Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) can be a bummer during the summer when all you really want is a refreshing treat. But fear not, your GERD-friendly dietitian is here to refresh your palate with options that will enjoy without repercussions.
When you’ve got chronic acid reflux, that is what is known as GERD. Quite simply it’s when you can’t keep the acid down (in your stomach where it belongs). Commonly people take PPI’s or Proton Pump Inhibitors to suppress acid and ideally prevent acid from traveling up the esophagus, however overtime these can deplete your stomach of important acids necessary for digestion.
It is important to wean yourself off these meds (if not medically deemed necessity) and start building back up those stomach acids with the right type of foods. Ginger, sauerkraut, pickled foods and probiotics can be helpful. But the real key to your digestion is nourishing it with whole foods and keeping your meals simple, frequent (every 3-4 hours) and small. And if you need a little snack between, that’s fine — just keep it whole-food based and uncomplicated.
What are whole foods? These are what nature produces:
- whole grains like rice and quinoa,
- fruits such as blueberries, apples, apricots,
- veggies like broccoli, spinach
A wide variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes that grow from the earth. So fill up your plates with plenty!
Well yes, and no.
You still have to watch your portions regardless on the health value. And if you are a sufferer of reflux, smaller, simpler meals are easier to digest and thus easier on your stomach.
Here are four of my favorite recipe combos for a simple GERD-friendly treats:
- Date-nut delight: 2 small dates + 2 walnut halves
- PB and date energy bites — 1 cup oats + 6-8 small dates + 1/4 cup Peanut Butter (just nuts and salt)
- Berries and cream: 1/2 cup frozen blueberries + 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
- Straw-nana smoothie:
4 medium strawberries + 1/2 banana + 1/2 + 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
And if you like these ideas and the Blueberry Banana Sorbet (recipe below), I’ve got 50 new low-acid recipes in my latest book The Healthy Alkaline Diet Guide. Click here to order: https://amzn.to/2ZItARf
Note: While it’s true you will need to watch out for lemons (citrus), garlic and certain other trigger foods, many of the recipes in my new book can easily be modified by simply omitting the ingredient or replacing (i.e. replace lemon juice with ground Sumac or lemon zest to taste).
And now for my newest combo: Blueberry Banana Sorbet
Blueberry + Banana Sorbet
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries
- 1 small ripe banana
Instructions
- Process frozen berries and banana in a high-speed food processor.
- Scoop into a small dish and enjoy!
4 Responses
I have gerd. Thank you kindly.
You are welcome.
Do you have a diet for gluten and dairy sensitivity, IBS, GERD,SIBO, GallBladder combined?
I am extremely sensitive to fats except light butter and preservatives also. Is their some app or site that could combine these diets to one safe list?
Hi Donna,
I have not found a meal planning app appropriate to consider all of these. EatLove is great but it still needs considerable tweaking, even after listing foods of avoidance because, for example, GERD-specific considerations aren’t there. But in general I would suggest lean animal protein, eggs, vegetables, and low-fat lactose-free Greek yogurt as suitable choices to form your meals around. How do you tolerate lactose-free options?