    Avoid or limit alcohol.

    Maintain upright position during and at least 45 minutes after eating.

    Try elevating the head of bed six to eight inches when lying down.

    Don't think that beverages just quickly flow through your stomach without affecting acid production. Surprisingly, a lot of beverages stimulate acid secretion such as beer, wine and pop. The worst of all is beer. It could double your stomach acid within an hour.
  • Lillybelle1889
    Lillybelle1889 Posts: 19 Member
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    That does sound a little much. My son has acid reflux and we just have to limit the amount of citrus and tomato products he intakes, too much makes him sick. He eats dairy and wheat bread with no problem. His doctor never said anything about avoiding all of those things. He is a vegetarian but not because of his reflux. I would get a second opinion on the matter.
  • Tofuheart
    Tofuheart Posts: 191 Member
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    You should really test out what foods trigger it and not. The food and drink items are just a guideline. Some of those might be okay. Getting rid of fried food and other bad things might not be so bad. :)