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When quarantine started, I was a mess of anxiety. I mean, who wasn't? The days just blurred together, no schedule, just a constant low-grade hum of worry. And all that stress went straight to my stomach. I had no idea that was even a thing, but yeah, anxiety can totally wreck your gut. Turns out I had GERD, which is basically acid reflux that decides to move in and never leave. So I spent most of the quarantine not learning to bake bread, but learning about my own stomach, figuring out what foods my body would tolerate and what would send it into a full-on rebellion. It was a long, frustrating road of trying something, feeling awful, and trying something else.
But in the end, I learned so much. It was worth it, I think, because I finally feel like I have a handle on this thing instead of it having a handle on me. I was so relieved to find some natural things that actually helped when I felt a flare-up coming. Here are some of the remedies that really worked for me:
Organic Watermelon & Cucumber Juice:
Okay, this is my emergency go-to. Whenever I get that awful, groggy feeling in my throat and I can't stop clearing it, or my stomach just feels... off. This is what I make. I just throw some watermelon and cucumber in a blender with ice—that’s it. It’s the perfect thing when I know I’ve eaten something I’m going to regret. One in the morning and one in the afternoon usually calms everything right down. I actually learned about this from a doctor I saw during quarantine. Instead of just throwing prescriptions at me, he talked about eating less acidic stuff and more things that help your gut. He mentioned that watermelon has this thing called lycopene, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory.
"Watermelon has the greatest concentration of lycopene (more than tomatoes!) and it is non-acidic."
He also said cucumbers have something similar. He even suggested adding flaxseed to it, which I do sometimes. It sounds a little weird, but it honestly saved me on some really bad days.
Honey and Oatmeal:
Oatmeal has become such a simple, comforting breakfast for me. It’s helped me keep things balanced. I try to get the steel-cut kind because it's less processed. I add a little honey, but only like a teaspoon. This is something I had to learn—I always thought honey was just good for you, period, but it's actually acidic. So a little bit is great because it seems to coat my esophagus, but too much can backfire. It's all a balancing act, you know? I also toss some flaxseed in here, which I read is good for digestion and a bunch of other stuff.
Honey is great for coating your esophagus and controlling acid reflux, but it is acidic so it is better to consume on small amounts.
Alkaline water:
This was a weird one. I started noticing that even drinking tap water sometimes made my stomach feel funny. I mean, it's just water. I live in New York City, and our water is supposed to be pretty good. So I started digging around online to see if water could even be connected to acid reflux, and it turns out, it can. The whole idea with alkaline water is that it can help balance out the acid levels in your stomach. I guess the regular tap water, even if it wasn't bad, just wasn't helping me. So yeah, this made a difference.
Probiotics:
It wasn't until a few months into this whole mess that I was talking to a colleague, just venting about my stomach problems, and she suggested probiotics. You can think of them as the "good bacteria" for your gut. The idea is that the good guys help fight off the bad guys and bring everything back into balance, which helps with inflammation and all that. I started taking them every day, and they've just become part of my routine. I definitely feel less bloated and my digestion just feels smoother overall, which were two big issues for me.
Now, on to the less fun stuff. The things I try to stay away from. Unfortunately for me, this list includes pretty much all of my favorite foods. Sigh.
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Chocolate: I read somewhere that this makes the little muscle at the top of your stomach relax, which lets acid creep up. So unfair.
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Tomatoes: This one’s kind of obvious. They are just way too acidic! A total trigger for heartburn.
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Sparkling Water: The bubbles! According to Webmd.com, all that carbonation can cause pressure that pushes on that same muscle and causes reflux.
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Spicy Foods: Yeah, no surprise here. Spicy food and heartburn are basically best friends.
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Fried Foods: Just like chocolate, greasy, fried stuff messes with that stomach valve, leaving the door wide open for acid to come up.
The list might look scary, I know. But once you start paying attention and organizing your grocery shopping around what makes you feel good, you realize there are still so many other yummy foods out there. It’s not as limiting as it first seems.
It's a constant learning process, really. Some days are great, and other days I'll eat something I think is fine and... nope. But at least now I feel like I have some tools, you know? It’s not just this random, awful thing happening to me anymore. And that alone makes all the difference.
