Already lacto-ovo, will going full vegan help with acid reflux?

[Rob H.]

I've been feeling like hell (stomach-wise) for a few days a week for the past three weeks and finally went to the doctor and got prescribed medication for acid reflux on Wednesday. I've been scouring the internets to find out whether going vegan will be helpful to me, too, but haven't had much luck finding a definitive answer. I'm already almost totally dairy-free, so at this point it shouldn't be to difficult to just go all the way.

I've learned that there are things I can give up or at least cut way back on (tomatoes, citrus fruits, and caffeine, for example), and dropping some excess poundage is supposed to be helpful, which honestly I need to do regardless of whether I'd been diagnosed with acid reflux.

Anyway, I just thought I'd ask my fellow veg people here in the tofu ghetto for some advice/input. Thanks in advance. :)

[LeftyMom]

1. It may

One of the reasons your stomach creates acid is to break down animal fats and proteins. It's not the only reason, but if you're not consuming those hard-to-digest foods you may see some reduction in acid production, especially in combination with your medication. For some people going vegan also results in some weight loss, which as you know can be helpful (depending on what you're looking to lose, the McDougall plan and other books by Dr McDougall may be helpful as they are vegan but geared toward weight loss.) You'd probably see some results just from reducing or eliminating common triggers as well, so I suspect the multi-faceted approach you're trying will do you a lot of good.

It may also help you to keep a food diary to see if any specific things you're eating are triggering the problem

[flvegan]

2. I really want to lie to you

and tell you that going vegan will cure it. It might, but it might not. I actually know a vegan that went through a bout of acid reflux for a while. Her biggest contributor? Stress. What's your stress level?

Digestive enzymes can help cut back on acid reflux, as can eating some of your veggies raw. Also, eating smaller, more numerous meals over the day can help (it'll also help boost your metabolism).

Taking up exercise would be a good idea. Not only would it help you drop some weight, it's also a miracle worker on stress.

I'm also with LeftyMom, here. A food journal is a good idea and might help you pinpoint if it is a particular food/food grouping that's causing it.

That said (shameless peer pressure time), go vegan anyway. Why not? Come on, all the cool kids are doing it! I'm kidding, of course.

[Rob H.]

3. Awesome advice, you two

Yeah, I neglected to mention that my stress level has been pretty high lately--I'm in desktop publishing/publication design and working on an 850+ page catalog right now. It'll be headed out the door to the printer sometime next week (crossing my fingers), so I'm hopeful that the level of stress I'm feeling will plummet once that thing goes.

I also forgot to mention that I've also been "gearing up" to go vegan, anyway. I've noticed that since going vegetarian I can't even smash bugs or spiders that get into my apartment! I scoop them up and carry them outside, where they belong. Anything I currently have that's leather won't be replaced with leather goods once they wear out, either. As Gandhi once said, "A good man is the friend of all living things."

Thanks again for the advice. At the risk of sounding mushy, I kinda had the feeling I could count on you two to help. :hug:

Edit: Oops--missing "the."

[LeftyMom]

4. .

:blush:

:grouphug:

[Coventina]

5. Can't comment on the vegan question, but I'll chime in about caffeine.

I notice a HUGE difference in my plumbing health, top to bottom, when I am "on" caffeine vs. "off" caffeine.

I seem to be particularly sensitive to that drug. It does bad things to my tummy, my uterus and my breasts.

Sorry if that is TMI, but if it helps.....

:blush:

[Rob H.]

6. Absolutely, that helps

I'm down to one caffeinated soda a day, and I'm giving that up, too. I hear coffee is even worse--glad I'm not too keen on it. I'll miss sweet tea, though.

[yewberry]

7. Oy.

Wow, with reflux, it really varies.

I've had horrble reflux for most of my life, and I only found out a few years ago that it was a structural problem (weak lower esophageal sphincter) rather than something related to diet.

I wish I'd done something about it sooner...now I have a precancerous condition and have to be on meds for the rest of my life and get biopsies every 2 years. The meds help tremendously...I sleep through the night now, which I never did from about age 13 to 30.

There are some things you can do. I have found that a veg diet is easier on my system (but I don't know if that'll be true for you.) I limit caffeine. Avoid mint like the plague. Never chew gum (it stimulates digestive processes.)

Seriously, if there's any questions that you might want to ask, feel free to PM me or ask here.

Good luck!

[Dirty Hippie]

8. I think a vegan diet

really helped my acid reflux.

I have a hialal hernia so I have to stay on meds.

But I need them a lot less w/o the dairy.

[Rob H.]

9. Update, even though it's been a while

I went to a gastroenterologist on Tuesday because the reflux is still hurting me, and he gave me some samples of Aciphex. I feel better, but it'll be a little while before I feel normal again. I then went in yesterday for him to do an endoscopy to survey the extent of the damage and it turns out there isn't any. According tot the doc, my stomach looks perfectly normal! I'm going in for a CT scan of the upper GI region on Monday and if there's nothing wrong there, it looks like I'll be on Aciphex for a month or so and then I'll be done with meds. (I'm crossing my fingers on that!)

Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. I've cut way back on dairy (to the point where it upsets my stomach if I have even a little bit) and am still off caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, and citrus fruits for the time being. Once I feel better I'm going to get on an exercise program and try to drop some more weight--I'm down 15 pounds in the last month, but to be honest that's mostly because I've not felt like eating much what with the reflux and all. I'm also going to try out some meditation DVDs that I found over at Amazon.com to help deal with my stress levels. I figure it can't hurt.

You guys are the best--I can't thank you enough. :)

[yewberry]

10. Hey, I'm glad you went to the doc!

And that you don't have esophageal damage! That's really wonderful news!

Of all the PPIs that I've been on, Aciphex was my least favorite--it didn't agree with me. If you're having breakthrough pain, let the doc know and tell him/her that you want to try another med. There are a few. (I'm using Prilosec now, because it works pretty well and is SO much cheaper OTC.)

Thanks for the update and good luck!

[NMMNG]

11. I don't know if going vegan will help

However I have a client who has Esophagitis ( inflammation, irritation, or swelling of the esophagus most commonly caused by gastroesophageal reflux). Her doctor has a list of recommendations for us to follow with her:



-Avoid high fat meals and decrease fat in diet. Fat decreases the lower esophageal sphincter pressure resulting in increased reflux of gastric contents.

-Avoid chocolate, alcohol and caffeine-containing beverages which also lower the lower esophageal sphincter pressure.

-Avoid lying down, bending over or straining immediately after eating. Wait at least 2 hours.

-Avoid eating within 2 hours of going to bed.

-Avoid tight fitting clothing, especially after a meal.

-Lose weight if overweight.

-Avoid foods known to cause heartburn. May include rich pastries and frosted cakes.

-Avoid irritants such as citrus juices, tomatoes, spicy foods, carbonated beverages. If citrus foods are omitted it may be necessary to supplement Vitamin C.

-Avoid constipation; straining during bowel movements increases intra-abdominal pressure.

-Eat small, frequent meals to avoid stomach distension.



Hopefully some of this will be of assistance. :hi: