Vegetarian with recent heartburn problems?!
Vegetarian with recent heartburn problems?
I have been a vegetarian for about two and a half years now and I recently started getting heartburn and don't really know why. Some things I eat are rice and beans, canned soup, meat substitutes (tofu, chick'n strips, veggie sausage, ect.) pizza sometimes, grilled cheese, ect. I'm also trying to lose a bit of weight. I'm 5'5 and around 140. Could anyone maybe give me some advice on what I could do to help lose a bit of weight and help my heartburn problems?
Answers:
Obviously your food is not digesting properly. Likely you are not eating enough fresh vegetables from the garden and too many processed, packages, or highly cooked foods etc. You need to balance it out, and eat far far less processed or pre-prepared foods which are very acid forming. Humans need to eat the opposite of that -- fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, get some fruit into your diet too. You may also be combining your food impoperly for proper digestion. Take a look at this link to the nutrition chart and there's some useful information on combining foods for digestion as well.
Source(s):
http://www.bestbread.ca/quick_-_referenc...
You could try over the counter heartburn pills or prilosec o.t.c which you can find in the drug store(cvs,rite- aid,wal-greens,target)
My mother in law took cayenne pepper for her heartburn. She bought it in pills at the health food store.
I know that anything with tomatoes or tomato sauce gives me heartburn. Try going for a few days without pizza, pasta with any red sauce, or canned tomatoes and see if it helps. There are plenty of over the counter medications to control heartburn. Tums has extra calcium in it, but I like a longer acting medication. As far as losing weight, you sound like you're trying to do it in a healthy way. Take some good long walks everyday to burn calories and increase your metabolism. And, of course, make sure your doctor follows your weight loss attempt. He can run occassional blood tests to be sure you remain healthy.
You should see if eating at specific times of the day will help. I try to eat at least 3 hours before going to bed, sometimes more. I've had the problems you have and had to take some medicine for it (prilosec type medicine). I just started to eat a little less at meals with some snacks in between and a lighter dinner seemed to work well. There isn't a big reason to eat a huge dinner because it's likely you're not going to be very active during those times. Eating more for breakfast and lunch is good since you need the energy at those times.
I also found that walking helped too. So if you could do a walk a few times a week that should give you some exercise for improving your weight and may help with your heartburn.
Don't play around with this - heart burn can be serious. My brother suffered from heartburn a lot and he ended up dying from cancer of the esophagus
haha.. yeah, I've been veggie for almost two and a half years and I get heartburn terribly. I've never met anyone else who did. But I see what we have in common, GRILLED CHEESE AND CANNED SOUP! Even though it's delicious, it's very bad for you. Try eating more whole foods and less sodium.
The reason that you have heartburn is because of all the sodium in the beans if they are canned, canned soups, meat substitutes if they are in a can, chicken strips lots of, sausage, pizza, cheese. These food have so much sodium. Try to eat fresh veggies, and fruit that is canned or fresh. All the sodium in the foods that you are eating is not good for you and can give you high blood pressure.
Five Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup seedless grapes
1 orange, peeled, sliced, and quartered
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 peach or nectarine, pitted and cubed
Servings: 4
Nutritional analysis per serving: calories: 94 grams of fat: .5 g. fiber: 1.9 mg. sodium: 2 % calories from fat: 4
Instructions:
Pour juice over fruits and refigerate until cold.
Tangerine Kiwifruit Salad with Cranberry Dressing
Ingredients:
- lettuce leaves
2 tangerines, peeled, thinly sliced
2 kiwifruits, peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 cup low-fat strawberry or mixed berry flavored yogurt
Servings: 4
Nutritional analysis per serving: calories: 131 mg. cholesterol: 1 g. fiber: 2 mg. sodium: 32 % calories from fat: 4
Instructions:
On four salad plates, arrange lettuce leaves. Arrange tangerine and kiwifruit slices over lettuce. Spoon dressing over salads. Garnish with strips of tangerine peel, if desired.
Cranberry Dressing: In blender container combine cranberry sauce and yogurt. Cover and blend until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.
Winter Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 20-oz can pineapple chunks
1 16-oz can pear halves
1 16-oz can sliced peaches
1 16-oz can apricot halves
1 1/4 can lemon or vanilla lowfat yogurt
1 cup granola (optional)
Servings: 5
Nutritional analysis per serving: calories: 239 mg. cholesterol: 3 g. fiber: 5 mg. sodium: 81 % calories from fat: 7
Instructions:
Drain each can of fruit very well. Cut the pear halves several times each, the peaches once, the apricots once. Mix them up in a medium sized bowl. Pour the yogurt over the top and blend gently. Spoon into 5 different bowls and sprinkle the granola on top. (1 cup servings)
Applesauce Oatmeal
Easy to prepare. Just water, oatmeal, applesauce, raisins or Craisins and a bit of cinnamon. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar if if you want it sweeter.
Serves 2
Nutritional Information
Sodium Per Recipe: 13.7 mg
Sodium Per Serving: 4.559 5mg
Ingredients
2 cups of water (trace)
1 cup of unsalted Quick Quaker oats (about 80 grams) (2.4 4mg)
1/2 cup golden raisins or cranberry raisins (9.9 mg)
1/2 cup unsalted or homemade applesauce with sugar or Splenda (1.078 mg)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (.299 mg
Directions
Over high heat, boil 2 cups of water in a small or medium sized saucepan. Before reaching boil add in raisins and applesauce. When water boils, add in 1 minute, zero sodium oatmeal. (Quaker Oats is a good product for this cholesterol lowering breakfast). Add in cinnamon now. You may add more cinnamon if you want to. Reduce
heat to medium and stir for one minute. Remove from heat and cover. Set aside for about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.
