HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Try the Koufman Low Acid (and low fat) Diet Part 1 of 2

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic locked
1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 1/23/2012 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the thought, SK. I've considered the possibility of Hplori, and if this continues, I will go back to my doc. It's not actual pain, just a burny feeling that feels as though it runs through my whole upper abdominal cavity. Inflammation? Pepcid makes it worse. A little food helps a lot, as does moving around.

I also had the endoscopy done, about five years ago. I dreaded it, but missed the whole thing.

Do you keep track of your carb level? I went on a super low-carb diet for about nine months. Got the GERD under control, but not my desire for bread, rice and ice-cream.
Posted 1/23/2012 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Outdoorsgirl,

I can relate. I want to be well yesterday, but I guess delicate throat tissue takes a while to heal. My inspiration is Sunbeam, who is back singing in choir(s) after being unable to sing at all. It took her weeks of sticking closely (I assume) to the diet.  You might want to follow her posts from mid-September of 2011 to follow her progess.

Being very health conscious, I also prided myself on my healthy diet -- mostly organic veggies, a little fish and seafood, absolutely no soda pop, brown rice, maybe a glass or two of wine with a meal.  BUT....I was also scarfing down peanuts by the handful most evenings, along with countless Scotch mints, and couldn't think of cooking without abnormal quantities of my beloved, home-grown fresh garlic, as well as onions and olive oil.  Oh yes, 10% cream in my coffee.

Good luck with your induction diet. According to the pilgrims who started this thread, LPR does get better.

Seagull

Posted 1/23/2012 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Seagull, for the words of encouragement. I need those right now! And yes, sunbeam is definitely an inspiration! I'm so happy that she is singing again! I appreciate all the info she has supplied me with!

I went to see my chiropractor/naturopathic doc today. She worked me over pretty good! And I feel great.....but..after i left there I made the mistake of ordering a grilled chicken sandwich today at Chick Fila. I only had the whole wheat bun, lettuce and the chicken. Well, the chicken had too much pepper on it! That's the first time i have ever had one that had pepper on it! So..needless to say, i had some burning after eating that. I feel like I messed up my diet! sad This is day 4. I feel like I am now starting over because I messed up.

Good luck to you too seagull! I hope we both will have good news to report before too long!
Posted 1/24/2012 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
hi seagull,

in general i know how many carbs i am having ( how many slices of bread etc). I debating right now if i should go Very low carb again, it's really tough to do it, harder than the induction diet. i recently had to fast for a procedure from 9pm to 1pm the next day and my throat felt great. I actually stopped chewing gum cause of it.
Posted 1/24/2012 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
sk55...chewing gum helps my throat too. what kind do you chew? I know I'm not suppose to have peppermint or spearmint. I have been chewing trident sugarless cinnamon but all the cinnamon gum is a little hot so I'm not sure if it's the best choice.
Posted 1/24/2012 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Outdoorsgirl, Fruit flavored gum is the least irritating, but it seems to me that the flavor only lasts a few minutes. Someone here said that it is only the natural mint extracts that are irritating, so I then went back to spearmint gum. It doesn't seem to irritate me. My ENT recommended gum to help keep the throat moist. Lots of water, too.

Others here have mentioned the low carb and gluten free diets, but I'm doing well on this one and plan to stick with it.  I don't find it hard at all to eat on this diet, once I got used to it.  There are plenty of choices, no need for boredom.  It is hard to eat out, though, and very hard to attend group dinners.  There is a Red Cross fundraiser next month that we would like to attend.  We received the complete menu in the publicity, so I emailed them specifying accommodations I would need.  I haven't heard back from the chef yet.

Post Edited (sunbeam48) : 1/24/2012 5:46:53 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/24/2012 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi SK55, Outdoorsgirl,

I did strict low-carb for about nine months. It is tough -- so much so that Norm Robillard, the guy who wrote a book five or so years ago promoting low-carb as a cure for GERD, admits he has trouble staying on it.  As does Dr. Michael Eades, who wrote the books promoting high protein, low carbs as the answer to just about everything. This really shocked me.

