Listen, I get it. You already know that if you lose weight and polishing off a bottle of wine each weekend you probably will stop getting heartburn. And yes, I hear you, you might not want to make that kind of sacrifice. Well, first off, I have to get it out of the way that your health is hardly sacrificing, and if your unhealthy lifestyle choices are causing you pain and suffering, it doesn't really seem rational to continue on that track.
However, I can introduce to you the 90/10 rule. If you are familiar with business at all, no doubt you have heard about the 80/20 rule, which states something like 80% of your profits come from 20% of where your time is focused. Not really relevant to our 90/10 rule, except that they are both rules with fractions!
The 90/10 rule is one which states if you are following a certain diet plan, generally you can get away with doing what you aren't supposed to 10% of the time. Note that this does not apply to serious health conditions (diabetes, brain cancer, etc) but more from a body composition and a general health stand point.
The bottom line is simple: if you eat 3-4 meals a day, you have 21-28 meals per week. As a result, 10% of the time (i.e. 2 meals out of the week), you can probably eat what you want and get away with it. Chronic heartburn is more likely to be the result of consistently eating bad things until the stomach can no longer function. If you diet all week, going out to dinner on Friday night and having a few glasses of wine is not likely to set you off. However, you can't binge all night Friday and into Saturday and Sunday and expect to have any health benefits.
You also have to give your stomach to recover from your previous bad lifestyle. After you drop a few pounds and follow a good acid reflux diet for awhile, you will see that eating out once in awhile is likely to be something you can handle.
For example, drinking a few glasses of alcohol regularly can lead to gastritis, which is known to cause reflux (the bad kind of reflux that hits you all day). It will take a few weeks (or maybe even a few months) of not drinking in order for your stomach to heal up. Your body is resilient, but its healing processes are not instant - just something to remember.
The point of this quick article is just to know that you aren't married to your heartburn - just be good most of the time and you will likely find that a night or two out on the town each week won't ruin your holistic plan to reducing your reflux.
Yeah, sure, this 90/10 rule isn't exactly about acid reflux in the video above, but the principle applies. Serve your body 90% of the time, and 10% of the time you can get away with what you want!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Five Easy Meals for Acid Reflux
In this article I'm going to give you five easy meals that you can use to start reducing your acid reflux. The first meal I'm going to give you is something that you can use for lunch or pack to take to work.
Meal 1: My favorite thing to take to work is a protein shake, an apple and a handful of almonds. This combination is great because it is high in protein, has a lot of due to fiber and it does not need to be cooked. While you know that I like to take my time while eating, that does not necessarily mean I am not a busy person or have the time to whip up a four course meal for work!
Meal 2: Marinated chicken breast. While I have mentioned this in other posts, this is one of the best meats you can eat in terms of its effect on heartburn, plus it is delicious. Mild meats like chicken breast are not likely to trigger heartburn, and in fact high protein meals help tighten the LES to ensure you are not suffering after you eat.
Meal 3: Another great meal you can eat is fat free greek yogurt mixed with raspberries. I like this meal for a lot of reasons. First off, it is high in protein and fiber, two of the best things you can add to your diet if you are suffering from reflux. Also, greek yogurt is rich in natural bacteria and enzymes which may improve your digestion. Talk about hitting heartburn from all fronts!
Meal 4: Grilled salmon and broccoli. This meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. While fatty foods were once thought to be a major trigger for heartburn, it turns out that omega-3 fatty acids in particular are solid choices when it comes to minimizing the serious effects of excess stomach acid. These are strong anti-inflammatories that help improve our neural functioning on one hand and at the same time help reduce inflammation. The broccoli is also a nice source of fiber, helps improve digestion, and otherwise is a good compliment to salmon from a taste perspective!
Meal 5: The final meal I think is a great addition for heartburn sufferers is a few hard-boiled eggs and a banana. Bananas always seem to have a soothing effect for many people's digestive tracts, and hard-boiled eggs are also a great source of a lot of nutrients, protein, and are quite portable as well. These two soft foods are not known for triggering heartburn!
