MS, RD The Reflux Dietitian

The things that finally calmed my chronic reflux were almost embarrassingly simple. No cleanse, no 12-supplement stack. Just small, repeatable habits I did on good days and bad. Here are five. 1. Nervous system support, first thing. Before my phone or coffee, I spend a few minutes on my vagus nerve, the gut-brain communication highway: long slow exhales, a little humming, a hand on my chest for diaphragmatic breaths. Then I take a beat to picture myself actually getting better. Your stress response and your reflux are more linked than people realize. In a 2025 study (Barillari et al., Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol, PMID 40258993), people with LPR scored significantly higher on anxiety, depression, and perceived stress than controls. 2. Frontloading my nutrition. I eat the bulk of my food earlier in the day and keep dinner lighter and earlier, which makes the 3-hour buffer doable: I finish eating about 3 hours before bed so my stomach can empty before I lie flat. Beverages are still fine. Overnight is when reflux does the most damage, so this protects your throat while you sleep. 3. A temporary sauce swap. During my healing phase, and I mean temporary, I swapped acidic tomato sauce for a butternut squash sauce or a Green Goddess sauce. I still got pasta night without the acid load on irritated tissue. A short healing-phase move, not a forever rule. 4. The LES Lock. This is part of what I teach clients. 1 to 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing with 360 ribcage expansion right after meals, up to 5x daily. It strengthens the crural diaphragm and supports LES pressure, and it's small enough to stay consistent with. 5. Mealtime mindfulness. I sit down, chew thoroughly, slow down, and rest the fork between bites. Eating in a fight-or-flight rush disrupts digestion and LES coordination. Slowing down nudges you into rest and digest. The other daily habit: slippery elm. It's a mucosal coater that lays a soothing layer over irritated tissue. I leaned on it so much I built it into Sequoia Soothe (1000mg slippery elm) alongside DGL, L-glutamine, and zinc carnosine, at the doses I reach for with clients, flavorless with no common irritants, to soothe the throat and support a healthy esophageal lining. That's why I created it. Head to the link in my bio to learn more. Want the simple, doable starting point? My free Reflux Revolution guide is linked in my bio. Follow for more, and share this with someone who needs the simple version that actually works. #AcidReflux #GERD #RefluxRelief #VagusNerve #GutHealth