What about this food for GERD problems? (diet, symptoms, reflux)

[John1960]

My GERD is real bad and I'm wondering if I eat sugar-free Jello if this will help reduce the pain? I'm drinking only water right now instead of tea which I love to drink. Is there any kind of tea that will not make my GERD worse?


Thanks, John

[Six Foot Three]

I'm not an expert at teas for Gerd but i've always hear that Chamomile and/or Peppermint teas are good to sooth a sour stomach.

As for Gerd i had to quit oats and wheat as those grains really gave me bad gerd and my intestines would burn for several hours after eating them so i changed my diet to paleo (No grains, legumes or dairy) and i never have Gerd anymore unless i slip up and eat grains.

[rayneinspain]

I used to rely on peppermint tea for my GERD but found that, after many years, it seemed to be backfiring on me. As it turns out, peppermint works wonders for simple indigestion but is contraindicated for GERD:

Peppermint tea is generally a safe way to soothe an upset stomach. However, peppermint should not be used by those with gastoesophageal reflux disease (GERD -- a condition in which stomach acids back up into the esophagus) even though some of the symptoms include indigestion and heartburn. This is because peppermint can relax the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, allowing stomach acids to flow back into the esophagus. (The sphincter is the muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach.) By relaxing the sphincter, peppermint may actually worsen the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion.

Peppermint

Thanks to a coworker's suggestion, I discovered ginger. It's nothing short of amazing. I use a small piece to make a tea (using honey for sweetening), and it combats both reflux as well as nausea (highly recommended for flu season or morning sickness, too). Apparently it helps restrict acid production as well as helping create a mucous layer in the stomach to reduce pain.