If using raw oats instead of ground or instant, cook oats over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes. Exchange raisins for dried cranberries for a very special flavor.
You can add a flavorful bite to your oatmeal by using a 1/2 cup of orange juice in place of 1/2 cup of the water. Also, you can replace raisins with cranberry raisins.own.
Low Sodium Pizza
The sodium level in a standard size pizza with mozzarella or cheddar cheese can exceed 4,000 mg per slice. This recipe comes in much lower. You can add more vegetables or different low sodium cheese. You can use turkey burger, chicken burger or very lean ground beef. Add about 18 mg of sodium per ounce for any ground meat you use.
Makes 1 extra large pizza for 10 slices
Nutritional Information
Without Meat / with crust
Sodium/Recipe: 268.4 mg
Sodium/Serving: 26.8 mg
Per slice without meat
Includes Pizza Crust
Sodium: 24.9 mg
Dough-Only
Sodium Per Recipe: 9.972 mg
Sodium Per Slice, based on 10 slices: .979 mg
Sodium: .979 mg
Ingredients
1 Pizza Dough, Thin Crust (see recipe below) (9.794 mg)
1 large white onion, minced (4.5 mg)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1.53 mg)
2 tablespoons olive oil (trace)
1 (14.5 ounce) can S&W (or other) No Salt Added, peeled or stewed tomatoes, with liquid (105 mg)
1 cup (8 ounce can) Del Monte natural No Salt Added tomato sauce (80 mg)
1 zucchini, thinly sliced (9.69 mg)
4 - 6 ounces Low Sodium Swiss or low sodium Cheddar cheese, grated (15 to 40 mg)**
1/2 to 1 cup no sodium water*** (trace)
8 large mushrooms, thinly sliced (7.36)
1/4 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced (.5 mg)
1 medium onion, chopped (3.45 mg)
1 tablespoon (heaping) fresh basil, finely chopped (trace) or 1 teaspoon dry
basil (trace)
1 pinch of pepper (trace)
4 - 6 ounces (cup grated) low sodium Swiss or low sodium Cheddar (46 mg)
Juice of 1 small lime or lemon (trace)
Note: Feel free to add more veggies to your pizza. Add other flavors too, like basil or cilantro, oregano, etc.
Sauce
Using a large saute pan, set over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the tomatoes with the liquid. Add the tomato sauce, basil, and pepper and simmer for one-hour uncovered, stirring occasionally. Makes about 2 cups of sauce when finished (if needed, sauce can be made and stored in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight bag).
Pizza Dough
Thin Crust Bread Machine Preparation - Oven Baked
Makes 1 extra large pizza crust or two medium
Mix in Bread Machine
2 1/4 cups white, unbleached all-purpose flour (5.625 mg)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (trace)
3/4 cup low sodium or no sodium water (trace)
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar (.15 mg)
2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten (1.125 mg)
1 teaspoon white granulated sugar (.042 mg)
1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid (trace)
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (3 mg)
Mix using basic dough setting. When done, remove and roll dough out on lightly-floured board to the size of large pizza pan or two medium sized pans. Place dough on pan and cover with light cloth. Place in warm area for 20 to 30 minutes in a warm place.
When dough has slightly risen, spread out a bit more and either roll the edges or flute them, whichever is preferred. Prick the surface slightly with a fork. Dough is ready to bake with sauce.
Baking Pizza
Pre heat oven to 500°F. Spread sauce on rolled pizza dough. Spread sliced zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper over sauce, spread grated cheese of choice, and top with thinly sliced onion. Lay the sliced onions on top. If desired, add about 8 ounces unsalted stir-fried lean ground beef or turkey (adds 18.7 mg sodium per ounce).
Bake at 500° F for 9 to 13 minutes. When fluted edges turn golden brown, pizza should be done.
You can freeze slices of this pizza successfully. Use a microwave to defrost and reheat. Spritz pizza slices with lime juice and serve piping hot.
**Nutrient data figured on 10 mg per ounce. In the west you can find Best Buy Swiss Cheese at Safeway with only 5 mg sodium per ounce. Other low sodium varieties will vary between 5 mg and 35 mg per ounce.
Or exchange with Heluvagood Cheese or Rumiano Low Sodium Cheddar cheese, grated (10 mg sodium per ounce). The two cheddars are available via Internet or telephone order if not in your local stores.
***1-cup of water for a full hour of simmering. If you want to take a shortcut because of time, you can add only 1/2 cup for a 45 minute simmer or leave it out if you want to simmer for only 30 to 45 minutes.
Mandie a quick and easy solution for heartburn is to drink 1 tablespoon of vinegar everyday for a week .. It really works calm the acids and re-balances your body .. also vinegar is great for losing weight and cleansing ..as people drink it several times a day in water to cleanse ..you can do this for a week or just a tablespoon a day ... try it you will be amazed .. it is an old-time remedy just revitalized ..
Sounds like U don't need to lose any weight. Also for heartburn try camomile tea. if that doesn't help a tsp of baking soda and a glass of water! Sometimes just a plain glass of mineral water will help! I noticed U haven't mentioned fruit.. neglecting that can cause some heart burn.
Vegetarians actually should eat more fruit than veggies!