I started back on low carb recently, trying to cure this latest LPR flare, staying below 30 carbs a day for a couple of weeks. When I read about the Koufman plan, I jumped for joy. Bread!!! She actually WANTS you to eat a loaf a week!  Oatmeal porridge! And I see by the book that you can even drink a cup of coffee a day.  By the way, I  bought some stuff on-line that's supposed to de-acidify coffee without changing the taste.  Doesn't solve the caffeine issue, of course.

Gum-chewing is my secret vice (ex-smoker). I've been trying to cut down, partly because of the aspartame, partly because of the air-swallowing. Peppermint is my favourite -- seems to quell nausea, for one thing -- but I know it's not great for the LES.  So I've been switching to fruit flavours (but are they acidic??) and trying a brand sweetened with xylitol (but does it cause gas??). So many problems!!

Posted 1/24/2012 12:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Subeam,

Our posts just crossed in cyberspace. Thanks for the tip on gum-chewing. Now I can stop feeling guilty about that, at least.  Life-long habit -- trying too hard to be a good little girl. Probably contributes to distressed stomachs.

 

Posted 1/24/2012 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
sk55,

Were you thinking of doing BOTH low carb and Koufman? Brave soul!

 

Posted 1/24/2012 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
Seagull,
Sk 55 aka Jesse has been an amazing role model for me in the quest to get off meds. But I will let him tell his own story.

I would also love to get off Nexium because I have osteopenia, and the PPI's all tend to thin your bones. I have gone from 80 mg to 40 mg daily while on this diet. But my stomach burns if I skip even a day, or try something lower dose. So I'm always thinking about options.
Posted 1/24/2012 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
Sunbeam,

I don't blame you for being concerned about bone loss.  I lost a fair bit of hair when on Prevacid a few years ago. That made me wonder what else was happening.  Now it appears that long-term PPI use can leave a person vulnerable to C-difficile. Big concern in my neck of the woods. In one of our small hospitals, there have been five deaths attributed to C-difficile in the past couple of weeks, and more cases reported.  (I'm not sure what the definition of "long-term" is -- more than the eight weeks on the package? A year?)

The rebound can be rough when kicking the habit, as you no doubt know.  I imagine you've heard the expression "purple crack."

However... I must admit I am tempted some days to dig into the prescription drug in my kitchen cupboard. And I spend far too much time on-line looking for The Cure. That can drive a person crazy, and probably makes the condition worse.

I do admire you for finding a path (the Koufman plan) and staying on it. I'm definitely going to give it a good try. Low acid may turn out to be good for whatever ails you.  Good luck with your fund-raising dinner. It will be interesting to see how well they can accommodate your needs.

S

Posted 1/24/2012 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
Sunbeam, I had wondered too, if the fruit flavored gum would be irritating. Guess I can give it a try. I've tried all the others.

Regarding this diet; The hardest part for me is not being able to use butter or spices to season food. Are there some other options to help with that? I know I can use salt and chicken stock but what about other seasonings? And I was really hoping that if this diet works, I will be able to eat out occasionally with friends. I would hate to not be able to do that ever again! Once the throat heals, and if you eat sensibly, is it possible for this condition to finally go away? Can you ever be healed from having LPR?
Posted 1/24/2012 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Sunbeam,

As a p.s., Dr. Leo Galland says he recommends the following to his patients on long-term PPIs:

If someone is taking a powerful, long-acting PPI like Nexium, he asks them to reduce the frequency or dose until they are taking the lowest dose available once a day. Then he has them switch to a short-acting PPI like Prevacid or Prilosec. After a week or two, he might have them step down to an H2 blocker like Zantac, then discontinue it if and when they have no more symptoms.

I didn't know there was a difference between Nexium and Prevacid -- that one was long-acting and one not.

 

Posted 1/24/2012 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone - I'm kind of new to the boards and after reading the post about long term ppi use and C-difficile, I found this link

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/do-ppis-have-long-term-side-effects.shtml

Been taking them about a year off and on - now mostly on - Prilosec 20mg. Was originally on the 40mg but couldn't distinguish if rapid heartbeat came from Prilosec or vegas nerve. One 20mg at night works OK but still have symptoms so I will try this diet to see what happens.

