This title in the Tell Me What to Eat series offers changes in diet and other lifestyle habits that can help relieve acid reflux. Readers learn about the physiological basis of acid reflux and about the common medications prescribed by doctors for the ailment. The author, Elaine Magee, is a registered dietician, syndicated columnist on food and health, and author of many other books on nutrition. She notes foods that should be avoided and the reasons for avoiding them and presents a chapter on weight-loss. She provides low-fat recipes for every day and for the holidays as well as recipes that lack ingredients known to cause acid reflux.
I am disappointed by this book. The main problem is that it says things over and over again that are already clear. In different parts of the book, the author tells the same things more than 5 or 6 times, which is boring. By taking out the parts, the pages will go from 160 to 80–90. It looks like the author tried to turn a small pamphlet into a big book. About half of the information can be found on simple sites and blogs.
The categorization of the reasons for acid reflux is a positive feature. However, the food recipes lack variety and are overloaded with unnecessary details. Much better books are written on acid reflux disease than this one.
It was a good over-view for someone who was new to acid reflux, but it didn't tell me much more than what I had already learned over the last 5 years.
I was surprised (scared?) that they said just because you feel better, doesn't necessarily mean that you ARE better...it could mean that your stomach tissue is now growing in your esophagus so that it no longer hurts...but this could cause cancer down the road. Great.
They said that chewing gum (but NOT mint gum) for an hour after a meal can help you produce more saliva which can help reflux, which I've heard. They also said sweet pickles can help. Never heard that one before!
A good basic primer in understanding how to manage acid reflux. She had a few recipes that were decent, although I didn't try them for myself. I would recommend looking around Goodreads and asking your gastroenterologist or ENT doctor for other book suggestions for specifics on what to eat, as well as other patients. You will probably find that it's going to be a lot of trial and error to see what foods set you off, as everyone's digestive situation is unique unto themselves.
I can't say that Mark is following the good advice in this book per se, but it's not a bad read! Helps understand why certain pills do what, and how you can help yourself avoid heartburn and acid reflux, no matter what kind you currently have. Recipes in the back are not bad, either!
I'm newly-diagnosed with GERD, so this was informative. However, the author's writing style was very repetitive. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes.
Doesn't help much when the person with reflux is an UNDERWEIGHT child and not an OVERWEIGHT adult. But, there was good information to start us off on a journey to helping our son.