Firstly what is GERD?
GERD is a functional disorder caused by the long-term abuse of your digestive system. Basically, you have caused damage to your digestive system and taught it some bad reflexes.
There is a number of reasons causing or contributing to GERD:
- Eating bad foods in huge amounts for a long time.
- Frequent increased pressure on a stomach caused by constantly stuffed digestive tract, eating excessive amounts of meals and by excessive gas production from carb-rich foods
- Chronic imbalance of stomach acid production caused by bad eating habits
- Disbacteriosis caused by the global pH and enzyme imbalance throughout the whole digestive tract
- In some cases, compression of spinal nerves that innervate stomach and esophagus can worsen the case of existing GERD
This lead us back to our previous Question; IS GINGER GOOD FOR GERD?
This Depends what is causing your GERD. If slow emptying is the issue, yeah it will. If it is a mechanical issue with the esophagus, you will likely have more luck with peppermint
baking soda/whatever will not ever cure you alone, they are just reducing/masking the symptoms and eventually causing a digestion imbalance on their own, among other side effects. This disorder is functional and you will basically have to retrain your digestive system for a really long time. In order to get “cured” you need to stay on a strict diet for at least 2 month and then on a supportive diet for about 6 month. And then keep eating healthy afterwards for the rest of your life to keep it that way!
Step To Take If You Want To Afford GERD
– No coffee, tea, soda, citrus fruits, raw onions, mint products , spicy foods, fastfood
– The only food you can eat is what you cook at home, stay away from any restaurant food. At work, eat only what you bring. You will have to cook every day and shop for groceries frequently.
– Avoid carb-rich food (potato, anything baked and sweet, pasta)
– No spices and minimum of salt in all your cooking.
– Do not drink tap water, find a bottled water that is slightly alkaline (Nestle, Fiji, Deer Park).
– Identify and completely avoid specific foods provoking GERD in your case (citrus, onion, tomatoes, spices, chocolate, diary, bell peppers, hard liquors).
– Do not smoke, stay away from alcohol as much as you can.
– Reduce fat and carbs in your food. In general, avoid anything fatty, spicy and fried.
– Eat 4-5 times a day in small portions, 300-400 cal/meal. Do not eat more than 1500 cal/day. Avoid drinking water with food. But, drink plenty of water in between meals.
– Buy Maalox, Pepto-Bismol or Mylanta (Mylanta is the least effective), take 3 times a day in between meals for 3-4 weeks.
– LOSE WEIGHT if your weight is excessive. Start walking at least 5 miles a day. Swim if you can, but it is better to start swimming when your symptoms will go down.
Beginning/when it’s really bad:
– eat only what you cook at home (you can eat plain oatmeal in Starbucks though)
– NO coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, mint products
– only boiled or steamed
– eat REALLY small portions, do not drink when eating, eat 4-5 times a day
– last meal is 3 hours before sleep.
– eat oatmeal frequently
– eat soup (chicken breast, a bit of a potato or noodles)
– the best side dish is boiled buckwheat with a minimum of butter or buckwheat-based soup with only carrots (google the cooking directions)
– meat: boiled or steamed fish or chicken breast with no spices and minimum salt
– do not eat: any restaurant/processed food, potatoes, noodles, bread products, diary, anything spicy, anything fatty, any fruits, any raw vegetables
– no alcohol, no smoking
– take vitamins (find the formulation that DOES NOT have zinc) and probiotics
– if you are on PPI or H2 blocker, take them for about a week and start reducing the dosage
When it has eased off a bit:
– NO fast-food!
– stay away from any restaurant food
– No coffee or tea, mint, raw onions, spices, citrus fruits, soda, chocolate
– avoid fruits and veggies that worsen your symptoms
– keep eating small portions, do not drink water during the meals
– avoid trigger foods
NOTE!!!
It will probably take about a year of self-control, hard work and dedication to get completely “cured“
