Acidic foods can stop acid reflux and GERD
Several decades ago, there was an urban myth about the cause of acid indigestion. It was so long ago, that the terms "acid reflux" and "GERD" (gastroesophageal reflux disease) hadn't been invented! The myth claimed that people with acid indigestion didn't eat enough acid, so the stomach had to make up for the acid shortcomings of the diet. While this is largely bunk, it does contain a small element of truth: some acidic foods can completely stop acid reflux.
My June 30, 2006, blog, Burp! How to prevent & stop GERD, introduced you to a few foods that could help you create an alkaline stomach and body. I'd like to expand on that.
Acid-causing foods you'll want to avoid
Foods that taste acidic are thought to be the cause of acid indigestion. It's not how the food tastes that determines its acidity - it's the final result of the food when it's digested. Lemons and limes are acid when you put them in your mouth, but they leave no acidic ash, which is the result of digestion (a highly simplified explanation). Even the preparation of food impacts its acid level after you've digested it. Fresh tomatoes are alkaline, but cooked tomatoes are highly acidic. Cut tomatoes into your salad, and you're fine; put tomato sauce on a pizza, and you'll have a three-alarm fire in your esophagus.
Chocolate - milk, dark or unsweetened - usually tastes pretty harmless, but it is quite acidic by the time your stomach's done with it. The same goes for most dairy products. One of the exceptions is goat's milk, which is alkaline. By the way, it doesn't matter if it's milk, cottage cheese, hard cheese, yogurt or butter - if it comes from a cow, it's going to leave an acidic residue and burn you.
Sugar and artificial sweeteners also cause an acid stomach. So do natural sweeteners, including honey, maple syrup, barley malt syrup, corn syrup, turbinado sugar, brown rice syrup, cane juice and fructose. One of the exceptions is stevia. I buy a very pure form of stevia called stevioside and use it in place of all sweetening agents. Stevia won't taste as good as sugar, but at least you won't burn after eating it. High-quality stevioside can be purchased online from Emperor's Herbologist. I've been buying stevioside from them exclusively for almost ten years. Click on the link marked "High-quality stevia" in the left column.
Alcohol, black/green teas, sodas, fruit juices and coffee are acid. If you can't give these up, then you might want to consider adding baking soda to each serving you swallow. Read more about baking soda's ability to short circuit acid reflux in the blog linked above. Adding about 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp may be all you need to stop acid indigestion from occurring when you drink these liquids.
Eggs and meat are highly acidic. So is most seafood. That doesn't sound like there's much left to eat, huh?
Alkaline-causing foods you can eat
When I first went alkaline, I thought I would starve to death! However, I've come to realize that there's a world of food that's very tasty. I've tried new recipes and foods that I'd never eaten before. Acid indigestion wasn't a huge problem for me, just an occasional one. But, I didn't like it even then, so I decided to put an end to all acid indigestion. No sense in putting yourself at risk if you can avoid it so easily. Here's what you CAN eat.
Wild-caught freshwater and ocean fish are mildly or moderately acidic, respectively. Most vegetables in their raw state are alkaline. So are grasses (e.g., barley, rye and wheat) and sprouts (e.g., mung, alfalfa and radish). Coconut and coconut milk/water are staples for alkaline dieters. I'm not talking about the sweetened coconut you use for pies! Raw coconut and canned coconut milk are alkaline. Raw and unsalted almonds are alkaline, as are most seeds. Beans and legumes are very alkaline and provide protein.
Some salts are acidic. Our family switched to sea salt several years ago. It's harvested from the Mediterranean and dried in the sun. Ordinary table salt is artificially heated to very high temperatures. This changes the salt and makes it acidic. RealSalt, which is salt that has been buried under volcanic ash and is filled with essential minerals, is not heated, is very alkaline and will not cause acid reflux. We switched to RealSalt when I discovered the alkaline diet.
Many of the oils used for salad dressings, mayonnaises and frying are acid. Good oils to use include coconut oil (my favorite), flaxseed oil, and fish oils.
Where to buy the good stuff
RealSalt is available in many stores. It's even carried at the gas station's convenience store down the street from my house! If you can't find it locally (it comes in a plastic packet with a twist-on pour spout), you can order it from Amazon by clicking on the link below.
