Get the Book!

Cooking to Reduce the BurnIf you have GERD / Acid Reflux the Dr. Gourmet book, Cooking to Reduce the Burn, can help. There's information on how to eat as well as recommendations for lifestyle change to help you live a pain-free life. GERD friendly recipes are included, and the best part is - it won't cost you anything. Download Cooking to Reduce the Burn (PDF format).

 

The Quality Calorie Diet

Free Diet Software From Dr. Gourmet!

The name of my free online diet planner, The Quality Calorie Diet, reflects my belief that quality calories - found in healthy, delicious foods - are the key to eating eating healthy and sustained weight loss.

Use the free Quality Calorie Diet Plan to create GERD / Acid Reflux-friendly meals plans and lose weight (or just learn to eat healthy). It's easy!

With my new software, you can:

Create customized two-week meal plans for you and your entire family, including printable shopping lists for each week.

Use leftovers for lunches and dinners later in the week.

Track the foods you and your family eat each day, including meal alternatives and snacks. Keep a daily total of calories in vs. calories out!

Keep an exercise journal for each person in your meal plan so that you can track the calories you and your family burn every day.

Set and track progress toward your goals for weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) or Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) for your entire family.

Other websites charge you as much as $29.95 per month for this service, but The Quality Calorie Diet Plan is completely free. (We don't ask for your credit card information.)

Sign up for The Quality Calorie Diet Plan Now!

 

           

 
 
 

GERD / Acid Reflux

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.Most people think of GERD as occasional heartburn, but there are a significant number who have chronic, persistent pain and discomfort. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, affects about 15 million people in the United States.

Being overweight has clearly been shown to be associated with GERD, and those with a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) have less risk of symptoms. Diet appears to be a major part of this as well, and most all of my patents with GERD can tell me what foods will provoke their reflux.

The most common foods that people complain of include:

Whole milk products
Acidic fruits and juices (orange, grapefruit, pineapple and lemon)
Onions
TomatoTomatoes and tomato products
Vinegars or foods cured in vinegar (pickles, relish)
Foods very high in sugar
Fatty meats
Fried foods
Recipes that are very high in fat
Alcohol
Coffee
Tea
Carbonated sodas
Spicy foods
Peppermint
Chocolate

Red OnionsMany of my recipes use ingredients that will cause symptoms. Every recipe on the Dr. Gourmet website is now labeled in the Special Diet Information section with whether it might cause reflux symptoms. Some recipes will have suggestions for changes to make them more “reflux friendly.”

Weight loss is one key and I see patients almost every day whose reflux symptoms improve when they lose weight. Using The Quality Calorie Diet is a good way for you to get started, with meal plans and recipes specifically created for those with GERD / Acid Reflux.

GERD-Safe Recipes

The recipes on the Dr. Gourmet website are individually labeled for their appropriateness for those with GERD. These are some of the top-rated recipes that should be safe for those with GERD.

Breakfast
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Tropical Melon Smoothie
Apple Pancake
Jean's French Toast
More Breakfast Recipes

Soups and Salads
Broccoli Cheese Soup
White Chili
Chef's Salad with Parmesan Dressing
Greek Salad
More Soups and Salads

Main Course
Cashew Chicken
Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Red Peppers
Fettucine Alfredo
Shrimp Scampi
More Main Course Recipes

Extras, Side Dishes and Desserts
Low-acid Tomato Sauce
Pan Grilled Asparagus
French Fries
Roasted Yams with Rosemary
More Extras, Sides and Desserts

News Bites

Maintain your weight, avoid gallstones: Obesity is known to be a strong risk factor, in and of itself, for the formation of gallstones. We also know that rapid weight loss, like that seen in those who have weight-loss surgery, is also a risk factor for gallstones. Those painful little stones, often formed of cholesterol crystals, are more often seen in women than in men, and studies of gallstone risks are often focused on women. More....

Glass of SodaBe aware of soft drinks: I have a patient who drinks a six-pack of sugared soda every day. As you might expect, he has a weight problem: in addition to his regular eating habits, he's consuming an extra 900 calories of sugary-sweet soft drink every day. Soft drinks are pervasive in American culture and it's clear that the increase in their consumption since 1960 coincides with the widening of the American waistline. More....

Trying to control your weight? Get some more exercise: Despite the fact that Americans spend over $50 billion per year on weight loss products and services, one-third of adults are still obese. To combat this, in 1998 the National Institute of Health recommended that adults get a minimum of 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise, 5 days per week (150 minutes/week), in addition to reducing calories consumed. More....