Acid Reflux/Gerd diet advice

[tabby1881]

My dd, age 17, was diagnosed with Gerd a year ago. (Looking back on her eating habits, likes & dislikes, over the years it seems so obvious now) She is having trouble finding things that agree with her. Any suggestions on meals for gerd sufferers? Right now, I feel like she is living on grilled cheese sandwiches and pasta. She has so much trouble eating in the morning, too. We know what to avoid now, thanks to her doctor educating us, but we are having trouble finding things that she likes. thanks.

 

[WDW~Lover]

I have this, and have for over 12 years now. Is she on meds for it? Like her, I keep to what I can tolerate. But I eat a lot of egg whites, drink a lot of water, and eggos and no heavy meals. I have gone to a nutritionist and that diet just does not work for me.

I also have Crohn's thou, so it may be different for me. I think very small meals will help, and eat several a day..she is going to have to play with foods to find out what works best.

If she is not seeing a doctor, please go to one, I have damage from GERD, and hope all works out for her!

 

[undertheradar]

Our 9 y.o. DD has gerd and takes her daily meds. For foods, vanilla pudding, apple sauce, custard type yogurts, granola. We do not allow her dairy after 6 pm. Remember to avoid carbonated beverages with GERD. For snacks we give her fresh veggies, goldfish crackers. Her challenge is that she loves chocolate and ice cream, 2 very limited foods for GERD patients.

 

[tabby1881]

She is on medication, again. We've finally gotten her to give up caffenated beverages. That was tough. The things that people are mentioning are some of her favorites: yogurt, vanilla pudding. It is funny how the things that she craves are things that you are mentioning. I'm going to try to get her to enjoy more yogurt. No ice cream. She loves ice cream, but it makes her cough. Related to Gerd?
Thanks!

 

[kimluvswdw]

Anything tomato based would really hurt me. Ranch dressing was also a killer. Oatmeal or cream of wheat should be ok. Make sure to eat several small meals a day and not just 3.

 

[rwdavis]

I've had it since the late 80's and control it very well with Previcid. As for food, you just have to experiment and see what works. There's no set guidelines although I've read that anything with mint or caffeine will aggravate it.
Bob

 

[Wishing on a star]

I do not have GERD or Acid Reflux disease.. But when I do experience occasional indigestion or upset stomach, I simply can NOT tolerate dairy... It is like it sours and turns on me. It would make my heartburn worse, not better.

Also, since you mention dairy... Could she have a slight intolerance for dairy.. I forget the name of this pill, but I know there are products out there for people who experience this.. The one advertisement that says, "I just love dairy, but it can really do a number on my stomach....".

Your daughter should take her meds religiously, and do her best to keep this under control... My MIL has long suffered from Acid Reflux (faulty valve at the opening to the stomach) and she did develop esophageal cancer!!! Thank goodness she underwent treatment and was cured. But, this is a very insidious and deadly cancer. My MIL was very lucky.

 

[Froggyswife]

Anything with carbonation, caffeine, mint, or dairy. Also anything with citric acid like OJ, apple juice, or tomato juice will aggravate her symptoms.

Over the counter pain meds such as anything with aspirin (Bayer, BC Powders), Potassium or naproxen (Aleve especially bad) Ibuprofen. Tylenol is ok.

 

[themarquis]

GF has BAD acid reflux, and has been through a lot to get to the point where she is not suffering every day from it. I also have had problems with it, but not as badly.

I know everybody with GERD is different -- people have different triggers. For my GF, as for many sufferers, tomato sauce and coffee are big problems for her. She also stays away from most fruits (since they are so acidic), anything carbonated, and of course alcohol (though one would hope that would not be an issue for your dd )

She has found that she can enjoy all of these things in moderation -- she just tries to keep track of how much of the "bad" foods she's had during a given week. For example, if she were to have coffee every day or even a couple of times a week, that would be too much, but she has found that she can drink an espresso drink with half a shot of espresso two or three times a week with no problem. She also looks for substitutes for the foods she loves -- for example, pesto sauce on pasta is great instead of red sauce, and chai is great instead of coffee.

