Stress

You’ve probably already experienced it, even if you don’t realize it.  Stress makes GERD worse!  Heck just thinking about GERD can make it worse.  Its a viscious cycle.  So, lets talk about some ideas for reducing stress.

Small Meals

I’ve been resisting this part of the advice from my doctor.  Its such a pain.  But, since I’m still having discomfort I decided this is one of the things I’m going to have to try.  So, for the past week I’ve eaten 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.  I also eat my last meal so that I am finished by 6pm. 

Each meal has protein in it.  Avoid all carb breakfasts.  Carbs can bloat your stomach and cause symptoms.  Here is my new eating schedule.  Each meal fits on a little salad plate.

Keeping a food diary

Since avoiding trigger foods isn’t as easy as consulting a list, you will have to figure out some of the foods that affect you personally by good old trial and error.   My GERD Food Diary can be helpful in this process.  Download it free of charge by clicking on the link in the box at the bottom right of this page (requires Microsoft Excel reader that can be downloaded here.)

Traveling with GERD

I love to travel!  But those of us with GERD have special challenges.  How do we know if the restaurant we choose will be able to meet our needs?  How on earth do we achieve sleeping on a slant in a hotel room?  Well, its tough, but it can be done!  Let’s take a look at a few products that can help.