Health issues and being new to vegan diet

Strawbri

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  1. Vegan newbie
For most of my adult life, although not a vegetarian, I have eaten mainly veggie meals with only meat once a week at most. A year ago I was diagnosed with silent reflux and after a long stressful year I have finally narrowed down that a big trigger for my reflux is vegetables!! I can't eat pulses or broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber for definite. I also can't eat rice. There may be others. Due to all of this I have been eating more meat and dairy than I've ever eaten and I feel 90%better with my reflux but its not the lifestyle I want to follow.
I can eat passatta so at the moment I'm eating a lot of pasta, peas, sweetcorn and passatta but I have no idea how to make this work in the long term. I also can't eat anything with any form of additives on so most cereals are out. I do eat porridge or sugar free muesli though. But I can't eat stock or meat replacements or most milk alternatives as they have "stuff" in them that triggers my reflux. For my health to be at its peak I can only eat food (meat and dairy included) in its natural form with nothing at all added. Oh, and I can't eat spices either or take supplements that have "stuff" added.
Anyone have any idea if I can tackle this and how?
Thanks in advance.
S
 
Yikes, that is a daunting list of things you can't eat. I would suggest meeting with a registered dietician (preferably one who is attuned to a plant-based diet) to try to figure out a solution.

One question about the vegetables. Is it that you can't eat them at all or just certain ways they are prepared? I have a friend with similar reflux issues and she was told to basically boil them with no added spices until they are very soft if she wants to eat them. Needless to say, she doesn't eat a lot of vegetables, only the few that don't bother her, like carrots and sweet potatoes. She also had to go gluten-free, so she basically follows a whole foods Paleo-type diet, which she isn't happy about.
 
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As far as I can tell I can't eat them in any form. I'm still testing things out at present to see what triggers it and what doesn't but I've had them in the form of a stir fry and boiled and they both give me reflux. I was a massive foody before all this and loved nothing more than good food at a restaurant with friends so as you can imagine this condition really gets me down. I don't eat any sauces when out as even when I've asked ingredients and they sounded OK for me, they still seem to affect me for some reason.

I can eat carrots and sweet potatoes, white potatoes, pizza (as long as its freshly cooked and not supermarket). I can eat peas and sweetcorn. And beetroot. 😊
 
As far as I can tell I can't eat them in any form. I'm still testing things out at present to see what triggers it and what doesn't but I've had them in the form of a stir fry and boiled and they both give me reflux. I was a massive foody before all this and loved nothing more than good food at a restaurant with friends so as you can imagine this condition really gets me down. I don't eat any sauces when out as even when I've asked ingredients and they sounded OK for me, they still seem to affect me for some reason.

I can eat carrots and sweet potatoes, white potatoes, pizza (as long as its freshly cooked and not supermarket). I can eat peas and sweetcorn. And beetroot. 😊
I am so sorry. That has to be extremely frustrating.
 
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Hello! Welcome to the forum.

I don't know anything about silent reflux. I just googled it.
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314531#diet

I was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) like 20 years ago. And it took me a long time but I now have it totally under control. Well, as long as I follow all my rules.

As I said, I don't much about silent reflux except what I just read about it.

But I think the best advice I can give you is to see your Doctor and get some sound medical advice. Your list of foods seems really really strange. My best guess is that there is something else going on. You shouldn't be that sensitive to that many different foods. It could be LPR and something else in combination. Maybe a food allergy. A food allergy test is very simply done and not expensive.

When my GERD was really bad the only things I had to avoid were tomato sauce, orange juice, soda, and alcohol. My GERD manifested at night while I was sleeping. So I would take an antacid just before bed. I also experimented with omeprazole for a while.

Now I rarely experience GERD. I don't even avoid any foods anymore (well I only drink beer during football games and rarely have a soda). I don't even take the antacid anymore. Although I keep a bottle of Rolaids regular strength on my nightstand just in case.

These are my "rules"
Little to no coffee
no overeating
Eat an early dinner and no after-dinner snacks ( this is maybe the most important rule. )
After eating dinner not to recline but to remain upright - a little walking around is even better.
daily exercise
Lots of water.

and I lost some weight

I now sleep on my back and on an incline. I have a wedge pillow.

I realize that we have two different things but they are pretty similar.

