Reversing Heartburn and Barrett’s Syndrome: Sherri’s Story
Sherri’s Story
I used to skip meals because I wasn’t really hungry; I’ve never been a foodie.
If I ate breakfast I would just eat yogurt or cereal. This would usually lead to a mini mid-morning crash and I would eat chocolate, cookies or another source of instant sugar. Since taking Erin’s class I became aware I was definitely eating too much sugar and simple carbs in the form of breads, cake, cookies, bagels, etc. I gravitated to things that were quick and would satisfy my hunger immediately. I was chasing my glucose level daily.
The reason I took the Wellness & Weight Loss Class was because of my health concerns that were on the verge of meeting with an endocrinologist yet again.
I suffered from frequent heartburn for the past 10 years. Often I was choking, coughing, had excess saliva and felt my throat constricting particularly during the night which was very frightening. I had been diagnosed with Barrett’s (Esophagus) Syndrome years ago but it had quieted down until the last year.
I took Prevacid or Prilosec to help manage my condition. Ironically, in an attempt to eat better (whole grains and healthy yogurt) I was beginning to have the same GERD (reflux disease) symptoms return and worsen. Enter the elimination diet.
I was fearful to take Erin’s class because I didn’t want to go through the deprivation I had experienced on other diets. After the first few days of not eating gluten or dairy I was amazed at how much better I felt. I quickly learned how to incorporate complex carbs (big difference from the simple carbs I had been ingesting), animal protein and healthy fat into three meals a day and the meals were very satisfying. Within a few weeks I was so “at peace” with my body and I was amazed at the difference in the way I felt, even my sleep patterns were amazingly different.
During the class we were taught how to test for food sensitivities to gluten and dairy.
The class helped me discover that I have a sensitivity to dairy and gluten and possibly night shades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers). Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley and rye. Remember when I first said that the very act of “eating right” with whole grains and healthy yogurt ended up being the cause of my health issues? Well, until I took this class and began the eating regime I was unknowingly causing those symptoms.
Now I am eating as many whole foods as possible.
This does take more time and I am cooking much more but I am learning how to organize, prepare and cook to make it more efficient. I try to fix large quantities when I cook to have food on hand for those times that I am hungry and don’t have a lot of prep time. Instead of processed vegetable oils I use raw, unprocessed coconut oil for cooking and it makes a great lotion for the skin!
I also drink green smoothies.
These might include frozen berries, raw spinach, quality protein powder, an avocado, nutritional yeast, crushed flax seeds, walnuts, and Nutrex-Hawaii spirulina.
Over the last two to three months I have lost 15 pounds.
No matter how hard I tried in the past I could not lose weight. I did the low-carb Atkins-type diet for nearly two years and lost about 12 pounds. The problem was that there was no emphasis on the quality of the food and I was eating bad fat like vegetable oils and poor quality protein. I was eating a lot of dairy during that diet and I now know that I am sensitive to dairy.
By eating whole foods and discovering my food sensitivities:
- I am sleeping better
- My heartburn and my throat issues are gone for the most part
- I have less brain fog
- My skin is healthier
- I lost 15 pounds
The cravings pretty much stay away as long as I make sure I have animal protein to balance the glucose level.
When my blood sugar is balanced then I don’t feel hungry. I feel calmer.
I was surprised at how little protein I was actually consuming before.
If you are thinking about taking the class with Erin or scheduling a consultation or trying a whole food diet I would say start where you can.
Begin small if you need to with a few changes. But, honestly, the benefits of 3 weeks of (gluten and dairy) elimination far exceeds what the sacrifice seems to be. Read up on Erin’s information, especially the types of food to have available immediately. Then you are better prepared to concentrate on what you can rather than what you can’t eat. Shop healthy, prepare in advance and keep referring to the written materials for other recipe ideas. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for encouragement.– Sherri
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