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Hello,

 

I'm currently on Day 5 of my Whole30. My primary reason for doing it is hoping to find relief from GERD, after really struggling to manage it the past few years. I've tried many things - too many to list - including cutting out certain foods, various medications including PPIs even though I was well aware of and uncomfortable with the risks, Betaine supplementation... a lot of things.

 

I've been a lifelong vegetarian, and when I read the ISWF book, it made sense to me that perhaps my high carbohydrate/low protein diet messed up my gut bacteria and the way my body processes food. Honestly, the hardest part of Whole30 for me is eating meat, but I had started eating some chicken and fish before beginning the program and those are primarily the two meat sources I am eating except pork the other day for the first time since I was a young child.

 

I also believe gluten has been causing me problems and hoped to see benefits of completely cutting it out. My doctor thought I should do that, too.

 

I am still having GERD - it's pretty unchanged. I know I'm early in the Whole30, but I'm scared that the GERD won't go away. I'm probably a "problem case" because I've really tried many things these past few years (I was even still having it on a PPI).

 

If there are any words of wisdom or encouragement on this front, I would certainly welcome them. One thing I realized is that I think I am still a little low protein and maybe too high in starchy vegetables. I've been eating a lot of sweet potatoes this week, which I really like. Perhaps I'm carrying over a bit of my low protein/high carb tendencies into the Whole30 even though I've been meticulous about making sure everything I do eat is 100% compliant. I plan to try to cut down on the sweet potatoes.

 

Still, I just have the reflux a lot and am not sure how hopeful/worried I should be. I guess today I've been a little more worried that it won't go away since it hasn't changed. I've felt great in every other way since starting the program, though! Sorry for the long post.

 

Caryn

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Let's see how you are doing with reflux at 30 days. Day 5 is too early to worry things are not working. 

 

You are worried that you might be eating too many sweet potatoes. I consider more than 2 per day excessive. A very active person might benefit from two per day, but most people should be fine on one per day. The broader issue is that it is useful to eat a variety of meats and vegetables. Don't let your comfort with one thing keep you from sampling the variety that nature makes available. 

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Okay, thank you. That helps! I appreciate the comment on sweet potatoes, and it's a good reminder for me about variety - I am guilty of finding things I like and sticking to what I know. I should embrace this as a fun time of trying new things. I'm also prone to worrying, so I appreciate the observation about it being too early to worry, too.

 

I'm pretty focused on the GERD, but I've really felt pretty fantastic in every other way since starting. Just a headache for a bit on Day 2, as I thought to perhaps expect, but otherwise really great in every other way. I feel good about the positive implications it has for my family's eating habits (especially at dinner), too.

 

Thank you...that helps.

 

Caryn

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Hey There!

 

One of the main reasons I went the Whole30 route was to kick my GERD. I suffer from severe reflux that causes spasms in my stomach and esophagus along with all the other extremely unpleasant symptoms. I'd been on major meds and went weeks eating nothing but yogurt in the past.

 

I didn't really see much of a change until week 3, in fact I actually had a flare up at the beginning of week 2. ISWF talks about the process of repairing your digestive system and you may feel worse before you feel better.  The good news is that I finished my whole30 and continue to eat strict paleo and my GERD is under control thank Gd. I found that what helped me most was taking out nightshades (I also had an inflammation problem from a spine injury) raw veggies and nuts. I also prefer to eat my food warm/hot rather than cold. I didn't want to over-supplement and in the past I have had bad reactions to probiotic pills so instead I slowly introduced fermented foods into my diet like kombucha and sauerkraut. Another thing that really helps is drinking a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar mixed with half a cup of water 15 min before eating. I also take L-Glutamine in a free powder form.

 

For the most part I've seen a huge improvement. I can still get symptomatic at times, especially after eating raw veggies or fruit, but it's way more bearable than ever before. The only symptom I can't seem to kick is a sore throat/hoarseness that comes and goes. Not sure what food is causing it....

 

Hang in there, do some research, listen to your body and don't be afraid if things get worse before they get better. Because they will get better :) Good luck!!!

 

PS: I'm a twin cities girl too!

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Hi Caryn, I suffered from GERD for a long time too. I don't think GERD is a problem, but a symptom of other issues, mainly bad diet. I now know that I had IBS/Chrons and Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth as well as GERD.

 

I found HCL with Betanine supplements very important. I know I had low stomach acid because I was very low in b12 (it's hard to digest) even with taking an oral supplement. If you were a vegetarian, it's very probable that your stomach slowed down the production of stomach acid because it didn't need it. So you will probably need to supplement for awhile at least. Also, if you have had low stomach acid/GERD, you likely have some bad bacteria overgrowth in your system. The bad bacteria thrive in a lower PH environment (h pylori even turns off the acid producing cells in your stomach to make it more hospitible for itself). Having an acidic environment in your stomach is nececessary to kill and pathogens that you ingest.