Hope you feel better soon.
 
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For a little bit, I thought I was cured of GERDs.

I stopped taking Tums before bed years ago.
Last month I stopped using the incline pillow.
And I got lax about most of my rules.

Then yesterday I woke up with acid reflux. Took two tums and went for a walk around the apartment. Went back to bed with the incline pillow and I was fine.

I did not have an early dinner
I did have a late-night snack
I didn't exercise
I had a half a glass of juice mixed with soda
I had tomato-based tomato sauce with lots of garlic and onions
didn't drink lots of water.

Probably could have gotten away with 5 or 6 of those but not all of them at once.

It was a good low-cost reminder to be more careful. There is no doubt that I'm better than I used to be but I'm not cured. Still need to be a little careful.
 
Hi. Wow, this really is a very restrictive situation for you.

It's one thing to believe in the cause of veganism which is most admirable, but it is another thing to keep yourself healthy and to make sure your body is getting all the macro and micro nutrients it needs. There may be some balance that you can reach that gives you the best of both worlds.

This is a very complex situation so I believe the best thing you can do, as some have already suggested, is to seek out a professional - a doctor and/or nutritionist - but ones who have knowledge about vegetarianism/veganism.

All the best and I hope you find a lifestyle that offers you peace and comfort. BobaLou
 
Hi. Wow, this really is a very restrictive situation for you.

It's one thing to believe in the cause of veganism which is most admirable, but it is another thing to keep yourself healthy and to make sure your body is getting all the macro and micro nutrients it needs. There may be some balance that you can reach that gives you the best of both worlds.

This is a very complex situation so I believe the best thing you can do, as some have already suggested, is to seek out a professional - a doctor and/or nutritionist - but ones who have knowledge about vegetarianism/veganism.

All the best and I hope you find a lifestyle that offers you peace and comfort. BobaLou

Actually, I have been under the care of an RD for like 6 months now. but not for GERDs. Like I said I haven't had any GERD issues in months (maybe years). I have it mostly covered with my diet, exercise, and pillow. Thought I was cured. Think again.
 
For most of my adult life, although not a vegetarian, I have eaten mainly veggie meals with only meat once a week at most. A year ago I was diagnosed with silent reflux and after a long stressful year I have finally narrowed down that a big trigger for my reflux is vegetables!! I can't eat pulses or broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber for definite. I also can't eat rice. There may be others. Due to all of this I have been eating more meat and dairy than I've ever eaten and I feel 90%better with my reflux but its not the lifestyle I want to follow.
I can eat passatta so at the moment I'm eating a lot of pasta, peas, sweetcorn and passatta but I have no idea how to make this work in the long term. I also can't eat anything with any form of additives on so most cereals are out. I do eat porridge or sugar free muesli though. But I can't eat stock or meat replacements or most milk alternatives as they have "stuff" in them that triggers my reflux. For my health to be at its peak I can only eat food (meat and dairy included) in its natural form with nothing at all added. Oh, and I can't eat spices either or take supplements that have "stuff" added.
Anyone have any idea if I can tackle this and how?
Thanks in advance.
S

Hi Strawbri,

Sorry for the late response. A registered dietitian (RD) should be able to help you plan a vegan diet that minimizes your reflux symptoms. In the UK, you can find a local RD through the British Dietetic Association: Find a dietitian near me
.
 
For most of my adult life, although not a vegetarian, I have eaten mainly veggie meals with only meat once a week at most. A year ago I was diagnosed with silent reflux and after a long stressful year I have finally narrowed down that a big trigger for my reflux is vegetables!! I can't eat pulses or broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber for definite. I also can't eat rice. There may be others. Due to all of this I have been eating more meat and dairy than I've ever eaten and I feel 90%better with my reflux but its not the lifestyle I want to follow.
I can eat passatta so at the moment I'm eating a lot of pasta, peas, sweetcorn and passatta but I have no idea how to make this work in the long term. I also can't eat anything with any form of additives on so most cereals are out. I do eat porridge or sugar free muesli though. But I can't eat stock or meat replacements or most milk alternatives as they have "stuff" in them that triggers my reflux. For my health to be at its peak I can only eat food (meat and dairy included) in its natural form with nothing at all added. Oh, and I can't eat spices either or take supplements that have "stuff" added.
Anyone have any idea if I can tackle this and how?
Thanks in advance.
S

Have you considered that oil might be causing your acid reflux? I had pretty severe acid reflux for years, and it has practically disappeared since I began to avoid oil completely. If the vegetables you think you're allergic to are all cooked in oil, it's possible that it's really the oil you're allergic to, not the vegetables. Or, it could be that you have something with oil in it, and then you have a cucumber, and then you get reflux and blame it on the cucumber. (By the way, how are you able to know so specifically what foods are causing your reflux if what you have is "silent" reflux, which produces no symptoms?)

