Ever since I was a young child, I can remember having stomach aches routinely. As I stressed over something, trivial or not, stomach pains became more intense. Was it diet induced, was it stress induced, or was it a true medical condition? I do not know. But what I do know is that with age, observation, and study I have for the most part kicked stomach issues to the curb.
I have been "scoped" twice in my adult lifeboth times to find general irritation and lastly a hiatal hernia. But before my last scope, my doctor had me fill out a questionnaire detailing my diet and other lifestyle factors. This is when I noted that my diet had been very low fat and high carb since I could remember, with lots of processed sugars, fruits, grains, pastas, breads, and the like with a sparse amount of non-meat protein. I thought to myself, "Since this diet has obviously not been working, I should flip it and try the opposite!" After all, I had little to lose except the routine sleepless nights with extreme acid reflux, and the myriad of prescription and over the counter antacids. Game on.
So I gradually shifted my diet to replace the carbs/sugars with primarily more fats. I nixed the carbs to a practical extent, and increased my intake of various fats including coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, animal fats, nuts, and cholesterol from eggs. On average, I would say that my vegetable and protein intake increased as well. By not filling up on empty carbs, I now had the appetite for more vegetables and meat. I was now following basic Paleo diet principles.
My dietary changes, combined with the other key items below, have allowed me to go off all antacids and other medications, and have eliminated the vast majority of all stomach / acid reflux issues. The only time I now turn to antacids are the rare evenings when I have strayed off my dietary track and indulged on some old staples like pizza. Getting off of the "stomach acid roller coaster" has been a true relief.
- I drink a cup of kefir or eat yogurt most mornings, and sometimes at night. You can buy kefir it at the grocery store in the dairy section. It is like a yogurt smoothie, but has more pro-biotics in it. I also eat other probiotic foods like kimchi, sour kraut, etc. I cannot say enough about the benefits of maintaining a healthy population of good gut bacteria. Also a word of caution on kefir and yogurt - watch your labels for sugar and fat content, and choose an unsweetened and full fat version if possible.
- By cutting out the breads, crackers, and the like, I decreased my gluten intake drastically. I previously ate ludicrous amounts of wheat and other gluten containing foods. I now eat corn and other non-gluten products on a limited basis, with an occasional splurge on bread for a sandwich or burger.
- I drink a lot of water, but I make sure it is filtered so it gets the chlorine out. I think the chlorine residual in regular tap water may adversely affect the good bacteria in my belly.
- I stopped drinking tea, as I realized it was causing me issues. I had mistakenly replaced my sugary soda and juice habit with lots of unsweetened tea (both hot and iced), but I think the tea made things worse.
- I have found that I can tolerate coffee in moderation, say two cups max on a given day. But it goes down so much better with some fat mixed in. I now drink my coffee black with about a teaspoon or so of raw virgin coconut oil and about a half teaspoon of unsalted butter. I mix it with a latte aerator thing-a-mi-giggie and voila...out comes a wonderful tasting morning concounction.
- I stopped drinking beer, and stick to red wine in moderation. Beer is tasty for sure, but most beers are loaded with carbs and gluten.
- I try to eat unprocessed, natural-state foods to the extent practical.
- I eat very limited amounts of fruit. This was actually a big change for me, as before I thought fruit was healthy and it tasted great, so it was a big part of my old diet. But I now realize fruit is still naturally healthy, but in very limited amounts due to the high sugar/carb content. When I do splurge on fruit now, it is generally a small amount of berries of some sort and the occasional apple.
Disclaimer: Everyone is different, and my protocol above may or may not work for you. But, since it has worked so well for me thus far, I wanted to share the information for what it's worth. And, by no means do I perfectly follow my own advice in all situations...I am human after all. With that, I wish you much health and happiness!