Make sure the coconut oil you buy is UNrefined. Tocotrienols: a tastier & healthier vitamin E! was a blog I posted in June 2006, and it has more about the benefits of coconut oil. Several of the retailers in the left column carry unrefined, virgin coconut oil if you can't find it locally. Below is a link to Nutiva, which is the brand I use.
If there are no natural food stores or vitamin stores in your area, you may want to consider growing your own organic produce. It may be necessary to make a trip every three months or so to a town that has the non-perishable alkalizing supplies you need or simply start ordering these items through the internet.
Going "cold turkey"?
If you can't stop eating all your fun foods and eat only alkalizing foods (I can't), then start eliminating acid foods little by little. Maybe you could replace one acid food with one alkaline food every week. Or, one food group every week.
Convert as slow or as fast as your schedule or time allows. You may even find that eliminating one food or group puts an end to your acid reflux. If you continue to have acid reflux, then you may need to be on a 100% acid-free diet all the time. Does that sound awful? The next time that fire rises up from your stomach and scorches your esophagus, an alkaline diet will sound like a blessing instead of a curse!
* * * * * * * *
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.
"Let food be thy medicine and
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates
My June 30, 2006, blog, Burp! How to prevent & stop GERD, introduced you to a few foods that could help you create an alkaline stomach and body. I'd like to expand on that.
Acid-causing foods you'll want to avoid
Foods that taste acidic are thought to be the cause of acid indigestion. It's not how the food tastes that determines its acidity - it's the final result of the food when it's digested. Lemons and limes are acid when you put them in your mouth, but they leave no acidic ash, which is the result of digestion (a highly simplified explanation). Even the preparation of food impacts its acid level after you've digested it. Fresh tomatoes are alkaline, but cooked tomatoes are highly acidic. Cut tomatoes into your salad, and you're fine; put tomato sauce on a pizza, and you'll have a three-alarm fire in your esophagus.
Chocolate - milk, dark or unsweetened - usually tastes pretty harmless, but it is quite acidic by the time your stomach's done with it. The same goes for most dairy products. One of the exceptions is goat's milk, which is alkaline. By the way, it doesn't matter if it's milk, cottage cheese, hard cheese, yogurt or butter - if it comes from a cow, it's going to leave an acidic residue and burn you.
Sugar and artificial sweeteners also cause an acid stomach. So do natural sweeteners, including honey, maple syrup, barley malt syrup, corn syrup, turbinado sugar, brown rice syrup, cane juice and fructose. One of the exceptions is stevia. I buy a very pure form of stevia called stevioside and use it in place of all sweetening agents. Stevia won't taste as good as sugar, but at least you won't burn after eating it. High-quality stevioside can be purchased online from Emperor's Herbologist. I've been buying stevioside from them exclusively for almost ten years. Click on the link marked "High-quality stevia" in the left column.
Alcohol, black/green teas, sodas, fruit juices and coffee are acid. If you can't give these up, then you might want to consider adding baking soda to each serving you swallow. Read more about baking soda's ability to short circuit acid reflux in the blog linked above. Adding about 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp may be all you need to stop acid indigestion from occurring when you drink these liquids.
Eggs and meat are highly acidic. So is most seafood. That doesn't sound like there's much left to eat, huh?
Alkaline-causing foods you can eat
When I first went alkaline, I thought I would starve to death! However, I've come to realize that there's a world of food that's very tasty. I've tried new recipes and foods that I'd never eaten before. Acid indigestion wasn't a huge problem for me, just an occasional one. But, I didn't like it even then, so I decided to put an end to all acid indigestion. No sense in putting yourself at risk if you can avoid it so easily. Here's what you CAN eat.
Wild-caught freshwater and ocean fish are mildly or moderately acidic, respectively. Most vegetables in their raw state are alkaline. So are grasses (e.g., barley, rye and wheat) and sprouts (e.g., mung, alfalfa and radish). Coconut and coconut milk/water are staples for alkaline dieters. I'm not talking about the sweetened coconut you use for pies! Raw coconut and canned coconut milk are alkaline. Raw and unsalted almonds are alkaline, as are most seeds. Beans and legumes are very alkaline and provide protein.
