A Word About My New Diet

[la_samtyr]

MY new diet is essentially a low acid or GERD diet. It's based on the ph level of various foods, and I am working with an RD (Registered Dietician) to get used to such a major transition. (Basically, I eat rabbit food, lol.)

Below is a partial list of what I can't (and the things that I *can*) have:

Some of the things I *can not* have:

NO: Coke, Pepsi or other cola products (be they regular diet or otherwise), energy drinks and sparkling water. None.

NO: Lemon, lime, pineapple, mango, kiwi, orange, grapefruit, peaches, pomegranate, certain apples, cherries, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Oddly enough, I can have raspberries and pears. Go figure.

NO: Tomatoes or peppers or anything containing them. This means BBQ sauce, V8 or tomato juice, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, salsa -- which means almost everything I love: pizza, lasagna, nachos -- you get the picture. ::sobs::

Nothing deep-fried or even fried, unless no-stick spray is used. Grilled and baked is ok though.

NO: condiments, such as ketchup (already mentioned), mustard, pickles, most onions, mayo or mayo-related products -- and most dressings, such as ranch, Russian, Caesar (and probably a whole lot more too.)

NO: Whole milk or cream

NO: alcohol

NO: prepackaged or fast foods

What I *can* have:

Agave nectar
Apples -- Red Delicious, Fuji, Gala
Avocado
Banana
Beets (red)
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Corn
Cucumber
Eggplant
Endive
Fennel
Gherkin
Green beans
Legumes
Melon (cantaloupe)
Milk (soy or 'other' preferred, otherwise anything less than whole milk or cream)
Mushrooms (portobello, domestic)
Oatmeal
Olives
Parsley (Italian flat leaf)
Parsnip
Pears
Peas
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Radish
Squash (Acorn, spaghetti, etc.)
Turnip
Yams/sweet potatoes
Zuchinni

Also, *One* (and only one) cup of coffee or tea per day

So there you have it. Most guys, upon hearing this diet, promptly ask if I can still have red meat. This is a source of deep concern to them (deep concern as in a potential source of freak-out, lol). So I tell them yes, as long as it's lean and grilled or baked, not fried. (Actually I'm supposed to cut out as much meat as soon as possible (by at least half) but I don't tell them that.)

What I can tell you is that I have felt better since I started this and I have lost a lot of bloat too. And I do feel better. :)

Comments

[spiced-wine.livejournal.com]

The GERD diet. I have tried that when my acid reflux was really, really bad, and it does work (and on bloat, too) but it's usually my bowels that cause a storm, and they seem to decide they won't tolerate things one day to the next.

I couldn't give up fizzy water though, I drink four liters a day.

I am glad it is making you feel better, Sam, even though it cuts out a lot of nice food, the list of what you can have is okay.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

The worst thing is that it cuts out so much fruit that I love, and also a lot of my "go-to" meals: pizza, lasagna, chili, etc. etc.

But it does make me feel better and that helps out a lot.

[alexcat.livejournal.com]

So is this for weight loss or for stomach upset?

Vegetables do not agree with me so I'd be in deep doo! Lots of folks I know are going with low carb these days. My cousin's hubby has had so much luck with it that he looks like a refugee.

I have do something but as of yet, I'm not decided what. Not eating fried foods or sugars is a great way to get rid of a lot of bloat too.

I am convinced that soy will kill us all. My farmer grows soybeans on my farm but I'm not sure if his are sold for human food or for cattle feed.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

It's for acid-reflux. Since my mom had much the same problem, my dr. thinks I am at higher-risk than most especially since it can easily lead to something more serious.(So far so good but no point taking chances either.)

[alexcat.livejournal.com]

Prilosec fixed it for me.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Right now I am almost broke paying for assorted meds. Ok, it's not quite that bad but it sure plays havoc with my rainy day fund. If a change in diet can help, it has to be cheaper right?

