Good Foods and Herbs For GERD Sufferers

I enjoy the newsletter from Health.com.  You can sign up for their e-newsletter and it often has a story on reflux disease or GERD.  I think they are repeated often throughout the year because so many people are effected (or is it affected?) by GERD.  For example in 2011, they talked on September 8th about how to reduce reflux and on September 15th they discussed heartburn easing foods.  You get the idea.  Check it out even if you don't have GERD, you may find some good and worthwhile information on a problem you have.

In Dr. Duke's book, The Green Pharmacy, he talks about a couple of spices that may help like powdered cardamom or cinnamon to eliminate gas.  Can I just say I need to slip a bit more cinnamon into The Herbal Husband's food more often!  Just saying!  He also talks about papaya and pineapple both are loaded with digestive enzymes and have been widely used to relieve heartburn and indigestion.  Papaya with a little honey may even prevent it if eaten before a meal or between courses.  He adds that some nutritionists suggest that kiwifruit might help as well.  He talks about having a salad from the Bible with foods like almonds, chicory, dandelion, garlic (can't), lettuce, mustard, olives, onions (can't) and walnuts.  It's funny.  He calls garlic and onions anti-heartburn ingredients.  Can't say that for me!

These foods are listed on the health.com website as:

13 Foods That Fight Acid Reflux
Oatmeal
Ginger (Hello, I should have been reading this before!)
Aloe Vera (for thickening) (I would get this in the health food store.)
Salad but no tomato-onion-cheese-high fat dressing
Bananas
Melon
Fennel
Chicken & Turkey
Fish & Seafood
Roots & Greens
Celery
Parsley
Couscous & Brown Rice

While I was at the hair salon (beauty shop back in my time) I found a parsley and fennel salad from Rachel Ray's Everyday Magazine.  It was in her holiday magazine so it serves 20!  A bit too many, but I'm going to try and cut it in a quarter and make a little and let you know how it is.  Will probably have to eliminate the mustard.  It is a bit too harsh for me.  I have been resorting to balsamic vinegar and olive oil as my dressing choice or lemon juice and olive oil on my salads.  I don't want to go without dressing.  Not eating chocolate or tomato sauce has me depressed enough.

I did a little salmon with fennel while The Herbal Husband was away last year.  Orange juice for me is very problematic and I will probably try that recipe again with vegetable stock or fish stock.  The Herbal Husband is going to Peru for three weeks in March!  Get to eat more seafood.  Yay!   So hope this list helps you and me!  Ha!  I'm sitting sipping my ginger tea.  Really it is hard to believe that it worked so well for me!  As my friend, Kathleen Gips from The Village Herb Shop says hooray for ginger!  You will see in my banner page that the skies are clear at the moment and we awaiting our next storm.  A beautiful winter day here in the 'Burgh.  After being spring like we are in the depths of winter.  Talk to you later.