One thing I have read a lot about is that fatty foods can be a big trigger for some people. GF does not tend to have trouble with them, but many people do. Anything high-fat or fried can cause problems, so your DD may want to try switching to a lower fat diet to see if that helps her.

Finally, GF has had a lot of success by making sure she eats small frequent meals. A large meal can cause a lot of problems with GERD, but surprisingly, having no food in the stomach can also cause a lot of suffering. Granola bars, crackers, and other "neutral" foods are great to carry around so that you can make sure to have something in your stomach at all times. GF even finds that drinking plain water or taking a pill or having a tiny bite of something can really mess things up if her stomach is empty. She likes to eat something like crackers before taking her meds or drinking water or anything.

Hope that helps -- best of luck to her.

 

[redshoes]

My four year DS has Acid Reflux. Through trial and error, DH and I have found things that work and things that are no-nos.
DS favorites are peanut butter sandwiches, baked potatoes with a little butter and sour cream, oatmeal, cheerios with soy milk, bananas, red apples, plain chicken, raisins, apple juice, a turkey sandwich with a little miracle whip, white rice, and apple sauce. He tolerates a plain hamburger (I can't count the times I have had to request a plain hamburger- just the meat and the bun when we eat out). Carrots, celery, green beans, cucumbers are good. These things are his favorites, they aren't the only things he eats but just the things that he will request over and over again.
Things that are horrible are red sauces, any heavy seasonings, garlic, onions, ice cream, mint, and chocolate. I have read that mint and chocolate relax the muscles in your throat and that is why they are bad news for refluxers. Soda has bad effect as well.
We have found that smaller meals work best, anything that is usually alright can cause issues if he eats too much. We adjust recipes for him- I make him his own casserole minus the items that he can't eat if we are having something that won't work for him. When we order pizza, we order a plain cheese pizza with no sauce for him. The only thing I struggle with is desert, I have a hard time finding sweets that he can eat that are alright with his reflux. His birthday is a hard time because of the fact that he can't eat birthday cake or ice cream- last year we had a birthday bagel.
The only other thing that we have found that works is Mylanta and Tums when he complains about his throat burning.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We all have acid reflux here and it varies for everyone.

DH controls his through diet alone. That is because when he "get its" his pain is so severe he has to go to the hospital and get a lidocane cocktail.

His triggers are.....

Pork, esp roast pork. That kills him.
Cannot eat any tomatoes in ANY form. No spaghetti sauce, no BBQ sauce, no ketchup, etc....
No gravy or sauces. ESP, brown gravy.
No pepper or any spices.
No seasonings...have to tell every restaurant we go to to not sprinkle the seasoning, pixie dust, etc....on ANY of our food. You will be surprised at how much restaurants do this.
Basil seems to be one of his triggers that sends him to the moon.
BBQing with charcoal, that is a huge one. We have a propane grill now.
Orange juice
Caffeine
Lemons or anything with citrus. I cannot drink 7up or Sprite, that kills me.

Constipation seems to make your GERD worse. I know it is ewww....but it is really something to keep an eye on.

DD and I eat oatmeal every morning because that absorbs the acid. Got that tip from Dr. Oz.

 

[WDW~Lover]

I had forgot to mention, that I also eat 1 yogurt a day..helps with the god bacteria your stomach needs. I am having extremely bad issues today with mine, I am on 30 mg of prevacid 2 times a day..but I to eat applesauce, pudding and the yogurt, I never, ever eat anything fried. I also do not touch pasta. I eat plain hamburgers, pototoes and that is when not eating my above first mentioned!

I am bad now due to extreme stress and eating to much ice cream I get cravings! also, I NEVER drink tonic, or soda as some of you call it. Just H2O

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am bad now due to extreme stress and eating to much ice cream I get cravings! also, I NEVER drink tonic, or soda as some of you call it. Just H2O

Ice cream gives us reflux. It really hits me bad.