Meal 1: My favorite thing to take to work is a protein shake, an apple and a handful of almonds. This combination is great because it is high in protein, has a lot of due to fiber and it does not need to be cooked. While you know that I like to take my time while eating, that does not necessarily mean I am not a busy person or have the time to whip up a four course meal for work!
Meal 2: Marinated chicken breast. While I have mentioned this in other posts, this is one of the best meats you can eat in terms of its effect on heartburn, plus it is delicious. Mild meats like chicken breast are not likely to trigger heartburn, and in fact high protein meals help tighten the LES to ensure you are not suffering after you eat.
Meal 3: Another great meal you can eat is fat free greek yogurt mixed with raspberries. I like this meal for a lot of reasons. First off, it is high in protein and fiber, two of the best things you can add to your diet if you are suffering from reflux. Also, greek yogurt is rich in natural bacteria and enzymes which may improve your digestion. Talk about hitting heartburn from all fronts!
Meal 4: Grilled salmon and broccoli. This meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. While fatty foods were once thought to be a major trigger for heartburn, it turns out that omega-3 fatty acids in particular are solid choices when it comes to minimizing the serious effects of excess stomach acid. These are strong anti-inflammatories that help improve our neural functioning on one hand and at the same time help reduce inflammation. The broccoli is also a nice source of fiber, helps improve digestion, and otherwise is a good compliment to salmon from a taste perspective!
Meal 5: The final meal I think is a great addition for heartburn sufferers is a few hard-boiled eggs and a banana. Bananas always seem to have a soothing effect for many people's digestive tracts, and hard-boiled eggs are also a great source of a lot of nutrients, protein, and are quite portable as well. These two soft foods are not known for triggering heartburn!
What is GERD and What It Means
One of the most recent changes to the whole heartburn field recently is the introduction of GERD. GERD is basically the medical term for heartburn if you did not know. Technically, it stands for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, and the definition of it is typically that you have to get heartburn twice a week (or more) for an extended period of time. Different health organizations of course make different requirements.
Doctors have been using the term GERD for decades, but it is only been in the vocabulary of every day people like myself (and probably you as well) for the past 10 years or so. Why the sudden shift?
The truth is that heartburn is now GERD because of the invention and integration of prescription (and expensive over the counter) heartburn medication into mainstream society. We've known that long-term heartburn is bad, so it's not like this is a recent development designed to alert the public about the dangers of GERD.
GERD can lead to serious health problems (even cancer) so it is not to be taken lightly, so do not get the wrong message. What I am saying though is that the reason we hear GERD so much now is that consumers are not necessarily motivated to spend 100$ a month on "heartburn" but are much more likely to spend money on "GERD". It is much more effective for advertising of proton pump inhibitors to promote them as a treatment for "GERD" rather than a treatment for "heartburn".
It's common sense really - GERD sounds serious whereas heartburn sounds harmless. It is not as if heartburn mutated into some new disease in the past decade, it's just that we can easily charge a few dollars a pill for a brand name PPI but no one would pay that kind of money for an antacid.
Now, again, I am not necessarily saying that we should not take PPIs or H2-blockers, as these medicines have been proven effective. What I am saying though is we probably do take them too much in place of healthy lifestyle changes like weight loss and dietary modifications. We would be better off in all aspects of our lives if we just managed chronic conditions via improving our overall health (eating healthier, not being obese, sleeping enough, avoiding alcohol, etc).
So there you have it. GERD is acid reflux that occurs regularly over a period of time, whereas heartburn is just a symptom of acid reflux. Clear enough?
Doctors have been using the term GERD for decades, but it is only been in the vocabulary of every day people like myself (and probably you as well) for the past 10 years or so. Why the sudden shift?
The truth is that heartburn is now GERD because of the invention and integration of prescription (and expensive over the counter) heartburn medication into mainstream society. We've known that long-term heartburn is bad, so it's not like this is a recent development designed to alert the public about the dangers of GERD.
