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低酸．食療．護胃聖經: 全美最佳醫師親身實證不用吃藥、3週有感、4週見效, 一舉戰勝胃食道逆流, 改善全身性發炎
全世界14億人有胃食道逆流，
卻有近10億人患有此病而不自知…
美國權威名醫研發8年、逾4千人臨床實證
「低酸飲食計畫」
短短4週，不吃藥，不挨餓，不用做太多運動
就能修復受傷的胃
還能順便減重成功（平均4.5公斤）！
◎蟬聯十餘年「全美最佳醫生」頭銜的胃食道逆流治療權威，執業30餘年首度公開！專為大眾設計的「終身護胃飲食計畫」，治療、保養、預防，三管齊下。作者也親身實證，共減了22公斤，腰圍少了6吋！
◎美國亞馬遜書店 4.7 顆星X長踞醫療保健暢銷榜
◎CNN、ABC、FOX、Discovery、NBC、彭博電視（Bloomberg Television）、《早安美國》（Good Morning America）、《奧茲醫師秀》（The Dr. Oz Show）、《新聞內幕》（Inside Edition）……全美主流媒體邀訪不斷、好評如潮
如果你有久咳不癒、吞嚥困難、經常清喉嚨、呼吸急促、胸痛等症狀……就算沒有火燒心，也可能是胃食道逆流在作怪，而且光吃藥無法根治！
請自我檢測你的「胃食道逆流指數」
過去一個月內，你是否有以下問題？（0=沒有，5=嚴重）
1. 喉嚨沙啞或其他聲音方面的問題
2. 經常清喉嚨
3. 喉嚨多痰或鼻涕倒流
4. 吞嚥食物、液體或藥丸有困難
5. 進食或平躺之後會咳嗽
6. 呼吸困難、偶有窒息感
7. 久咳不癒
8. 喉嚨有異物感或腫脹感
9. 火燒心、胸痛、消化不良
－－總分超過13分，代表胃食道逆流極有可能已經找上你！
亞維醫師精心設計的2階段式低酸飲食計畫，提供最佳的健康飲食選擇策略，每天三餐加上兩頓點心，吃得飽足也吃得正確，進行標靶「食」療，不但能立即緩解胃食道逆流症狀，還能增強身體代謝，體力變好，減輕身體發炎情況，預防第二型糖尿病、高血壓、腸躁症、類風濕性關節炎等多種疾病。最棒的是，體重也會穩定下降。
想從此揮別胃酸過多、胃食道逆流等毛病，你只要做好這件事：
徹底執行「2階段低酸飲食計畫」＝
1日5食＋完整週計畫表＋70多道低酸高纖食譜
●第1階段「4週修復期」
透過「5大低酸食療原則」，戒除12種酸害壞食物（如葡萄酒、柑橘類水果、生大蒜、生洋蔥、番茄等），3週緩和胃食道逆流症狀，4週修復你的胃，同時改善全身性發炎反應。
●第2階段「2週保養期」
可吃修復期被禁止的某些食物，為擺脫胃食道逆流的人生奠定堅實的基礎。
>>>每道食譜30分鐘完成，吃飽也吃好，無須隱忍堅強，輕鬆持之以恆
加碼企畫 強化低酸飲食效果的「護胃運動」
亞維醫師與美國國家級認證健身教練攜手獨創「3組HIIT高強度間歇訓練」，每天20分鐘或每週1.5小時，省時、簡易、高效能，隨時隨地都能做。
>>>有助達到身心平衡的最佳健康狀態，就此揮別任何可能導致胃酸分泌過多的生活型態
卻有近10億人患有此病而不自知…
美國權威名醫研發8年、逾4千人臨床實證
「低酸飲食計畫」
短短4週，不吃藥，不挨餓，不用做太多運動
就能修復受傷的胃
還能順便減重成功（平均4.5公斤）！
◎蟬聯十餘年「全美最佳醫生」頭銜的胃食道逆流治療權威，執業30餘年首度公開！專為大眾設計的「終身護胃飲食計畫」，治療、保養、預防，三管齊下。作者也親身實證，共減了22公斤，腰圍少了6吋！
◎美國亞馬遜書店 4.7 顆星X長踞醫療保健暢銷榜
◎CNN、ABC、FOX、Discovery、NBC、彭博電視（Bloomberg Television）、《早安美國》（Good Morning America）、《奧茲醫師秀》（The Dr. Oz Show）、《新聞內幕》（Inside Edition）……全美主流媒體邀訪不斷、好評如潮
如果你有久咳不癒、吞嚥困難、經常清喉嚨、呼吸急促、胸痛等症狀……就算沒有火燒心，也可能是胃食道逆流在作怪，而且光吃藥無法根治！
請自我檢測你的「胃食道逆流指數」
過去一個月內，你是否有以下問題？（0=沒有，5=嚴重）
1. 喉嚨沙啞或其他聲音方面的問題
2. 經常清喉嚨
3. 喉嚨多痰或鼻涕倒流
4. 吞嚥食物、液體或藥丸有困難
5. 進食或平躺之後會咳嗽
6. 呼吸困難、偶有窒息感
7. 久咳不癒
8. 喉嚨有異物感或腫脹感
9. 火燒心、胸痛、消化不良
－－總分超過13分，代表胃食道逆流極有可能已經找上你！
亞維醫師精心設計的2階段式低酸飲食計畫，提供最佳的健康飲食選擇策略，每天三餐加上兩頓點心，吃得飽足也吃得正確，進行標靶「食」療，不但能立即緩解胃食道逆流症狀，還能增強身體代謝，體力變好，減輕身體發炎情況，預防第二型糖尿病、高血壓、腸躁症、類風濕性關節炎等多種疾病。最棒的是，體重也會穩定下降。
想從此揮別胃酸過多、胃食道逆流等毛病，你只要做好這件事：
徹底執行「2階段低酸飲食計畫」＝
1日5食＋完整週計畫表＋70多道低酸高纖食譜
●第1階段「4週修復期」
