traditional nontoxic remedies for GERD and helpful foods

GERD seems to a big problem for many of us pre and post bariatric surgery . What remedies and food choices help to  keep the pain away for you ? 

home remedy : a tiny bit of baking soda dissolved. in warm water

milky ( nonfat milk) herb tea particularly sleepytime or chamomile ( please keep in mind too much chamomile causes side effects in the gut ) 

mint tea with milk nonfat

probiotics particularly Miso soup a great low calorie bodywarmer and snack also yogurt

fat free homemade clam fish or corn chowder - 10 minute prep microwave high two potatoes 12 min peel and mash saute one onion till transparent add mashed potato 2 cubes chicken stock and 2 cups organic chicken stock 2 cans minced clams and juice or frozen fish and/ or fresh corn cut off the cob three tablespoons butter buds or to taste a touch of white pepper or greek seasoning to taste . cook till fish is done ( 8 minutes or so ) add 3/4 envelope dried nonfat milk powder reconstituted with 1/2 cup water ( or you can use fat free half and half but that has sugar. very soothing and filling nonfat comfort food with carbs obviously . 

almost any kind of vegetable - particularly broccoli cauliflower and carrots. 

including sliced water chestnuts ( low carb! ) in asian dishes and yucca and beans in Spanish ones ( not low carb but not too bad weiight or insulin spike wise ) definitely soothing to the stomach

cooking very lowfat particularly at home . fats rebound for me with massive quantities of stomach acid and pain in a few hours which for me results in overeating . 

beer as opposed to wine 

tea vs coffee with lots of nonfat milk or nonfat half and half

what works for you guys? 

Frequent small meals / snacks

no acidic foods esp tomato based for me

 

Totally agree about the tomato - sauces and even salsas can really bring it on. 

I make my tomato sauce Milanese style " vodka sauce " so called - after cooking mix in fat free cream ( nonfat powdered milk and butter buds mixed with small amount of water or fat free half and half and butter buds . Cuts down the acidity a Lot ... Which also means you need to use less fattening Parmesan /reggiano cheese 

I bought pondered calcium carbonate. I use that to neutralize the acid in tomato based product.  

I make and eat meat spaghetti sauce. I put it over zoodles.  When I cook it - after it is made I add some powdered calcium carbonate. The acid works with that and not only turns calcium carbonate in more bioavailable calcium - but prevents GERD. And GERD I have. Even now..

Peppermint soothes the stomach, but some doctors say it can also relax the esophageal sphincter, which can cause acid to wash back up.  I guess it depends on the person.

I actually found a low carbohydrate and high protein/fat diet works far better for my GERD.  Any time I raise my carbs it comes back with an unholy vengeance.  Staying lactose and grain free also made a huge difference!  Hala gets the credit for that one.  She changed my life with that suggestion and it worked!

 

HALA is the bomb.

She's a great source of support and information.

I don't have GERD....except when I take high doses of Vit C suppliments.

OMG IT WAS THE WORST!!!! I started taking 1000 mg a day, but my blood work showed I was on the low end of normal (slightly deficient, but just really really low). I thought I was developing an ulcer.

I started having to take prilosec 2 times a day, and was about to go to the doctor. After reviewing what was eating, I realized it was ALL started when I started taking a separate Vit. C tablet.

I stopped taking the C and it took a full month for the symptoms to go away...but now except when I travel...I typically do not get heartburn.

On the vit C note. I started eating foods that were just higher in C...and using a lower dose suppliment (I drink 2 bottles of water with a Vit C flavor packet added to it every day...they only have 100 mg of C...but it brought my C levels up in a month).

Scott

A lot of times our body truer to make more acid when we eat food that is hard to digest or food we may be alergic to - sensitive to. 

GERD also could be a symptom of bacterial infection of the stomach/small intestine, or even Candida. 

Low fat diet - but high in carbs may be really bad idea for that. Rather food fat, easy to digest proteins, and some cooked veggies may really help. 

Some food seams to work - I.e milk products - but that is because of calcium that reacts with acid.. But the sugar in milk - may cause a rebound effect - initially seams to help - but and hour or 2 later it is much worse, because of the sugars in milk. 

Beer? If it works is because it is a liquid with alcohol that can numb the contact area. 

Any alcohol when person experience GERD is not a very good idea IMO. That may seem as it is helping- but in reality can cause serious damage to already irritated stomch/esophagus.  

Pepermint tea helps Some people - but it can be irritating for others (like me). 

Ginger works great - as long as person tolerates it. Ginger also helps with inflamation and healing. 

 

Just because something is "natural" or "traditional" doesn't necessarily mean it's a better treatment. :)

Both beer AND wine should be pretty much off the table post-op.

Be careful with lots of tea; the tannins can prevent the body from absorbing iron appropriately and that can be a problem for WLS patients.

The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (whew, what a mouthful) has a few suggestions of good foods to eat to help with GERD:

• Vegetables that aren't onion or tomato
• Lean meats that are grilled/baked/etc.
• Healthy fats like olive and soybean oil

I like the rainbow farting toaster cat lol! 

Thanks for sharing about the tannins and iron . For what it's worth Ferro- sequels that are Not elemental iron but made of four different more readily absorbable iron compounds really work well for me . 

I was anemic basically all my life ... These green coated pills are the only form of iron that has ever actually worked for me . And I can tell I took one literally the next day because I feel much more energetic .