GERD can lead to serious health problems (even cancer) so it is not to be taken lightly, so do not get the wrong message. What I am saying though is that the reason we hear GERD so much now is that consumers are not necessarily motivated to spend 100$ a month on "heartburn" but are much more likely to spend money on "GERD". It is much more effective for advertising of proton pump inhibitors to promote them as a treatment for "GERD" rather than a treatment for "heartburn".
It's common sense really - GERD sounds serious whereas heartburn sounds harmless. It is not as if heartburn mutated into some new disease in the past decade, it's just that we can easily charge a few dollars a pill for a brand name PPI but no one would pay that kind of money for an antacid.
Now, again, I am not necessarily saying that we should not take PPIs or H2-blockers, as these medicines have been proven effective. What I am saying though is we probably do take them too much in place of healthy lifestyle changes like weight loss and dietary modifications. We would be better off in all aspects of our lives if we just managed chronic conditions via improving our overall health (eating healthier, not being obese, sleeping enough, avoiding alcohol, etc).
So there you have it. GERD is acid reflux that occurs regularly over a period of time, whereas heartburn is just a symptom of acid reflux. Clear enough?
Stop Heartburn With Small Changes To Your Diet
If you want to learn how to quickly and easily stop heartburn just by making small changes to your diet, this is the place. In this article, I will be revealing to you my three simple tips for stopping heartburn with just three small changes to your diet and the way you eat and prepare your food.
1. Only eat while sitting, and take your time when eating each meal.
Researchers have noted that taking the time to chew your food significantly lowers your rates of heartburn and acid reflux. One particular study reported that groups nearly 86% of people who suffered from acid reflux did not chew their food adequately, and conversely, less than 20% of people who thoroughly chewed their food ended up getting reflux.
To further add to this, researchers have also noted that people who eat at while standing or driving are much more likely to suffer from stress and reflux. Make sure you take some time out of your day to actually sit down and eat. I guarantee this break time will boost your productivity. I run my own business and I am always sure to take time out of my day to eat lunch and dinner.
A day that I am too busy to sit down and actually have a meal in the evening is a day I am way too busy!
2. Boost Your Fiber Intake
By adding fiber to your diet, you can not only reduce the chance you get acid reflux, but you can also protect your esophagus as well. People who eat a fibrous diet are much less likely to get Barrett's Esophagus (a precursor to esophageal cancer) than those who eat less fiber. Fiber is also great for the variety of health benefits it provides such as improved blood triglycerides and cholesterol and improved regularity.
A few easy ways to get fiber are by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet or supplementing with psyllium husk. I would note that the fibers found in grains may not be nearly as beneficial as those found in fruits and vegetables; in these studies, people who ate more fiber had less health problems, but these studies do not control for fiber source. As such, many of the "high fiber" participants are people who ate more fruits and vegetables, not necessarily more bran.
3. Ditch the Hot Stuff
Many spices can be eaten by those suffering from acid reflux without stirring up your problems, but very "hot" spicy food really can trigger heartburn. The "hot" spices activate pain receptors in the esophagus and stomach and may cause abnormal function of the LES. This will lead to heartburn.
I know spicy foods may be tasty, but you do not have to sacrifice flavor. There are a lot of great spices and flavors which do not require you to burn your skin to enjoy. Besides, really hot spices are typically used to cover up cheap meats and spices! Buy quality food and enjoy not only reduced acid reflux but better health as well.
Here is a video demonstrating a good steak marinade you can use to get flavor without all the hot stuff:
1. Only eat while sitting, and take your time when eating each meal.
Researchers have noted that taking the time to chew your food significantly lowers your rates of heartburn and acid reflux. One particular study reported that groups nearly 86% of people who suffered from acid reflux did not chew their food adequately, and conversely, less than 20% of people who thoroughly chewed their food ended up getting reflux.
To further add to this, researchers have also noted that people who eat at while standing or driving are much more likely to suffer from stress and reflux. Make sure you take some time out of your day to actually sit down and eat. I guarantee this break time will boost your productivity. I run my own business and I am always sure to take time out of my day to eat lunch and dinner.
A day that I am too busy to sit down and actually have a meal in the evening is a day I am way too busy!
2. Boost Your Fiber Intake
By adding fiber to your diet, you can not only reduce the chance you get acid reflux, but you can also protect your esophagus as well. People who eat a fibrous diet are much less likely to get Barrett's Esophagus (a precursor to esophageal cancer) than those who eat less fiber. Fiber is also great for the variety of health benefits it provides such as improved blood triglycerides and cholesterol and improved regularity.
A few easy ways to get fiber are by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet or supplementing with psyllium husk. I would note that the fibers found in grains may not be nearly as beneficial as those found in fruits and vegetables; in these studies, people who ate more fiber had less health problems, but these studies do not control for fiber source. As such, many of the "high fiber" participants are people who ate more fruits and vegetables, not necessarily more bran.
3. Ditch the Hot Stuff
Many spices can be eaten by those suffering from acid reflux without stirring up your problems, but very "hot" spicy food really can trigger heartburn. The "hot" spices activate pain receptors in the esophagus and stomach and may cause abnormal function of the LES. This will lead to heartburn.
I know spicy foods may be tasty, but you do not have to sacrifice flavor. There are a lot of great spices and flavors which do not require you to burn your skin to enjoy. Besides, really hot spices are typically used to cover up cheap meats and spices! Buy quality food and enjoy not only reduced acid reflux but better health as well.
Here is a video demonstrating a good steak marinade you can use to get flavor without all the hot stuff:
The Most Powerful Ways to Stop Heartburn
While in some of my previous posts I have been ranting on about the basics of heartburn, in this one I really wanted to give cover some powerful and effective ways to stop heartburn. While losing weight and charting trigger foods is necessary for long term heartburn success, they take forever to actually kick in. In this article I wanted to give you some powerful things you can do right away to start helping out your heartburn.
Bed Wedge Pillows
I think that these are great and are necessary for anyone who sleeps in the same bed as their significant other. This allows you to lie on an incline, helping stop heartburn at night. Most heartburn at night is unrelated to it being at night but rather related to body position; lying down makes heartburn worse!
By lying on the pillow, you prevent acid reflux from "rolling downhill" and entering the esophagus. These pillows are my secret weapon and I do not like to sleep without one.
The thing is you can also just elevate your bed on one end and get the same effect. Your spouse however may not be comfortable with this, so the bed wedge pillow works great when that is the case.
Medicines
While not always perfect for long-term use, medicine from the doctor really can help, especially when you are trying to turn things around. Prescription medicine not only stops heartburn but promotes healing of the esophagus, so it can help reduce your symptoms and give your esophagus some time to heal as you work on losing weight and fixing your diet.
Some people who just happen to produce a lot of stomach acid do well on these medications even for the long term due to this. You should talk with your doctor and make an informed decision on the use of such medication.
Gum
I love popping a piece of chewing gum in my mouth if I happen to go out to eat and have something that I "shouldn't have". This always seems to do me very well in terms of preventing heartburn. I have read on another site that this is because the act of chewing seems to increase the production of saliva and speeds up the process of digesting.
If you didn't know, a sluggish digestive tract really can increase your heartburn, so anything that improves gastric motility is good in my book. It's not a coincidence that individuals who suffer from GERD also often suffer from constipation. For more information on GERD, check out this video:
Bed Wedge Pillows
I think that these are great and are necessary for anyone who sleeps in the same bed as their significant other. This allows you to lie on an incline, helping stop heartburn at night. Most heartburn at night is unrelated to it being at night but rather related to body position; lying down makes heartburn worse!
By lying on the pillow, you prevent acid reflux from "rolling downhill" and entering the esophagus. These pillows are my secret weapon and I do not like to sleep without one.