 

[4greatboys]

You might also want to elevate the head of her bed. My dr told me to do that as well as watch my diet and it really seemed to help a lot.

 

[druidia]

I also take Prevacid for GERD and only eat the trigger foods in moderation. For me that's anything with heavy peppers (esp jalapenos), pineapple, and sodas. I've never heard of ice cream being a trigger food? For those of you that have a problem with this, is it all ice cream or certain flavors (like chocolate or chocolate chip)? Are you also lactose intolerant? I can't recall if I've had a problem with ice cream. I will have to pay attention to that.

I have noticed that eating yogurt more often helps me. I do need to get into the habit of eating more frequent small meals because I tend to eat quickly to stop the gnawing, eat more than I should, and and eat late. All bad things.

 

[mumu 22]

My dd, age 17, was diagnosed with Gerd a year ago. (Looking back on her eating habits, likes & dislikes, over the years it seems so obvious now) She is having trouble finding things that agree with her. Any suggestions on meals for gerd sufferers? Right now, I feel like she is living on grilled cheese sandwiches and pasta. She has so much trouble eating in the morning, too. We know what to avoid now, thanks to her doctor educating us, but we are having trouble finding things that she likes. thanks.

If anyone that have gerd is having a hard time in taking food, my new method is use a blender to drink your meals, I blend breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it help so well, I am gaining more weight too

 

[AustinTink]

I have Gerd. If I could eat a turkey sandwich for every meal of every day I would be just fine. Sadly, I'm my own worst enemy and I try to still eat fried foods and pizza. Plain baked potatoes with a little butter are just wonderful. I roast a whole chicken pretty often and pick on it for 3-4 days. Basically, the BRAT diet and a some chicken and potatoes is what I live on. Eggs don't work for me at all. I was surprised so many on this thread can tolerate them.

I also try not to eat after 6 or 7. This makes a huge difference for me in getting a good night's sleep.

Edited to add: I miss orange juice so much!

 

[mumu 22]

I have Gerd. If I could eat a turkey sandwich for every meal of every day I would be just fine. Sadly, I'm my own worst enemy and I try to still eat fried foods and pizza. Plain baked potatoes with a little butter are just wonderful. I roast a whole chicken pretty often and pick on it for 3-4 days. Basically, the BRAT diet and a some chicken and potatoes is what I live on. Eggs don't work for me at all. I was surprised so many on this thread can tolerate them.

I also try not to eat after 6 or 7. This makes a huge difference for me in getting a good night's sleep.

Edited to add: I miss orange juice so much!

I know how you feel, I miss pizza so much, but eating the foods that do not agree is making the situation worse, stay on your healthy diet and Pray, and the gerd will go away

 

[SharonZ]

I suffered with GERD most of my adult life (I'm 53) and as others have stated, multiple small meals a day. No carbonation, chocolate, caffeine, stay away from acidic foods, including tomato sauce, and start keeping a food journal. That really helps with identifying trigger foods, which can be different for every person. I agree with elevating the bed. Did she have an endoscopy for her GERD diagnosis? If so, did they test for h-Pylori bacteria? I eventually had surgery for my GERD (nissen fundoplication), in addition to having a large sliding hernia repaired. It was a rough surgery, and a long recovery, but it changed my life for the better. My GERD actually caused pulmonary issues for me. that were completely resolved after surgery.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I tend to get GERD when I eat too many processed carbs. Things like crackers, cookies, basically any type of crud in a package. I've cut way down on those things, which I should be doing anyway! I tend to feel better if I eat more whole foods (things with one ingredient): chicken, salmon, egg whites, rice, fruit, veggies, etc. If I eat something processed, it's high in fiber like bran flakes, a whole wheat pita, sometimes whole wheat pasta. I like to eat a lot of Greek yogurt and it doesn't bother me at all.