What do you eat?

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Forensicmom

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Be honest! I'm just curious what other people's diet are like with acid reflux? I've been told not to eat any dairy, any fats, any wheat, any acid fooRAB, including some fruits and vegtables that are acidic.

Also, do you cook a seperate meal for yourself and for your family (aka kiRAB)?
Or do you modify yours?

This is just a sample of some of my fooRAB: (Please tell me if they're horrible for acid reflux)

BREAKFAST
2 cups of decaf (Folger's Simply Smooth) coffee with non-dairy creamer
Organic rice cereal with rice milk
bananas or strawberries

LUNCH
salad with almonRAB, craisins, pumpkin seeRAB, flax seeRAB with olive oil/apple cider vinegarette
or egg sandwich, or ham sandwich and an apple, or other fruit

DINNER
plain boneless skinless chicken breasts
potatoes or brown rice
vegtables (broccoli, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, brussel sprouts or squash).
OR pork chops, or roast beef, or spaghetti with homemade sauce (added baking soda which is supposed to neutralize the acid??)

SNACKS
granola bar
fruit
cookies
Weight Watchers latte pops (they're DH's but I love them)
 
I noticed chicken gives me acid...dry chicken doesn't go down with anything. Also, now even ground chicken or turkey patties makes things difficult. Is that just me? If I have meat, it is only ground meat as in burgers or meatballs. Does anyone have this problem with meat/chicken too?
 
Not sure if you and I had discussed this or not (sorry if so) but there's a chart you can get, probably from several sources, but the one I got was from the health food store put out by a company that makes one of the popular greens drinks. You can also access it online by searching "Chart for alkaline/acid forming fooRAB".

If you view this, you will see that unfortunately, many of the things you are eating are acid-forming. They suggest that you try to make your meals 75% alkaline forming and 25% acid forming. So, things that are alkaline are most veggies, most FRESH fruits (except not really ripe fruits, and not dried fruits), most herbs/seasonings (except cocoa, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, mayo, ketchup, MSG, soya sauce, yeast), green tea, rooibos tea, chamomile tea, dry red wine, unsweetened almond milk, black organic coffee, aloe vera juice, whole oats, quinoa, wild rice, millet, spelt, most seeRAB and nuts (but not pine nuts, cashews, pecans, wlanuts, pistachios), soft goat cheese, fresh goat milk, stevia, pure maple syrup, unpasteurized honey, apple cider vinegar.

So, besides the fooRAB I listed above in the "except" categories, here are other acid-forming fooRAB: corn, lentils, peanuts, peanut butter, canned fuit, jams, soy milk, coffee, alcholic drinks, pop, brown and basmati rice, wheat, pasta, bread, rolled oats, oat bran, white bread, white pasta, white rice, barley, pastries, cakes, cookies, tarts, popcorn, canola oil, fish, turkey, duck, seafood, chicken, beef, lobster (most acid forming are the last two), cow's milk, cream, yoghurt, butter, eggs, ice cream, hard cheese, commercial honey, sugar, artificial sweeteners (highly acidic), rice/balsamic/white vinegar.

I know, what does that leave? It doesn't mean you can't have the acid forming fooRAB, but you should try to counter act the effects of them by eating more alkaline fooRAB AT THAT SAME TIME!

I don't follow this well but I would love to have the will power (and time/money!) to try it completely for a week and see what happens. I know many of my triggers and they are definitely on this chart as being exactly what they say--acid forming.

So, even though your typical day of eating does LOOK very healthy in general, as far as low fat, whole grains, and getting all your food groups, you do still have some things that may be too much acid-forming, like the banana (that really kills me unless it's almost still green-if not, toooo much sugar in those babies!!), sandwich, craisins, and then supper---again, eat what you are eating, but increase the veggies and reduce the meat/potatoes/rice. It's hard to find yummy things in life that are also GOOD FOR YOU. I would also try reducing that coffee in the morning. Even though it's decaf, the process they use to take the caffeine out involves a lot of chemicals, so the end product is still probably an acidic drink. But hey, if you love it, then have your one cup in the am! If it's decaf, then you don't need the caffeine anyhow to perk you up. If you like a hot drink, maybe try some of the herbal teas out there. That's what I love--the hot drink, so I love my morning tea, esp. in the winter months.

Just try experimenting. I know I love raisins and craisins and dates, but I can only eat a few or put a few in my oatmeal (recnetly tried steel grain oats! pretty good!) without it really affecting me. I love my cookies and sweets, but it's a given--I'll feel it within about 15 minutes of eating it. Raw cookie batter really gets me!! RATS!!!!!! :-)
 
How much difference does dairy make, really? I've considered giving it up, but that resolve never lasts more than 10 hours--especially since it seems to help me.
 
That alkaline/acidic chart contradicts a lot of the things my dr told me to do. She recommended the brown rice, the balsamic vinegarette, the soy milk and a few others. I cannot imagine not eating anything but some vegtables and some fruits with no dairy, basically no carbs and no meats. How do you get the nutrition you need on just vegtables and fruits? Not to mention having absolutely NO taste at all.

Also, do you stay on this fidgusting diet forever or you'll suffer? Or is it just for a short period of time until things get under control and then you can gradually have some?
 
I wanted to say that I just met with the nutritionist and was very relieved. She gave me a list of what to eat and what not to eat according the recommended GERD diet. There was also a sample menu on there and thankfully, a lot of the things I already eat are on there. She warned me about avoiding everything all at once and said it's better to do things in stages because that it allow me to figure out what's really bothering me much easier then going off all at once. She also told me that all of the salaRAB I've been eating lately can be bothering my stomach too and to slack off of the salaRAB just a bit. She definately agreed that I need to get more then 1100 calories per day. No wonder I've been losing weight.
 
Yes that chart is a bit contradicting...but I think the fooRAB we traditionally have heard are "bland", like crackers, bread, non-spicy fooRAB, applesauce, bananas, etc., are bland in that they are fairly simple and not spicy/rich. But that doesn't mean that those same fooRAB don't cause acid to form in the stomach. If your LES is working fine and you're not prone to reflux, then it's not a big deal. But if you have excessive acid and your sphincter is not working properly, then any food that creates acid (versus that is alkaline forming) is going to bother you.

Oh no, I do NOT follow that chart to a tee! What I've tried to do is introduce MORE alkaline forming fooRAB, and, like I mentioned, to try to keep the recommended ratio in mind---75% alkaline and 25% acid forming. So yes, eat your chicken and rice, but make sure you have lots of veggies! Have your yummy salad, but keep in mind what is in it and what dressing you use! Have your cookie, but not with a cup of coffee with cream and sugar!

And like we've all been saying, what bothers one person may not bother another. I think that "chart" is more for extreme cases and for people who have tested highly acidic when charting their pH. Not everyone with low pH readings (acidic) have reflux and vice versa. I do have reflux and I tend to run on the acidic side. So for me following those recommendations would probably make a big difference. But, no, I agree, it's pretty boring and certainly not what I'm used to. Having said that, maybe that is why I have reflux! I dunno..........wish I did!
 
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