Some salts are acidic. Our family switched to sea salt several years ago. It's harvested from the Mediterranean and dried in the sun. Ordinary table salt is artificially heated to very high temperatures. This changes the salt and makes it acidic. RealSalt, which is salt that has been buried under volcanic ash and is filled with essential minerals, is not heated, is very alkaline and will not cause acid reflux. We switched to RealSalt when I discovered the alkaline diet.
Many of the oils used for salad dressings, mayonnaises and frying are acid. Good oils to use include coconut oil (my favorite), flaxseed oil, and fish oils.
Where to buy the good stuff
RealSalt is available in many stores. It's even carried at the gas station's convenience store down the street from my house! If you can't find it locally (it comes in a plastic packet with a twist-on pour spout), you can order it from Amazon by clicking on the link below.
Make sure the coconut oil you buy is UNrefined. Tocotrienols: a tastier & healthier vitamin E! was a blog I posted in June 2006, and it has more about the benefits of coconut oil. Several of the retailers in the left column carry unrefined, virgin coconut oil if you can't find it locally. Below is a link to Nutiva, which is the brand I use.
If there are no natural food stores or vitamin stores in your area, you may want to consider growing your own organic produce. It may be necessary to make a trip every three months or so to a town that has the non-perishable alkalizing supplies you need or simply start ordering these items through the internet.
Going "cold turkey"?
If you can't stop eating all your fun foods and eat only alkalizing foods (I can't), then start eliminating acid foods little by little. Maybe you could replace one acid food with one alkaline food every week. Or, one food group every week.
Convert as slow or as fast as your schedule or time allows. You may even find that eliminating one food or group puts an end to your acid reflux. If you continue to have acid reflux, then you may need to be on a 100% acid-free diet all the time. Does that sound awful? The next time that fire rises up from your stomach and scorches your esophagus, an alkaline diet will sound like a blessing instead of a curse!
I am not a doctor and have no medical training.
The information in this blog is not intended
to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Statements made on this blog
have not been evaluated by the FDA.
Consult a healthcare professional before using any products,
treatments or exercises mentioned on this blog.
medicine be thy food" - Hippocrates
posted by Edith Gaylord | 7:00 AM
25 Comments:
I'm all burned up and will try your ideas to stop reflux. My doc has prescribed meds that don't work. I can't take the burn anymore and have to find a way ot stop it. I know theres a way to do it without drugs but I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe your way will hlep.
I'll post some more tips on foods and other things that may be the root of your acid reflux. Simple dietary changes might be all you need to do. Unfortunately, mainstream doctors aren't interested in changing your diet. If patients were to overcome reflux without drugs, how would they make money if no one needed to see them for this problem?
I agree this is good advice. When I eat raw foods, I don't get heartburn/Gerd/LPR. When I eat cooked foods I notice it more. The diet should contain 70% raw food and 30% cooked food. Most of us have it switched around.
I am so glad I found your blog! I am going to take your advice and watch the foods that I eat. It's funny because my doctor said to avoid citrus; he must not read up on new findings very often. The information that shared is extremely helpful. Thnaks!
My diet consists of specify food. I will try your advice. Bc I tried 2 medications for 14 days each but no help at all. Thanks
Hello,
Thanks for the advice. I will try to follow it.
However, one thing: I get heart burns but it seems that Cold Milk puts it out like a fire.
Can you please explain? According to our notes, Milk is acidic.
also I dont feel heartburn all the tme. But lately having difficulty swallowing. Any thoughts to make this better?
Thanks again,
Zee
Zee,
Maybe your burning sensation isn't really heartburn. It may be something that acts like heartburn, & cold milk shuts it down. When does the heartburn return? After a few hours? The next day? If you're drinking whole milk, maybe the fat in the milk is enough to quench the burn for a while. If the fix lasts longer than a day before your next heartburn attack, then I wonder if you even have acid indigestion.
I think your difficulty swallowing may be related to something else. It is often highly symptomatic of an allergy (to drugs, food, toxins, contaminants, etc.). You could be allergic to a new house (toxins in the paint, carpet, furniture, etc.) a pet's dander, certain foods (soy, nuts, dairy...even though milk stops the burn, etc.) or whatever drugs you're taking (even over-the-counter drugs...aspirin, cold medicines, pain relievers, etc.). I had difficulty swallowing for 8 years. I felt like I had something tied around my throat. Through much trial and error, I discovered I was allergic to soy oil. The only soy oil I was using was the itty, bitty little soy oil in my vitamin E capsules. Once I switched to a dry vitamin E (from Solaray), my throat issues disappeared & never ret'd.
