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Thread:
TMS/Acid Reflux
Whoo Hoo! Way to go ST - isn't it cool?

So at the time I just did some reading about GERD and recommended diets until I zeroed in on a few key things to avoid, especially at night (which is apparently typical):
fats
chocolate
peppermint
alcohol

I don't drink very much, but those first three really hit me where it hurt, because my favorite dessert at the time was mint chocolate chip ice cream. Sigh.
Other things I recall being bad are fried foods and carbonated drinks. Now, I like a really good french fry as much as the next person, once in a while, but as far as I'm concerned, soft drinks were invented by the devil himself to destroy the health of human beings. And there is no difference in their evil between diet and regular soda.

Anyway, I would recommend that you google around and see what's being said today, but apart from the obsession with the anti-reflux drugs, the diet advice is probably similar.

I would say that the main thing I did, which I do to this day, is that I started eating a large and substantial salad at night, instead of cooked food. Lots of different types of veg on a base of lettuce and cabbage, plus a few nuts, some fresh or dried fruit, and a bit of cheese or meat. Vinaigrette dressing made with olive oil. I drink a half a beer most nights. I know, that's pretty lightweight, but it works for me!

Here's my thing about food: I won't eat fake food. It's a pretty simple basis for what I think is a pretty healthy diet. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy the wide array of foods prepared in the gazillion ways that humans have invented over the centuries. I love to bake bread, but I use organic unbleached and whole grain flours, or if I buy bread, I'm careful about the ingredients. I cook and prepare my own food as much as possible. I always have a good breakfast with protein. I try to buy mostly organic fresh produce (easy to do on the West coast), and a lot of it. I mostly drink tea and and lots of water.

Here is what I identify as fake food: I went to a cookie exchange at Christmas. There were cookies that I came home with, which I threw out after one bite, because I could tell they were made with Crisco or margarine, bleagh. My motto is: if it's not butter, don't bother". Someone brought low-fat cream cheese to a party and left it with me - I tasted it, I looked at the label, I threw it out. It wasn't real, and it didn't taste real because it was so full of non-dairy additives. Regular full-fat Philly might not be organic, but I would have kept that, because it's mostly real milk, and tastes way better. I love real cheese, even more than meat - although real grass-fed beef, and organic free-range poultry, are far superior in flavor and texture to their factory-grown cousins. And as far as I'm concerned, turkey bacon is a fake food. Seriously - why bother? It is NOT enjoyable. Eat a moderate amount of the real thing, once every few months, and enjoy it (I invite friends so I don't eat it all myself).

Which leads me to my other motto, which is "no fat means no flavor". You don't want to eat a lot of high-fat foods - but when you do, eat them in moderation, and make sure they are good quality so you can appreciate them. The calorie difference of lower-fat processed alternatives is never significant enough to make the sacrifice worthwhile, not when you are moderate about your servings. Speaking of non-fat food, many of the more radical nutritionists are saying that whole milk dairy products are better for you than low- or non-fat ones - look that one up to see if the argument is convincing to you! It's a different way of thinking, to be sure.

Goodness - I really got on my soap box, didn't I? That's what you get when you ask me a simple question about diet :p

Okay, ST - it sounds like you are doing GREAT work, and we're really glad you're here. Maybe "see" you on the chat tomorrow (3pm Eastern time).

Jan