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Heartburn Symptoms Worse on 1st Week of Whole30


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A little background, I am a 34 year old male who has dealt with heartburn for about 10 years, the majority of which I was taking Ranitidine daily before bed and having little to no issues. I am extremely active, physically fit, don't smoke or drink in excess, eat healthy and don't possess the body type or lifestyle that typically ends up at the GI doctor on a regular basis. I had a flare-up about 5 months ago that has not been able to get completely under control since. My doctor has done a decent amount of testing so far and tried out a handful of different medications (Lansoprazole, Dexilant, Sucralfate) and I am currently on Pantoprazole twice daily. I have avoided triggers (alcohol, caffeine, acidic foods, chocolate) and was feeling better than I was 5 months ago but still not 100% or at a point where I thought it was sustainable. I read that many people saw success with the Whole30 in resetting their system or finding potential triggers and knew a few friends who had done it so I wanted to give it a shot.

I am at the end of Day 6 and my heartburn has been worse than it's been in months. It's steadily there throughout the day. I had a little bit on Day 1 after a salad, Day 2 and 3 went fine and I woke up in the middle of the night between Day 3 and 4 with heartburn. It's been there since. I thought it might be too many raw vegetables or eating meals that were too large so today I only ate cooked vegetables and spaced out smaller meals throughout the day (I know that's not "by the book" but I have a healthy relationship with food so I am not concerned about the food psychology components of the Whole30 for my personal experience). No improvement. I'm starting to think the Whole30 might not be right for my system.

Any suggestions? Anyone experience the same thing and start to see improvement/cessation of heartburn symptoms later in the Whole30? I'd love to hear any input! The next step from the doctor is another endoscopy (I had one that came back normal about a year and a half ago), esophageal motility tests and a 24 hour ph study. All of which are unpleasant and which I'd like to avoid if I can find a remedy on my own.

I've been keeping a food log for my doctor which is copied below. Thanks in advance for any assistance/suggestions!

Note: I only included beverages other than water, which I drink regularly throughout the day.

Day 1: Saturday, September 2nd
Eggs, Salami and Spinach
Ginger Tea

Larabar, Apple

Salad w/ Spinach, Tuna, Avocado, Peppers and Sunflower Seeds w/ oil and vinegar
Sparkling Water

Chicken Burger, Carrots, Hard Boiled Egg
Pistachios

Day 2: Sunday, September 3rd
Eggs w/ peppers, onions and salami
Kiwi and strawberry
Cinnamon tea

Almonds and Sunflower seeds
Carrots
Rx Bar

Chicken Sausage w/ Brussel Sprouts, Potatoes and Peppers
Sparkling Water

Day 3: Monday, September 4th
Eggs w/ Brussel Sprouts, Potatoes and Peppers
Ginger Tea

Sparkling Water

Hard boiled Egg, Avocado
Banana with Almond Butter

Steak w/ Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts
Sparkling Water

Day 4: Tuesday, September 5th
Eggs w/ Potatoes and Peppers
Fried Apples w/ Coconut Oil and Pumpkin Pie Spice
Almonds

Banana
Almonds, Cashews and Sunflower Seeds

Salad w/ Spring Mix, Steak, Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocado, Peppers, Cucumber, Sunflower Seeds and Green Goddess Dressing

Larabar
Almonds, Cashews and Sunflower Seeds
Sparkling Water

Cinnamon Tea

Day 5: Wednesday, September 6th
Turkey Burger
Sweet Potatoes, Peppers, Broccoli
Fried Apples w/ Coconut Oil and Pumpkin Pie Spice

Salad w/ Spring Mix, Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocado, Peppers, Cucumber, Sunflower Seeds and Green Goddess Dressing

Chicken Sausage w/ Broccoli, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

Day 6: Thursday, September 7th
Apple w/ Almond Butter

Egg, Turkey Burger, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Peppers

Almonds, Cashews and Sunflower Seeds
Banana

Peach

Turkey Burger
Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli and Carrots
Avocado

Before you jump in, here are some pre-Whole30 things I attempted/was tested for:
- Tried Apple Cider Vinegar, made things immediately WAY worse
- Tried enzymes (HCL w/ Pepsin), made things immediately WAY worse
- Tested negative for Celiac.
- Tested negative for H. Pylori.
- Did a Barium swallow test that came back normal.
- Did a stomach emptying study that tested how fast food exits your stomach. Came back normal.

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I'd start by cutting out all the nuts and nut products for a while -- they cause various digestive issues for lots of people. Even if they weren't causing issues, we normally recommend limiting those to a small closed handful every other day or so. 

You might also look at limiting nightshades for a while, especially if you're eating a lot more of them than usual:  https://www.thepaleomom.com/what-are-nightshades/

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Thanks for your response! I haven't increased my nut intake on the Whole30, it's stayed pretty consistent with the amount I was consuming before (though swapping out peanut butter for almond butter). Same goes for nightshades. Peppers and potatoes are the only ones I've been eating on that list and the amounts have been about par for course. Do you still think those could be the culprit? I'm definitely willing to give anything a shot!

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Three days into adding the elimination of nuts and nightshades. Still having the same symptoms. Any other thoughts? I would like to finish out the Whole30 but my main goal is to resolve chronic heartburn and if it is making those symptoms significantly worse I can't see myself pushing much further forward.

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I am on day 4 and heartburn has set in. I have to admit it is not a chronic case like mattd001 up above but this is uncomfortable. What to do? Could it be the increased fat in my diet? I wouldn't say that I ate a low fat diet before but I would also never have put a dollup of mayo on my salad before either. Any suggestions...?

 

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I start the day with 2 to 3 eggs cooked with Ghee, spinach, tomato, onion and 1/2 an avocado. Lunch is chicken salad made with the whole30 mayo, lettuce, tomato and green onion. Dinner I am following the suggested 1st week plan from the book. Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, baked chicken breast with roasted potatoes and pesto, brisket with sweet potatoes and butternut squash, and last night salmon with veggies and red pepper sauce.

I took a couple of Lansoprazole and I think I am doing better. I cut 1/2 the ghee and went down to 1 egg today too.

 

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3 hours ago, 52&needtochange said:

I start the day with 2 to 3 eggs cooked with Ghee, spinach, tomato, onion and 1/2 an avocado. Lunch is chicken salad made with the whole30 mayo, lettuce, tomato and green onion. Dinner I am following the suggested 1st week plan from the book. Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce, baked chicken breast with roasted potatoes and pesto, brisket with sweet potatoes and butternut squash, and last night salmon with veggies and red pepper sauce.

I took a couple of Lansoprazole and I think I am doing better. I cut 1/2 the ghee and went down to 1 egg today too.

 

Mine has definitely improved this week but is still there. Still taking my pantoprazole prescription twice a day. My diet was pretty similar every day this week. I had an emergency root canal so I had to lean more on soft foods and even had smoothies (I know they're questionable on whole30 but some days I needed to not spend a full 30 minutes chewing food on one side of my mouth.) I don't know if that had any effect.

Breakfast: Eggs w/ Spinach and Sweet Potatoes - Strawberries and Blackberries - Ginger Tea
Lunch: Smoothie w/ Almond Milk, Almond Butter, Strawberries, Banana, Spinach, Apple and Flaxseeds
Mid-Afternoon: Hard Boiled Eggs, Larabar
Dinner: Hamburger w/ Carrots, Spinach and Snap Peas - Olives - Cinnamon Tea


For yours, I would say maybe cut back on the tomatoes and onions. I know those can be a trigger for many people, especially if your digestive system is going through a transformation.

 

 

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