If milk douses your heartburn for a long period of time (weeks), then you may have a type of heartburn that's not severe and is easily fixed. Count your blessings! Most people with acid problems would give anything to have such an easy solution.
Tri-Salt is a product that cures the heartburn symptoms.. It can be ordered online.. It's Calcium carbonate(baking soda) magnesium bicarbonate and pottasium carbonate i believe.. I may have the details slightly off.. Anyway. it is super alkaline and keeps the calcium potassium magesium ratio in our bodies in porportion which is VERY important.. Eating too much baking soda can lead to siezures due to the imbalance of the other minerals just mentioned..
Swiss chard is the most alkaline food .. Apple juice is alkaline.. All green leafy veggies are alkaline.. Apricots are alkaline.. Okay hope that helps some people out here..J
Apple juice is not alkaline. It may not be as acidic as some fruits, but it's not alkaline enough to get rid of acid indigestion. By ingesting the juice, you're getting a big dose of fructose, which is not alkaline. Likewise, apricots are not alkaline. Again, they may not be as acidic as some fruits, but they're definitely not alkaline enough to stave off heartburn. Fructose, especially in these 2 sweet fruits, is going to cause heartburn, not relieve it.
Yes, you can ingest too much baking soda, but you can also ingest too much water...but that doesn't stop me from talking about the benefits of drinking sufficient quantities. Very little baking soda is required to alkalize and neutralize an acidic stomach, and that's what I was addressing.
I'm unfamiliar with Tri-Salt, but the ingredient list appears to be a combination of inexpensive products. I can't imagine that anyone can't find the time to dissolve a small bit of baking soda in a glass of water. I'll bet Tri-Salt is considerably more expensive than baking soda or even the 3 ingredients bought separately & combined in your kitchen.
Edith
Milk also used to cure my heartburn or acid reflux or whatever it was, just one drink was enuff to do it. When I was younger. Milk doesn't do it anymore, neither does baking soda mixed with water. I don't want to change my whole way of eating, that's just not feasible now. I'm looking for a quick fix (a pill or a bite or a drink), but can't afford the doctor or prescription. I've had good luck with the over the counter twice a day pill famotidine, and I only need to take it as needed. I also had good luck with the brand name pill, once a day, Prilosec, but have to take it every day, needed or not. I would love to find something already in my kitchen that would work, and give up the pills alltogether. (Remember the guy on Larry King that we all laughed at when he said we needed more, not less, acid to make the acid reflux go away. He said try a tablespoon of vinegar. I have yet to try that.)
Vinegar can put out the acid fire in your esophagus, but make sure it's apple cider vinegar. The brand we use is Bragg's. It's organic.
If baking soda hasn't worked for you, try the following. Put a mix of baking soda & Bragg's apple cider vinegar into 4-6 oz. of water & consume after every meal and snack. This will alkalize the contents of your stomach and act as a preventative.
It makes more sense to prevent a fire instead of trying to put one out when it's raging!
Edith
Hello fellow GERD sufferers,
Please pay attention to your blood type as well, if you are type "A" Apple Cider Vinegar is NOT for you. The very sensitive type "A" digestive tract cannot take most foods as others... I really feel for everyone on here as I am still in research mode myself, however after reading books on blood type you have to be careful what works. What works for one thing, might not work for the other. Please see dradamo.com or look for the "eat right for your type" book they are very informative.
Good Luck!
My 13yo daughter suffers with GERD. I don't want to medicate her as I believe in natural cures. So I have her drink water with apple cider vinegar (we use Braggs organic when we can) as needed (almost daily). I would like her to consume a tablespoon of molasses or raw honey at bedtime but she is not willing to at this time. She says that the apple cider vinegar in her water helps tremendously but she drinks it periodically throughout the day almost daily. I wish we could find a way to totally eliminate this condition. Anyone have any suggestions?