 

With GERD, it seems like you have too much stomach acid. But you have too little, you can't break down the food fast enough for it to move to the small intestine, and it builds up gas in the stomach, which can cause any liquid to reflux into the esphogaus. That's why you feel the burn. It can also come about from eating certain foods that loosen the sphincter between the stomach and esphogaus (chocolate is one). Also you can have a hiatial hernia or be overweight/pregnant and that can exacerbate the GERD. PPIs make you feel better, but if the underlying issue is too little stomach acid, they can only make things worse in the long run. I still had reflux while on PPIs, but it was more alkaline (I could taste the difference) and I found that strange.

 

As long as you are sure you don't have an ulcer, you can take as many HCL tablets as you can handle without getting a burning sensation. I was taking 6-8 with each meal that had protein in it. Now I'm down to 2-3. I rarely have GERD any longer, unless I eat too much too fast. I also found that helping digest my food made my whole system run better. It will take longer than 5 days or even 30 depending on many factors.

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Thank you both so much. I appreciate this very much!!! Your stories are very encouraging to me. And hello to a fellow Twin Citian, Danceagain!

 

I had tried Betaine supplementation for several months without effect, and was getting a little concerned about continuing to take it. I'm now taking a prebiotic/probiotic as well as some other supplements in addition to trying the Whole30. Maybe I would try Betaine again in the future, but I think I will stay this course for a while.

 

I do think I had a rebound effect from PPIs. It was worse after going off the first one, and not totally controlled by the second one when the doctor said I should go back on one a year later.

 

These are good reminders to stay the course and that the situation my former diet probably created will take some time to undo...

 

I'm drinking kombucha tea, too - I also just really like it!

 

I feel hopeful again...took the pressure off to see immediate changes. I appreciate your experiences very much and have asked my husband to read both of them, too, because he has been step-by-step in the research on this with me. It gives him encouragement, too. I will reread them a few times because there are a lot of ideas to absorb. I would really appreciate any other GERD/Whole30 stories, too...

 

Thank you so much - I'm really grateful for the support here! I'll keep you posted about how my symptoms go, and really appreciate the experiences/ideas. Even if I don't try one now, I can add it to my arsenal for the future if needed...

 

A very sincere thank you,

Caryn

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  • 11 months later...

I know these posts are old, but I'm hoping for some more insight on the HCL w/Pepsin. I just went off my Prilosec two days ago (after reading a series of articles by Chris Kresser) and started with 1 HCL (650 mg) with every meal, for two days and today I started taking 2 with every meal. It's disturbing my sleep and the constant, nagging burn in my throat is unnerving and irritating. I'm worried about what it's doing to my esophagus too. Broke down and chewed some tums last night, which probably made it worse....definitely didn't help anyway, symptoms wise. I'm hoping this Whole 30 will help in that regard as well. I took Prilosec for over 20 years so I know it will take awhile, but is this constant burning in my throat normal? Thanks for any insight!!

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I took Prilosec for over 20 years so I know it will take awhile, 

 

20 years is a LONG TIME to take a drug that interferes with natural acid production in your digestive system. It is going to take some time to get back to balance.  You might want to consult with an integrative medicine doctor for the best way to transition.

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I'm 35 weeks pregnant and have been suffering from horrible GERD (like wake up choking, esophagus spasms, etc).  I'm only on day 4 of my Whole 30, but the past few nights are the first nights I have been able to sleep lying down without waking up choking in a long time.

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Nightshades can be a trigger for some people with GERD.

 

Drinking with meals can either be a hinderance or a help, depending on the individual. Drinking liquids with meals dilutes stomach acid, but for some people, this means more acid is produced.

 

Avoid PPIs and NSAIDs if you can.

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I have both IBS and GERD and have been on a PPI since mid-October.  I'm on Day 3 of my W30 and I decided to stop the PPI this morning and see what happens.  So far so good.  I had a nice breakfast (3 slices of sugar free bacon, 3 organic scrambled eggs with 2 hand fulls of organic baby spinach, and half of an organic fuji apple) and am hungry already for lunch.  I'm feeling good and hoping that the trend continues!

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If gluten is a problem for you, it can take the full 30 days for your insides to regenerate (your intestines are a bit like Doctor Who).

 

Bone broth, gelatin and kombucha are all good gut healers.

 

Go easy on fermented things if they are new for you. Small portions and see how you feel.

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