[olorime001.livejournal.com]

I gave up all sorts of carbonated drinks. I only drink water, coffee or the occasional tea.
I haven't seen any good results from it, but I don't miss them.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

It's been really hard because I adore soft drinks. Energy and power drinks not so much but a nice cold soda is wonderful, especially in summer. (And if one is good then two must be better, right? ;)

[aearwen2.livejournal.com]

I do truly feel for you, if for no other reason than I've been watching my daughter trying to come to terms with her own, rather impressive, list of food sensitivities/allergies. She's off of eggs, soy, gluten and dairy completely, and with a number of other things (like avocado and apples and strawberries) that she can never have again. But to get her gut to heal, the functional nutritionist had her pare her diet down to a very short list, divided it into three "days" and then she's not allowed to have any one item more than one day in three (it was four, but he told her to take her "ickiest" day and scatter the items throughout the other three.)

I'm working hard to go gluten free - but it's made a small difference with some of my arthritis, so I'll stick to it.

Hope this GERD diet helps you. My GERD went away when I cut out all sources of caffeine, FWIW...

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I really feel for your daughter. It must be really awkward to find a decent sort of diet. Several of my cousins have a lot of food sensitivities/allergies, especially to wheat gluten but I never really did. Or maybe I did and was too ignorant to realize it.

[chaotic-binky.livejournal.com]

Can you eat honey?

Maybe when you are better you can slowly reintroduce banned foods and see how you get along.

Good luck and I am glad you are feeling some benefit.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I was never told about honey but I imagine it is alright. I'm not sure about things like peanut butter, jellies/jams or syrups either. We shall see though.

Hopefully I can have a few of things again. I should cut out *all* chocolate too but I need something to keep me from feeling totally 'deprived' and starting back on the 'No' foods again.

[perkyandproud.livejournal.com]

Yay for feeling better!

Oo, Sweet Potatoes are yum!

*hugs you a lot*

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, feeling better is a big plus. Well, that and losing so much bloat. [g]

*hugs back*

[aglarien1.livejournal.com]

Whole grains? and I don't see lettuce on the list. I'd probably go nuts without tomatoes of some sort, Italian that I am. As long as you're feeling better!

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about whole grains but they should be ok. And I think lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens are safe too.

The limited fruits and 'no tomatoes' are awful though. I adore tomatoes and all the good things that you can make with them. ::sniffles:: But feeling better does help with the incentive to keep away from them.

[boltonia.livejournal.com]

Oh this diet sounds hard! I thought I was being tough on myself giving up things like potato chips (switched to veggie straws) and Mt Dew (switched to sparkling lemonade. There's a lot of other things I've given up too, but those 2 are the hardest. You have my sympathies and I'm really glad you're feeling better!

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

It's really hard, that's for sure. I just hope he doesn't want me to go gluten-free as well. :/ That would be really awkward. But actually feeling better is a definite plus! :)

[saruwatari.livejournal.com]

Hooray for feeling better!

I agree with whomever said the thing about introducing some of the 'banned' foods - I found that once I got my own GERD & IBS under control and was feeling all right again, there were some things on the banned list I could tolerate just fine. They start by eliminating *everything* that could cause trouble, but over time you'll figure out what your own triggers and nasty things are - it's likely that not everything on the banned list will specifically cause trouble for you.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

The good thing about this is I have learned very quickly what some of my triggers are because the reaction is almost instant and very unpleasant.

I am hoping that someday I can try and introduce a few things again because I really miss nomming on so many fruits and veggies. :(

[saruwatari.livejournal.com]

Good idea. Start off with a limited diet and full restrictions, and then add things back at intervals, and one-by-one, to see if you can handle them.

[casey28.livejournal.com]

I've had problems with acidity and other digestive issues, and I had to experiment to see which food bothered me and which ones were ok. For example, my doctor said to avoid wheat and dairy products, but apples were ok, and it ended up that wheat wasn't an issue, and I can tolerate yogurt and cheese, while apples make me feel really bloated and sick. I've cut out spices, coffee, and I eat very little fruit. Also, I drink George's Aloe Vera Juice, which is really amazing stuff. :) Also, digestive enzymes help.

I'm glad you're feeling better. :)

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

I never thought I had any specific food problems but apparently I have, and annoyingly, I have probably had them for a long time. I am hoping that I don't have any more things I have to quit because that is going to be super-hard. I have heard a lot of good things about aloe vera juice and now that I am back I really want to try it.

This is really hard but feeling better is worth it. :)