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#1
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Living with GERD (somewhat OT)
I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) I'm not thrilled about dealing with a chronic illness - even a minor one like this. I've never been one to get sick much; it took quite a bit of discomfort with the heartburn to get me to the doctor at all. It had begun to interfere with my work. However, I am for the moment fairly relieved that my doctor thinks this is garden-variety GERD, rather than an ulcer. I'd like to take her recommendations to heart - I am not thrilled about taking drugs indefinitely, so I'd like to try to treat it with diet and lifestyle changes to the extent practicable. I'd like to tap into the store of experience here in asdlc - do you suffer from reflux, that didn't clear up when you switched to low carb? What are you doing to manage it? -- carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek |
#2
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Carla, I thought my acid reflux was caused by spicy foods. It would be worse on the nights I ate pizza, chili over spaghetti, or mexican. As soon as I went on low carb it cleared up. I started getting braver and making pizza without the crust, low carb chili without the spaghetti, and mexican without the chips.. and still I had no problem. The one night I had 2 pieces of pizza and my acid reflux came back with a vengeance. For me, my acid reflux is caused by grain products. Since being off them so long, if I eat them now.. my sinuses stop up, my face breaks out, my acid reflux comes back, along with joint pain. My suggestion for you is to look for a food intolerance. Remove one food for 2 weeks then add it back. Since it is getting worse, I would think it would be a food you started eating more of when you started low carbing.. and it is probably something you eat every day. Good luck in your hunt for answers, essense "carla" wrote in message ... | | I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom | low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has | been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She | put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure | out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and | avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a | little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few | times a week.) | | I'm not thrilled about dealing with a chronic illness - even a minor one | like this. I've never been one to get sick much; it took quite a bit of | discomfort with the heartburn to get me to the doctor at all. It had begun | to interfere with my work. However, I am for the moment fairly relieved | that my doctor thinks this is garden-variety GERD, rather than an ulcer. | | I'd like to take her recommendations to heart - I am not thrilled about | taking drugs indefinitely, so I'd like to try to treat it with diet and | lifestyle changes to the extent practicable. I'd like to tap into the store | of experience here in asdlc - do you suffer from reflux, that didn't clear | up when you switched to low carb? What are you doing to manage it? | | -- | carla | http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek | | |
#3
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carla wrote:
| I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for | whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my | heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the | doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle | changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, | cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods | that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up | the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) | This makes no sense. Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. My acid reflux -- along with prescription meds for it -- went away when I stopped kidding myself and started eating true low carb. It was the bananas, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes et. al. -- all carby foods -- that triggered the relentless heartburn and nighttime reflux. It's been well over a year since I had a flare up. What other carby foods besides grapefruit are triggering your gerd? I just can't imagine that a low-carb dinner consisting of foods like meat and green vegetables can trigger heartburn. What is it that you're eating? -- Peter 270/215/180 Before/Current Pix: http://users.thelink.net/marengo/wei...htlosspix.html |
#4
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carla wrote:
| I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for | whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my | heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the | doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle | changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, | cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods | that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up | the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) | This makes no sense. Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. My acid reflux -- along with prescription meds for it -- went away when I stopped kidding myself and started eating true low carb. It was the bananas, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes et. al. -- all carby foods -- that triggered the relentless heartburn and nighttime reflux. It's been well over a year since I had a flare up. What other carby foods besides grapefruit are triggering your gerd? I just can't imagine that a low-carb dinner consisting of foods like meat and green vegetables can trigger heartburn. What is it that you're eating? -- Peter 270/215/180 Before/Current Pix: http://users.thelink.net/marengo/wei...htlosspix.html |
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marengo wrote:
carla wrote: I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) This makes no sense. Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. Sir, yes sir! Really, marengo, you are an experienced and relatively smart guy who has been around here for a while and should know that there is more than one way to eat low carb. Many fruits form a significant portion of the diet of folks around here who are still eating on plans that are extremely low carb by any standard other than the head-up-the-ass "Atkins induction is the One True Way" zealots. My acid reflux -- along with prescription meds for it -- went away when I stopped kidding myself and started eating true low carb. It was the bananas, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes et. al. -- all carby foods -- that triggered the relentless heartburn and nighttime reflux. It's been well over a year since I had a flare up. How nice for you. My acid reflux didn't get noticeably better when I was eating less than 30g carbs a day and avoiding fruit altogether. My acid reflux did not get noticeably better or worse when I added some fruit back into my diet. What other carby foods besides grapefruit are triggering your gerd? I didn't say grapefruit triggered my GERD - I said that I've been told to avoid citrusy fruits because they are known to trigger GERD. To attempt to answer your question, if I knew what food was triggering the problem - even assuming there is such a food - I would cut it out. To answer the loaded part of your question - the part that makes you look like a knee-jerk "carbs-are-evil" pod person - other than a daily serving or two of fruit there are quite a few things in my diet that you would consider carby, though not a lot of any of them. I occasionally eat lentils, hummus, and from time to time a tiny amount of rice or whole grain bread. When I had a bad cold a few weeks ago I ate chicken noodle soup and even a few saltines. Nevertheless, to anyone with an objective persepective, my diet can legitimately be called low-carb. I just can't imagine that a low-carb dinner consisting of foods like meat and green vegetables can trigger heartburn. What is it that you're eating? Mostly meat, and green vegetables. Also cheese. And some fruit. But the fact is that I am not on a strict low-carb regime by any stretch of the imagination. I occasionally eat things that clearly would send you into spitting fits of rage if I dared to let them cross my lips and still call myself a low-carb eater. See above. Nevertheless, obnoxious though it was, I will take your post to heart. I do not believe I can sustain an extremely low carb diet such as, for example, one in which I have to eliminate fruit completely, or avoid such foods as lentils and chickpeas, and never have even a quarter of a cup of rice once in a while. But, you are of the opinion that these things are connected to my reflux, so I have to consider that as I decide how to go forward. Managing the GERD may cause me to shift my assessment of what seems sustainable to me and what does not. In this case, despite your judgmental zealotry, you have gotten your point across. -- carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek |
#6
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marengo wrote:
carla wrote: I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) This makes no sense. Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. Sir, yes sir! Really, marengo, you are an experienced and relatively smart guy who has been around here for a while and should know that there is more than one way to eat low carb. Many fruits form a significant portion of the diet of folks around here who are still eating on plans that are extremely low carb by any standard other than the head-up-the-ass "Atkins induction is the One True Way" zealots. My acid reflux -- along with prescription meds for it -- went away when I stopped kidding myself and started eating true low carb. It was the bananas, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes et. al. -- all carby foods -- that triggered the relentless heartburn and nighttime reflux. It's been well over a year since I had a flare up. How nice for you. My acid reflux didn't get noticeably better when I was eating less than 30g carbs a day and avoiding fruit altogether. My acid reflux did not get noticeably better or worse when I added some fruit back into my diet. What other carby foods besides grapefruit are triggering your gerd? I didn't say grapefruit triggered my GERD - I said that I've been told to avoid citrusy fruits because they are known to trigger GERD. To attempt to answer your question, if I knew what food was triggering the problem - even assuming there is such a food - I would cut it out. To answer the loaded part of your question - the part that makes you look like a knee-jerk "carbs-are-evil" pod person - other than a daily serving or two of fruit there are quite a few things in my diet that you would consider carby, though not a lot of any of them. I occasionally eat lentils, hummus, and from time to time a tiny amount of rice or whole grain bread. When I had a bad cold a few weeks ago I ate chicken noodle soup and even a few saltines. Nevertheless, to anyone with an objective persepective, my diet can legitimately be called low-carb. I just can't imagine that a low-carb dinner consisting of foods like meat and green vegetables can trigger heartburn. What is it that you're eating? Mostly meat, and green vegetables. Also cheese. And some fruit. But the fact is that I am not on a strict low-carb regime by any stretch of the imagination. I occasionally eat things that clearly would send you into spitting fits of rage if I dared to let them cross my lips and still call myself a low-carb eater. See above. Nevertheless, obnoxious though it was, I will take your post to heart. I do not believe I can sustain an extremely low carb diet such as, for example, one in which I have to eliminate fruit completely, or avoid such foods as lentils and chickpeas, and never have even a quarter of a cup of rice once in a while. But, you are of the opinion that these things are connected to my reflux, so I have to consider that as I decide how to go forward. Managing the GERD may cause me to shift my assessment of what seems sustainable to me and what does not. In this case, despite your judgmental zealotry, you have gotten your point across. -- carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek |
#7
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marengo wrote:
Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. I'm going to add some more here because I can't sleep and marengo's post has touched off a number of thoughts; I find I have more to say even after providing a fairly lengthy response. I began learning about low carb because I was looking for a sustainable eating plan on which I could lose weight without feeling hungry all the time and on which I felt I could eat enough protein to preserve lean muscle mass to the extent possible. (A propos another thread, I freely, if bashfully, admit to being very wimpy when it comes to feeling hunger.) I read the South Beach Diet book and learned about the ways in which refined sugars and starches screw with blood chemistry and make one want to eat more, while protein and fat leaves one satiated for longer. I chose not to go on the South Beach Diet because I needed more structure (at that time) than simply "eat until satiety." I am firm believer in eat less - exercise more, so essentially what I was looking for was an effective way to eat less without distraction. When I examined my eating patterns I noticed that something like 75% of my calorie intake was coming from carbs - bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, and sweets. That, combined with what I was learning about blood sugar and satiety, made me decide that cutting those foods out of my life was going to be an effective and manageable way to reduce calories in order to meet my weight loss goals. I did not get fat on fruit. I got fat on bread, pasta, and sweets. Indeed, before I began experimenting with low carb I was eating very little fresh fruit. Marengo admonishes that "Grapefruit is not low carb" and that "giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen." Well, giving up grapefruit may indeed be part of *a* low-carb regimen but I don't think it is necessarily a part of *every* low-carb regimen. If it were not for the GERD, I would respond to anyone who told me I was doing it wrong by eating fruit to go take a flying leap. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that my diet - with some fruit, but without bread, pasta, potatoes, and sweets - is by orders of magnitude healthier than the diet I got fat on, and if someone wants to exclude me from his club because I don't conform to his notion of low-carb, I could really care less. If it turns out that the fruit is a trigger for the GERD - which it might be, even though I had reflux when my diet was crappy and included no fruit - I'll have to reevaluate. But it would be stupid to conclude that I suffered from GERD because I wasn't on a "true" low carb diet. -- carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek |
#8
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marengo wrote:
Y ou say that you are one of the unfortunates for whom low-carb did not clear up your gerd. Then you say you were forced to give up grapefruit. Grapefruit is not low carb, and giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen. I'm going to add some more here because I can't sleep and marengo's post has touched off a number of thoughts; I find I have more to say even after providing a fairly lengthy response. I began learning about low carb because I was looking for a sustainable eating plan on which I could lose weight without feeling hungry all the time and on which I felt I could eat enough protein to preserve lean muscle mass to the extent possible. (A propos another thread, I freely, if bashfully, admit to being very wimpy when it comes to feeling hunger.) I read the South Beach Diet book and learned about the ways in which refined sugars and starches screw with blood chemistry and make one want to eat more, while protein and fat leaves one satiated for longer. I chose not to go on the South Beach Diet because I needed more structure (at that time) than simply "eat until satiety." I am firm believer in eat less - exercise more, so essentially what I was looking for was an effective way to eat less without distraction. When I examined my eating patterns I noticed that something like 75% of my calorie intake was coming from carbs - bread, pasta, cereal, potatoes, and sweets. That, combined with what I was learning about blood sugar and satiety, made me decide that cutting those foods out of my life was going to be an effective and manageable way to reduce calories in order to meet my weight loss goals. I did not get fat on fruit. I got fat on bread, pasta, and sweets. Indeed, before I began experimenting with low carb I was eating very little fresh fruit. Marengo admonishes that "Grapefruit is not low carb" and that "giving it up is part of a low-carb regimen." Well, giving up grapefruit may indeed be part of *a* low-carb regimen but I don't think it is necessarily a part of *every* low-carb regimen. If it were not for the GERD, I would respond to anyone who told me I was doing it wrong by eating fruit to go take a flying leap. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that my diet - with some fruit, but without bread, pasta, potatoes, and sweets - is by orders of magnitude healthier than the diet I got fat on, and if someone wants to exclude me from his club because I don't conform to his notion of low-carb, I could really care less. If it turns out that the fruit is a trigger for the GERD - which it might be, even though I had reflux when my diet was crappy and included no fruit - I'll have to reevaluate. But it would be stupid to conclude that I suffered from GERD because I wasn't on a "true" low carb diet. -- carla http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek |
#9
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Hi,
On 24-Aug-2004, "carla" wrote: I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) SNIP I'm sorry you're still dealing with the GERD. I remember how much pain was involved in that. I'd second Essence's theoretical approach here. You may be dealing with a food intolerance. That approach is way overdone IMO, but every once in a while an elimination diet does someone a world of good. In one case it ended up leading to a diagnosis of celiac disease. Consider eliminating one food group (i.e. dairy) for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Good luck and take care, Carmen |
#10
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Hi,
On 24-Aug-2004, "carla" wrote: I have noted here before that I am not one of the fortunate folk for whom low-carb cleared up every conceivable ailment. Indeed, my heartburn has been getting progressively worse, so I finally saw the doctor today. She put me on Prilosec and recommended some lifestyle changes - I have to figure out how to have dinner earlier in the day, cut back on caffeine a bit, and avoid some of the more acidic foods that are heartburn triggers. (I'm a little bummed about giving up the grapefruit I had so come to enjoy a few times a week.) SNIP I'm sorry you're still dealing with the GERD. I remember how much pain was involved in that. I'd second Essence's theoretical approach here. You may be dealing with a food intolerance. That approach is way overdone IMO, but every once in a while an elimination diet does someone a world of good. In one case it ended up leading to a diagnosis of celiac disease. Consider eliminating one food group (i.e. dairy) for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Good luck and take care, Carmen |
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