Anyone ever notice if this runs in familys? My daughter and I both have spasms. Her's started about five years ago before she was 30. I never had any problems with heartburn or anything except during pregnancy then once I turned 50 it started.

Love this board - so much helpful information. A blessing to anyone dealing with this problem.
Posted 1/24/2012 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
SparkesMom,
Welcome to this thread! Your link and many other sources including the FDA caution against long-term PPI use "unless you really need it". Sadly, I think I am one who really needs it. I developed Barrett's within a few months - not a good thing.

Seagull, there are probably a dozen step-down strategies I've seen posted here, similar to yours. But if I change anything, I feel awful. I don't have heartburn, it is my stomach that bothers me. Prilosec did nothing for me at 20 then 40 mg. Any strategy here that makes any sense to me, I have tried. My GI doc cautions that many people develop tolerance for H2 blockers, in as little as a week, so they most often don't work for long term use. But I have improved a lot, and haven't given up yet. I am more fortunate than some here, who have not been helped by PPI's, or experience intolerable side effects from them.
Posted 1/25/2012 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Sunbeam,
I totally understand. If I stop for too long the worse symptoms return with a vengeance. I'm happy to be maintaing right now on a low dose. Taking it at night really helps me. Before I was miserable in the mornings. Now I can make it to work normally and most days do fine. A few years ago it was awful. I would feel as if I was about to pass out several times a day.
I can say that the best tip for me was to thoroughly chew my food. Apparently I was just eating like a hog and the food was just fermenting and not really digesting. It caused me to be weak, at times could hardly walk. I thought I ate healthy at the time but now have increased vegtables, less meat, no wheat products which I had switched from white to wheat and/or whole grain for nutritional value and later to learn that wheat can affect the gut adversely. Then there's chocolate and coffee, my absolute favorites. No No's right now. They will send me into a total backspin everytime.
Here's hoping (and praying) we all get better and stay better soon!!!
Posted 1/27/2012 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Day 8 of the Koufman diet. Fourth day started to feel less burning. Had 2 really good days....one was symptom free. Last night I started to have some burning again. I also started to get a cough but that's more of a sinus drainage issue. Took Claritin-D today so that has helped the cough/drainage but still have the same degree of burning in my throat that I was having before the diet. I have not cheated at all. I feel very discouraged that I am having the burning again even though I have been on the strict diet. :(
Posted 1/28/2012 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
sunbeam,

thanks for the kind words..

This thread is a good and positive place to share LPR Ideas.

outdoorgirl,

dont feel bad it took me a month on the induction diet to get some decent healing and i had massive burns on my throat. write down what you eat and when you eat it, how much you eat, what symptoms you get at what time.
You got 2 good days, now you need to figure out how u did that and do it again. Food Log will help with this.

At the start you may have to take PPI with the diet to start the healing process. I was on max dose PPI, 2x a day when i started.

LPR healing is not linear, sometimes you get setbacks, thats the way it is....
Posted 1/28/2012 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Outdoorsgirl, it sounds like you should hang in there, let us know how we can help support you.  With the flurry of posts, I don't think I answered your question about spices:  keep things as bland as you can for these two weeks.  If you do well, try out spices and flavorings one at a time to see if they bother you.  Dr. Koufman does not prohibit the trigger foods she mentions, and says you should go ahead and eat them if they don't bother you once you have finished the induction diet.  I now eat peppers, onions, a few pieces of tomatoes in dishes, and they don't seem to bother me.   A piece of chocolate doesn't bother me a lot, but it does a little, so I just have one piece.  I have butter on bread if there is very little other fat in my meal;  that might be with some nice soup.  LPR takes a long time to heal, but some people do feel better over time.  I have certainly improved a great deal.  Before this diet, I just seemed to keep getting worse for about six months, even on medication.
Posted 1/28/2012 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, sk55 and sunbeam. I really appreciate the encouraging words! Needed them! I'm going to stick with this even though I'm not enjoying the food very much. If it helps my throat it will be worth it.

