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

Awesome!

hi everyone,

im new to this site, well not really, i have read a lot of the cases here but never really wrote anything about me. as all you i also suffer from LPR for about 6 years but i was diagnosed just 2 weeks ago, impressed? not really right. this condition is so confusing even for doctors. i been in the ER many times thinking im dying from a heart attack or some kind of respiratory issue. i have only 29 and all this started when i was 23 ( just turned ) i remember exactly that day. To make my story short its being 6 years i had deal with this, i had good years ( under control) and i had horrible years like this one ( sep 2012 ) now i became kind of obsessed with fixing me. i will never give up because i love life and i appreciate good things and this illness will not put me down. it started with a feeling of something stuck on my throat ( very different from regular Throat infections pain) i went to the doctors they said it could be acid reflux, i tried zantac for a few weeks , didnt work, then i went to my country ( Peru) trying to find some good doctor since its a lot easier and cheaper downthere, i prob went to 4 or 5 ENT specialist, only one told me u have reflux. which gave me more ppis, didnt work, i came back to the US. went to more specialist. and finally i was prescribed nexium, it helped like 80%, i could still have a good quality of life, except when i cheat on the diet or i drink vodka and cramberry :), its the worst part of this illness bc i was a party girl :( .... but i was always frustrated because i could never feel the same healthy person i was, i ended up leaving the ppis bc of the long term side effects, and well i felt better for a while ( wrong of me )this year my reflux came back so baddddd, that i was like i have to look for the best treatment even if i have to go through the nissen ( i was recommended to do it 3 times by my 3 GIs) . i searched and i found doctor Jamie Koufman, she is my hope now, i have heard so many things about her. i went there last week and for the first time a doctor gave me hope and diagnose me right. i will go back the 6 and 7 of dec for more testing, manomatry, ph, nerve damaged? etc, etc. she said that it will prob take me a year to be okay bc my LPR has been damage my poor throat for so long. i dont care if i have to spend 2 years of treatment as long as i get better again. please if someone been there before share your experience with me, i will appreciate any comment. oooo im sorry i never mentioned my symptons. well i have sore throat, burning throat at times, lump sensation, shortness of breath ( reason for what i went to a therapist a whole year, its o0kay atleat it helped with other issues i had lol), no heartburn really, its hard to swallow since sep, neck/head tension, acidic mouth, Thank you for reading

Seanbeam48,

Thank you for your reply, I only went to doctor koufman once. She didn't mention anything about diet just yet. I don't know why. She just said stop taking nexium and Zantac and come back the 6 for some testing. She said she wants to do the test with my natural stage of body without medication. Which is really hard because I feel like I'm getting worse and in so much pain :( . Have u been treated by her?

Thank you for replying, Sunbeam. I'm glad that the diet is working so well for you. That's terrific. I'll let you know how it works for me.

Scott

Gum is a great relief for me. I chew watermelon flavor since I know mint is not good for acid reflux. I also use him when I have shortness of breath episodies. Idk how but when I place the gum on my throat it help for breathing a lot.

I believe any kind of muffin without fruit would be fine as long as there isn't a lot of fat in it. Frozen winter squash can be substituted for the shortening to make it lower fat. This is not a low- carb diet, just low fat and lower acid (higher pH).

Yes, I think so.

I am bumping up this thread to try to keep answers to Koufman diet questions in fewer locations. I have been on this diet for over a year. I don't find it too difficult to follow because I previously ate lots of healthy home-cooked foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and skim milk. I eat fewer fruits now than prior to my GERD. I eat smaller quantities of acidic foods, often balancing them with milk or water. My LPR symptoms are nearly gone. I am off PPIS, I take Zantec. I still have problems with my stomach, so I am reducing complex carbs. I don't find it difficult to eat in restaurants, most offer low fat options.

Yes, I sometimes eat things I shouldn't. The Koufman is not a trigger food diet, though she does caution people to watch out for your individual sensitivities. Rather, it encourages people to avoid or balance acidic foods, and limit the fatty fods that cause the body to produce more acid. I feel so much better than I did before I started this diet, that creates the incentive to stay on it. I would love a fish fry, for example, but I ate one once, remember well how it made me feel YUCK. It gets easier over time. I read the stories here who are so much worse off than me, and I am grateful that I have a system that has enabled me to get on with my life.

Hi everyone, I am new here and this is my first post.
I am 47 years old woman and I have never had any serious health problems. I am pretty desperate with my condition now - there are too many complications and speculations about acid reflux. I was diagnosed with GERD almost two months ago (now I understand that I probably have a LPR (or silent reflux) - I don't have a heartburn AT ALL) ENT doctor checked my throat with a camera, said that I am healthy from his point of view and send me back to my family doctor.
My family doctor put me Ranitidine 4 weeks and now I am taking CO Pantoprazole (40 mg once a day). I'm to weeks now of CO Pantoprazole. I still do not feel any better - I still have sore throat, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, swelling of the throat after eating, chronic throat clearing and sensation of a lump in the throat and in the chest. A few days ago I also found out that I have H. pylori and I take now HP-Pac (lansoprazole - clarithromcyin - amoxicillin) My pharmacist advised not to take OC Pantoprazole while taking antibiotics - because it also contains the PPI. I will continue to take OC Pantoprazole after finishing a course of antibiotics.

I was trying different diets, I cut ALL possible triggers - nothing. I don't feel better.

So, I did some research and bought Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet Cookbook & Cure. Now I've decided to follow those instructions, along with the using of CO Pantoprazole and course of antibiotics.

I would be very grateful if somebody could find the time to answer my questions.

My questions are:

1. In the instructions to the Induction diet they didn't say anything about brown sugar - can I use a small amount (1/2 of tsp) of brown sugar with my morning coffee (with 2% organic milk)?

2. Can I eat homemade hummus (chickpeas+tahini+salt only) during the Induction phase?

3. Can I eat a small amount of maple syrup (as a seasoning for poultry and fish) - I am Canadian :) during the Induction phase?

4. Is there somebody who feel REALLY better on this diet?

Thank you in advance.

P.S. Sorry for my "not perfect" English - it's not my first language. :)

sunbeam, thank you for your reply.

And, I'm wondering if anyone has been tested for MTHFR and anyone with positive MTHFR results (gut issues often come from this gene mutation), had their reflux helped by the MTHFR treatment of methyl b vitamins??