Post by @mollypelletier.rd

I thought food was causing my reflux, so every time it flared, I cut another one. The list kept getting longer, and the reflux stayed. What was really driving my GERD was microbiome dysbiosis (an imbalance in my gut bacteria) and a nervous system stuck on high alert. All that restriction was feeding both. Cutting food after food kept my body in stress mode, and a body in stress mode has a harder time digesting and keeping the LES (the valve at the top of your stomach) closed after meals. The fewer foods I ate, the less my gut bacteria had to live on. In the American Gut Project, people who ate more than 30 different plant types a week had a more diverse microbiome than people who ate 10 or fewer. A low-acid diet did help me. What got me better was working on every root contributor at once: my microbiome, my nervous system, and my food. If your safe food list keeps shrinking, look at your gut and your stress response before you cut anything else. That's what we do here, reflux care that looks at the whole picture. Follow for more. 💚 📚 McDonald et al., 2018, mSystems, American Gut Project, cross-sectional cohort, n>10,000, PMID: 29795809. #acidreflux #GERD #refluxtok #guttok #refluxdietitian