As for making veganism work in the long term, potatoes have all the nutrients anyone needs. You could eat nothing but potatoes your whole life and never have any problems. This is, after all, more or less what humans ate for most of our evolution.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that someone who is so sensitive to so many foods would do so well eating animal products, which are full of hormones, antibiotics, and all kinds of toxins. When you drink milk, for example, you're drinking all the growth hormones that the pregnant cow's body produced to allow her calf to grow into an adult cow or bull. And when you eat the flesh of an animal, you're ingesting all the stress hormones that the poor animal's body released as he or she was being led to slaughter. It's also highly unlikely that the animal whose flesh you're eating was fed high-quality, healthy foods during his or her brief life. But if you are adamant that animal products are good for you, go ahead and eat as much of them as you want. We're not here to tell anyone to be vegan. Do what you like. It's between you and your conscience.
 
Ya know, this post really makes no sense, as meat and dairy are the number one triggers of reflux.
Op hasn't been back, offered no clinical diagnosis, and I'm questioning the sincerity of the thread
 
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As for making veganism work in the long term, potatoes have all the nutrients anyone needs. You could eat nothing but potatoes your whole life and never have any problems. This is, after all, more or less what humans ate for most of our evolution.
.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes are certainly healthy foods, but they are very low in vitamin E, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. And, like essentially all plant foods, potatoes have no vitamin B12 or vitamin D (hence we vegans must supplement B12 and D). Even eating a full day's calories of potatoes would not supply enough vitamin E or selenium to meet recommended daily intake.

Potatoes are a wonderful food, but it's not likely that most humans ate potatoes for most of our evolution. Starchy potatoes originally came from Peru - it wasn't until the 16th century that potatoes were introduced into Europe: Potato - Wikipedia . Similarly, sweet potatoes originated in Central or South America - they were introduced to Europe and Asia during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: Sweet potato - Wikipedia

Mainstream vegan organizations recommend that people eat a variety of plant foods.
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Potatoes and sweet potatoes are certainly healthy foods, but they are very low in vitamin E, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. And, like essentially all plant foods, potatoes have no vitamin B12 or vitamin D (hence we vegans must supplement B12 and D). Even eating a full day's calories of potatoes would not supply enough vitamin E or selenium to meet recommended daily intake.


Potatoes are a wonderful food, but it's not likely that most humans ate potatoes for most of our evolution. Starchy potatoes originally came from Peru - it wasn't until the 16th century that potatoes were introduced into Europe: Potato - Wikipedia . Similarly, sweet potatoes originated in Central or South America - they were introduced to Europe and Asia during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries: Sweet potato - Wikipedia

Mainstream vegan organizations recommend that people eat a variety of plant foods.

You don't need to supplement with omega-3 fatty acids if you're not eating processed foods. Plants already have the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, and you only run into problems if you eat foods that are extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids, such as olive oil. Vitamin D, as you well know, is something one can get from the sun. Vitamin B12, as you also know, is easily available in the form of a small tablet dissolved under the tongue once a week, and the only reason we need even that is that we do our best to remove bacteria from everything we eat. In fact, bacteria in our guts produce B12, and it's far from clear that we need to take supplements. It is, of course, much safer to just take the supplement than to test this theory.

My statement was a bit of an exaggeration, intended to show the speciousness of the OP's claims. No one eats just one single thing for their entire life. One would have to add very little an all-potato diet to get everything they need to live a healthy life, as you yourself demonstrated when you attempted to prove that a potato is nutritionally deficient.

Finally, I said "more or less". We did evolve eating a starch-based diet. I stand by my argument that the OP does not have a dietary problem that forces her to eat the carcass and bodily secretions of animals.
 
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