The thing is you can also just elevate your bed on one end and get the same effect. Your spouse however may not be comfortable with this, so the bed wedge pillow works great when that is the case.
Medicines
While not always perfect for long-term use, medicine from the doctor really can help, especially when you are trying to turn things around. Prescription medicine not only stops heartburn but promotes healing of the esophagus, so it can help reduce your symptoms and give your esophagus some time to heal as you work on losing weight and fixing your diet.
Some people who just happen to produce a lot of stomach acid do well on these medications even for the long term due to this. You should talk with your doctor and make an informed decision on the use of such medication.
Gum
I love popping a piece of chewing gum in my mouth if I happen to go out to eat and have something that I "shouldn't have". This always seems to do me very well in terms of preventing heartburn. I have read on another site that this is because the act of chewing seems to increase the production of saliva and speeds up the process of digesting.
If you didn't know, a sluggish digestive tract really can increase your heartburn, so anything that improves gastric motility is good in my book. It's not a coincidence that individuals who suffer from GERD also often suffer from constipation. For more information on GERD, check out this video:
The Beginner's Guide to Curing Heartburn
In this post, I wanted to go over all of the basics behind stopping heartburn. If you have dealt with heartburn before, you are no doubt interested in learning the basics. I would recommend reading over this beginner's guide and learning a little bit about each way you can stop heartburn before continuing on to other guides.
Step 1: Weight Loss
If you want to tackle your and acid reflux for the long haul, you need to think about losing some weight. Being overweight is like signing your life away to acid reflux, and it also causes a lto of other health brpoblems that you would be best just to avoid in the first place.
Naturally, this may not always be the case if you were pregnant; weight loss may just not be possible at that time. Also if you are already a healthy weight, then obviously weight loss is not going to help. However, you need to be honest with yourself about what a "healthy weight" really is - a lot of people like to think that they are at a "healthy weight" just because they are comfortable with their own bodies. While I am happy that you are able to accept yourself, just because your brain does not offer an objection to being fat, your stomach might! Acid reflux and belly fat go hand-in-hand.
Step 2: Plan Your Acid Reflux Diet
The next thing you need to do in order to stop heartburn is to plan out an acid reflux diet. You want to avoid all the usual suspects, such as citrus, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, mint, tomatoes, sugar, and chocolate. While I know a lot of these foods are delicious, they are not the best for acid reflux!
Step 3: Don't Just Change What You Eat, But How And When You Eat As Well
One of the biggest mistakes people make when changing their diet is to just change foods while completely ignoring some of the other great ways to slow down acid reflux through their food. Research has shown that chewing your food more completely actually reduces reflux rates. As a result, you always want to take time to eat slowly.
Additionally, since heartburn at night is such a problem, make dinner the last meal of the day. You do not have to have that late night snack! Skip it and you will thank me later as you will have to deal with way less heartburn!
Step 1: Weight Loss
If you want to tackle your and acid reflux for the long haul, you need to think about losing some weight. Being overweight is like signing your life away to acid reflux, and it also causes a lto of other health brpoblems that you would be best just to avoid in the first place.
Naturally, this may not always be the case if you were pregnant; weight loss may just not be possible at that time. Also if you are already a healthy weight, then obviously weight loss is not going to help. However, you need to be honest with yourself about what a "healthy weight" really is - a lot of people like to think that they are at a "healthy weight" just because they are comfortable with their own bodies. While I am happy that you are able to accept yourself, just because your brain does not offer an objection to being fat, your stomach might! Acid reflux and belly fat go hand-in-hand.
Step 2: Plan Your Acid Reflux Diet
The next thing you need to do in order to stop heartburn is to plan out an acid reflux diet. You want to avoid all the usual suspects, such as citrus, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, mint, tomatoes, sugar, and chocolate. While I know a lot of these foods are delicious, they are not the best for acid reflux!