sk55, I tried PPIs....3 different kinds..... for 3 months but I continued to have burning. Just didn't seem to help so I stopped taking them. I am hoping I won't have to go back on them again. They made me feel tired...... just didn't feel good.
I'm still taking supplements and hoping they will eventually help. I'm fortunate that my symptoms aren't any worse than they are. So many people are suffering so bad and I feel for them. And I'm able to sleep well so I hate to even complain! It's just so frustrating when nothing you try seems to stop the burn completely!

sunbeam, I think I will maybe add a little butter back in after the 2 weeks are up. Potatoes will taste better! Then will gradually try one spice at a time like you suggested. I miss having black pepper but i know that's definitely not an option for awhile! As i have mentioned here on the forum before, I was eating dark chocolate every day before this condition flared up. That was my choice for dessert. I would have 2 or 3 squares after dinner. But that's definitely out of the question for me right now! I'm hoping one day I can enjoy it again... occasionally.
Posted 1/28/2012 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have any problem with black pepper, so that could be the first one you try if you like, after you are done with the induction phase. You mentioned those two really good days: were you having any really good days before this diet? If not, then the diet may be helping.

I wrote a lot in a food diary, but it didn't help me identify specific food triggers, though that seems to work for many.

I enjoy oven roasted potatoes: cut in chunks, coat with olive oil, salt and parsley; roast in single layer for maybe 45 minutes at 325o, stir every 15 min. I think they are lower fat than butter, and taste very good. You could try this now using your allowed 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I roast many vegetables this way: onions, carrots, green beans, celery, peppers. Yum!
Posted 1/28/2012 3:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, I am new to this. I have had GERD for almost 2 years now and I am still trying to fighure things out. I have many questions. I have been on several different PPI's and it seems that after a year they stop working or I get serious side effects and I have to switch again. I'm on omeprazole now and it seems to have stopped working as all my symtoms have returned and my GP says I should double the dose, I worry about taking such a high dose. I have come here a few times and read post looking for answers. I am going to start the Koufman diet tomorrow as I will be shopping today. any help or tips you can give would be greatly appreciated.

I just want to feel normal again, with out the throat burning and the pain in my chest and abdomen. Wish I would have found this site sooner.

Thanks
Posted 1/28/2012 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
Nanabear, welcome to this thread. I think I have included all of the diet informationyou need to get started on the first post of this thread. This site really is a godsend. I went through omeprazole 20 mg, then 40 mg without success. I did some better on Nexium, but this diet has helped me more than the meds. But I do feel worse without the Nexium, so I keep taking it until I can figure out how to finish healing my stomach.

If you have been a healthy eater I hope you will not find this a difficult diet. The first two weeks are pretty restricted, but after that you have a lot of choices. Eating too much fat is what bothers me the most, so I don't do that. We roasted a turkey when I was on the two-week induction, which gave a lot to eat. Veggies, skim milk and whole grain bread are things I eat every day.

I will be leaving on vacation tomorrow (Florida, here we come!) but will try to stay in touch.

Posted 1/29/2012 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
sunbeam,

what do you eat when you travel?


i am pretty good sticking to my diet at home. But staying in hotels has been a problem.


-J
Posted 1/29/2012 8:34 AM (GMT 0)
Jesse, I have packed a box of reduced fat Triscuit and a couple of bananas for the trip. I will buy fat-free milk when we arrive, there is a refrigerator in our hotel room. Restaurants really are a crap shoot. I am hoping for plenty of rice and beans availability. Grilled seafood will likely be available on top of a salad. We will be in the Miami area. Subway does have some low-fat options, they are pretty available. At home I eat a lot of vegetables, and I will miss them. In restaurants they often ruin the veggies with fat and sugar. Some restaurants will keep the salad dressing on the side. Vinegarette dressings can pretty low-fat, and if they are thin not much sticks to the salad. I eat bread with the salad to balance the acid.

Good luck, I always enjoy hearing from you.
✚ New Topic locked
123456789101112