Heartburn- Make it stop. page

[magnolia1973]

I'm in the middle of a Whole 30 and for the past week have had heartburn. Last night was the worst I have had in YEARS. This morning I still have burn and am burping up a storm. I took a rantidine (sp?) pill that did not help.

My history- back when I treated my body like a dumpster, I had heartburn a lot. I was on a prescription, but lost a bunch of weight and was fine. This was like 10 years ago. Since then certain things could trigger heartburn- mainly stuffing myself with pizza followed up with chocolate and going to bed shortly after. That makes a lot of sense.

Since going primal I had one bout of heartburn after a meal heavy in roasted tomatoes and peppers. Since then I have avoided tomatoes pretty much (and even small amounts of raw did not trigger heartburn).

I'm on day 14 of a Whole 30 and staying 100% compliant, so no grains, no sugar (except fruit), no bad oils, no dairy except ghee. What I have mainly eliminated from my normal "primal" diet was the sugar in my coffee, coffee, dairy, any other sugar, butter and foods processed with sugar (ie, bacon). My only new food is ghee and an increase in coconut products.

Last night I had pork meatballs rolled in coconut and brocolli with garlic and olive oil (olive oil claims to be 100%- from earth fare, so unlikely to be a blend). I had a banana as well. No ghee, no tomatoes, no peppers. Horrible heartburn.

Yesterdays breakfast was eggs cooked in ghee with avocado- horrible heartburn. Today was the same and the heartburn is awful, my stomach is now cramping. And I took meds for the first time in like 10 years.

What the hell is going on? I assumed by this point in Whole 30 I'd feel better, but I feel like ass. I guess I need to eliminate ghee or coconut....part of me just wants to can the Whole 30 and add back in cream and butter, throw out all the coconut and ghee and keep excluding the sugar. But I dunno if this is detox or heartburn or what....

[RitaRose]

I know it sounds really stupid, and it doesn't work for everyone, but try a spoonful of apple cider vinegar. Just throw it back like a shot of tequila. You'll know in 20 minutes or so if it's going to work, and it's cheap.

Though you can have heartburn for other reasons, most of the time the underlying cause is too little stomach acid.

[Goldie]

Though you can have heartburn for other reasons, most of the time the underlying cause is too little stomach acid.

^ This.

I have read that not drinking water or other fluids during, and for about an hour after eating can help keep the stomach acid levels better. If you're eating VLC and in ketosis, that can sometimes make you thirsty (salt loss...) and then you drink too much, especially at mealtimes.

[meeme]

My go to is baking soda in water. Works fast. You need to find out what is going on with your body because it's telling you something.

[RichMahogany]

Baking soda neutralizes acid. As was stated above, heartburn is most often caused by too little acid, not too much. I second the ACV suggestion and it sounds like you need to play a little elimination game and find out what the cause is. I know bananas mess with me now (although pre-primal, I ate them by the bunch).

[Blackcatbone]

I'm in the middle of a Whole 30 and for the past week have had heartburn. Last night was the worst I have had in YEARS. This morning I still have burn and am burping up a storm. I took a rantidine (sp?) pill that did not help.

My history- back when I treated my body like a dumpster, I had heartburn a lot. I was on a prescription, but lost a bunch of weight and was fine. This was like 10 years ago. Since then certain things could trigger heartburn- mainly stuffing myself with pizza followed up with chocolate and going to bed shortly after. That makes a lot of sense.

Since going primal I had one bout of heartburn after a meal heavy in roasted tomatoes and peppers. Since then I have avoided tomatoes pretty much (and even small amounts of raw did not trigger heartburn).

I'm on day 14 of a Whole 30 and staying 100% compliant, so no grains, no sugar (except fruit), no bad oils, no dairy except ghee. What I have mainly eliminated from my normal "primal" diet was the sugar in my coffee, coffee, dairy, any other sugar, butter and foods processed with sugar (ie, bacon). My only new food is ghee and an increase in coconut products.