Step 3: Don't Just Change What You Eat, But How And When You Eat As Well
One of the biggest mistakes people make when changing their diet is to just change foods while completely ignoring some of the other great ways to slow down acid reflux through their food. Research has shown that chewing your food more completely actually reduces reflux rates. As a result, you always want to take time to eat slowly.
Additionally, since heartburn at night is such a problem, make dinner the last meal of the day. You do not have to have that late night snack! Skip it and you will thank me later as you will have to deal with way less heartburn!
My Favorite Various Varieties of Remedies For Heartburn
Have you ever forgotten what it felt like to have a great night's rest? Simply being able to wake up refreshed in the morning, ready to get started? Can you visualize sleeping the entire night without having that burning sensation in the middle of your chest?
I know what it feels like. I suffered kind GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) for a long time. Victims of this terrible illness know what I am talking about. For me, it started after my first child. As I worked to figure out what was wrong with me and how I could fix it, I finally figured out some great remedies that I could use in order to stop heartburn in its tracks.
The number one thing I recommend doing is trying to figure out what foods cause you discomfort. While this is not an exact remedy per se, it is much easier to avoid heartburn in the first place than it is to get it and then deal with it later. I recommend making a list of what gives you heartburn and keeping track of this over time.
You might even notice that unusual things, such as certain flavored drinks, or even rituals (such as brushing your teeth) end up giving your heartburn. Sometimes our heartburn memories are so strong that we make associations between certain actions and heartburn. When we do those actions in the future, we then too get heartburn.
Think of it like Pavlov's dogs; these dogs always heard a bell ringing right before they were fed. After awhile, the sound of the bell was enough to cause the dogs to salivate. Likewise, if you are used to getting heartburn after dinner, your body may be conditioned to this and even expect heartburn, even after changing to an acid reflux diet.
For that reason, I recommend being as patient as possible when it comes to acid reflux. You really need to take your time and give your diet at least 2 months before you make a decision on whether it is effective or not.
Now, for the last part of this article I will give you a taste of my favorite heartburn remedy, and that would be vinegar. Some people hate it, but I love it. It makes my food taste better and if I have heartburn and I take a spoonful of vinegar, I feel better instantly.
Perhaps you could say at this point I am conditioned to have vinegar take away my heartburn :). Not everyone reports a benefit though, so you will have to try out it yourself to see whether this is good or bad for your individual case.
I know what it feels like. I suffered kind GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) for a long time. Victims of this terrible illness know what I am talking about. For me, it started after my first child. As I worked to figure out what was wrong with me and how I could fix it, I finally figured out some great remedies that I could use in order to stop heartburn in its tracks.
The number one thing I recommend doing is trying to figure out what foods cause you discomfort. While this is not an exact remedy per se, it is much easier to avoid heartburn in the first place than it is to get it and then deal with it later. I recommend making a list of what gives you heartburn and keeping track of this over time.
You might even notice that unusual things, such as certain flavored drinks, or even rituals (such as brushing your teeth) end up giving your heartburn. Sometimes our heartburn memories are so strong that we make associations between certain actions and heartburn. When we do those actions in the future, we then too get heartburn.
Think of it like Pavlov's dogs; these dogs always heard a bell ringing right before they were fed. After awhile, the sound of the bell was enough to cause the dogs to salivate. Likewise, if you are used to getting heartburn after dinner, your body may be conditioned to this and even expect heartburn, even after changing to an acid reflux diet.
For that reason, I recommend being as patient as possible when it comes to acid reflux. You really need to take your time and give your diet at least 2 months before you make a decision on whether it is effective or not.
Now, for the last part of this article I will give you a taste of my favorite heartburn remedy, and that would be vinegar. Some people hate it, but I love it. It makes my food taste better and if I have heartburn and I take a spoonful of vinegar, I feel better instantly.
Perhaps you could say at this point I am conditioned to have vinegar take away my heartburn :). Not everyone reports a benefit though, so you will have to try out it yourself to see whether this is good or bad for your individual case.
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