I took Kre-Alkalyn creatine and it gave me acid reflux that won't go away i use the apple cider vinegar remedy it seems to work better sometimes than others i don't want to use medication cause i've tried many of them does anyone else have any other suggestions? email me achilles3207@aol.com
mariasmom i'm sry to hear that, but keep looking for natural cures like i am i know for a fact the medicine doesn't solve the problem it will only cover it up and make it worse
I have heard that kefir is supposed to be really good for acid stomach, but it is a dairy product (unless you make it yourself from water which I don't have the time/money to do). Someone told me the good bacteria in it is so good for you that the milk won't do too much harm. What are your thoughts on this?
Anonymous,
Kefir IS wonderful, but there's a non-dairy, non-soy, non-lactose kefir that is quite delicious and actually tastes better than the dairy version. It's made with coconut milk, which is very healthful. Click here to see the website of Turtle Mountain, which produces So Delicious kefir.
Edith
Thank you for this information. I just found it in my search to get my life back. Acid Reflux has literally taken my life away from me and I am searching for natural ways to help me stop it. I am going to try the apple cider vinegar and thank you for the information about tomatoes and just everything. I see a lot of things I've been doing wrong. Maybe now I can live again. Thank you so much.
Dear Edith,
When you had that problem with your throat like something was wrapped around it was your throat also sore? I have had acis reflux for years and it is consumming by life....I also get a tight chest when I talk too much. I have a hietalated hernea as well. I am a train wreck!! I dont even know where to begin, You gave alot of helpful information. I know alot of this but I dont think I "consistantly" give up the bad stuff even though I out so much good into my body.
Sarah
Sarah,
No, I did not have a sore throat. If you have a sore throat, get to a doctor immediately. Persistently sore throats can be harbingers of some very serious diseases. If you're already under the care of a physician but not getting the help you need or he's not addressing the issues you want, then you owe it to yourself to find a doctor who actually cares. They're out there...but you have to be proactive and find the right one.
Again...do not wait. Address that sore throat now!
Edith
Sarah I'd like you to email me at nothingbutvenom@aol.com if you'd like
How can you help acid reflux and irritable bowel at the same time? It appears that some foods are good for one and bad for the other? Raw foods in bulk cause IBS symptoms.
I seem to have my worst nights after eating any cooked tomatoes and sometimes dairy, like a milk shake or ice cream. The acid comes all the way up to my throat and in my mouth... sometimes it goes back down into my lungs because it happens when I'm sleeping. I've found that chewing some peppermint gum will help with the burn but it's seeming more and more that I'm just going to have to give up on salsa, pizza and marinara all together. :(
I read something recently that might be helpful. Researches found that your chance of having acid reflux are reduced if you sleep on your left side. They don't know why, but it seems to work.
I don't have a regular acid problem...just an occasional one. While drifting off to sleep one night a couple weeks ago, I felt some acid working its way up my esophagus. I always sleep on my right side, though. My normal reaction would be to go to the kitchen and drink some water with dissolved baking soda in it. Instead, I flipped over & rested on my left side.
I was stunned to be immediately relieved of the acid indigestion. There was nothing in the research that said it would stop acid indigestion in progress, so I wasn't expecting it to do anything. Yet, it did. It was one of the most surprising cures I'd ever encountered. It's free, it's easy & requires no effort.
Edith
I would like to get off this reflux meds been on it now for 3 years everyday. I would like to know a combination of what I can do to help with my acid reflux disease without taking meds I also have a hernia with this disease and it is worse at night, please help no more meds.
You'll have to talk to your health care provider about getting off your acid reflux drugs. Since you don't mention where your hernia is located, I have to assume that it's a contributing factor to your acid reflux.
I suggest that you find a physician who's less interested in how many drugs he can prescribe and more interested in what you want--drug-free relief from acid reflux. They're out there, but it might take a bit of research to locate one.
I don't know if being on acid reflux meds means that you have to wean yourself off the drugs or if there are any long-term concerns (such as your body coming back with a vengeance and producing huge quantities of acid).
A friend of ours was on acid reflux meds, then converted to Tums and then converted to baking soda (as mentioned elsewhere on this blog). He doesn't seem to have any issues and is able to control his acid reflux without taking drugs. However, he wasn't on acid reflux drugs for an extended period of time when he made the transition.
If you do a search for GERD (at the top of this page...remember to click the button to search the blog, not all of Google), you'll come up with a list of ads and then lower down a list of articles on this blog that may help you get off drugs. Please remember to work with a doctor to help you make the transition.
Edith
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