Last night I had pork meatballs rolled in coconut and brocolli with garlic and olive oil (olive oil claims to be 100%- from earth fare, so unlikely to be a blend). I had a banana as well. No ghee, no tomatoes, no peppers. Horrible heartburn.

Yesterdays breakfast was eggs cooked in ghee with avocado- horrible heartburn. Today was the same and the heartburn is awful, my stomach is now cramping. And I took meds for the first time in like 10 years.

What the hell is going on? I assumed by this point in Whole 30 I'd feel better, but I feel like ass. I guess I need to eliminate ghee or coconut....part of me just wants to can the Whole 30 and add back in cream and butter, throw out all the coconut and ghee and keep excluding the sugar. But I dunno if this is detox or heartburn or what....

Bananas, coconut and avocado. Each can cause digestive issues in different ways. I haven't had heartburn in a long time but it's usually caused by natural sugars, starches or fiber. Avocado is a stone fruit so it's got sorbitol, which is a definite no-no for me. And broccoli, especially if it's not really well cooked, can cause gas which can put pressure on the stomach.

[meeme]

Baking soda neutralizes acid. As was stated above, heartburn is most often caused by too little acid, not too much. I second the ACV suggestion and it sounds like you need to play a little elimination game and find out what the cause is. I know bananas mess with me now (although pre-primal, I ate them by the bunch).

Heartburn make it stop...and I supplied a remedy she can take it or leave it. I'm not convinced a lack of acid is the problem. Something she is eating is causing her body to have problems...I doubt it's a lack of acid but that's just me.

[Owly]

I can sometimes get it from too many added oils/fats, not from stuff like fatty meats, but things like added olive oil. I find the cider vinegar works, as does sipping some pickle juice (again, acids).

I find my reaction to naturally fatty food is fine--it's when I add oils that it is more likely.

[RitaRose]

Heartburn make it stop...and I supplied a remedy she can take it or leave it. I'm not convinced a lack of acid is the problem. Something she is eating is causing her body to have problems...I doubt it's a lack of acid but that's just me.

I wouldn't have believed it either, except I spent a night in the ER with such bad heartburn that they eventually gave me morphine for it. I'm no wimp (2 large babies with no drugs), but the "gastric cocktail" that was supposed to be a miracle cure just didn't work. Then they put me on all kinds of acid reducing drugs, which only made it worse as time went on, and I found myself taking more and more.

Then I tried apple cider vinegar, and it was almost instantaneous relief. Never took antacids or PPIs again.

Taking antacids (which is basically what baking soda is) lowers the acid in your stomach, which not only makes the problem worse, it also makes the perfect environment for h.pylori to flourish, and that means stomach ulcers. Ask my mom antacid-addicted mom how that works. Four years ago, it landed her in the hospital for a week. Yes, they get that bad when you've got multiple ulcers. The last time, a few months ago, she lost about 40 pounds (she was down below 90 pounds at about 5'3") from vomitting and the inability to eat more than about half a cup of food at a time (and that was forcing herself).

If you want to see the science behind it, Chris Kresser has done a ton of work in this area. You can check it out here. I know it sounds totally illogical, but once you understand the science, it makes sense.

[magnolia1973]

I guess part of my issue is that a month ago, I ate avocado and bananas with no issue. And never had issues with coconut, though it wasn't a regular food. Shuffling food around seems to make no difference.

I'll try the cider vinegar. I wonder if eliminating coffee and sugar has upset some balance of acidity in my stomach. The issue seems to be getting worse (ie, came on slowly and keeps getting worse with each meal.). I have a very bland lunch today of Applegate Roast Beef and some boiled eggs. If that aggravates things, I think it is just an acid issue and not triggered by a specific food.

I think it's ironic that eating as healthfully as possible has my body feeling about the same as it did when I ate like crap...