透過「5大低酸食療原則」，戒除12種酸害壞食物（如葡萄酒、柑橘類水果、生大蒜、生洋蔥、番茄等），3週緩和胃食道逆流症狀，4週修復你的胃，同時改善全身性發炎反應。
●第2階段「2週保養期」
可吃修復期被禁止的某些食物，為擺脫胃食道逆流的人生奠定堅實的基礎。
>>>每道食譜30分鐘完成，吃飽也吃好，無須隱忍堅強，輕鬆持之以恆
加碼企畫 強化低酸飲食效果的「護胃運動」
亞維醫師與美國國家級認證健身教練攜手獨創「3組HIIT高強度間歇訓練」，每天20分鐘或每週1.5小時，省時、簡易、高效能，隨時隨地都能做。
>>>有助達到身心平衡的最佳健康狀態，就此揮別任何可能導致胃酸分泌過多的生活型態
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
1088 people are currently reading
1151 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
December 22, 2017
I never thought I'd be the kind of person who read a diet book... until I started struggling with acid reflux after having an "iron stomach" my entire life. Sure, there are medications that reduce acid, but taking them long-term isn't recommended. I wanted something that would help me heal.
I'm no physician, but Dr. Aviv is. He's treated hundreds of patients and done studies on the effectiveness of the dietary changes he recommends. Be aware that they're not easy--the month-long healing phase may make you feel deprived if you're used to coffee, chocolate, wine... all the sins of our modern age--but his straightforward and practical approach can help. There are also lots of menu and recipe suggestions that focus on helping you not feel deprived. He includes other lifestyle recommendations as well, many of which you have probably heard if you've struggled with reflux but it's nice that he addresses the problem holistically.
The basic idea of healing the damage from excess acid is to go for a month without eating any food that has a pH below 5, and avoiding anything that can relax the esophageal sphincter (hence the prohibition on caffeine and alcohol). What I liked best about the book was that it explained the science behind the symptoms. It always seemed remarkable that throat pain and hoarseness could be caused by stomach acid... until I learned about pepsin receptors.
If you've suffered from/struggled with acid reflux, I highly recommend this book.
I'm no physician, but Dr. Aviv is. He's treated hundreds of patients and done studies on the effectiveness of the dietary changes he recommends. Be aware that they're not easy--the month-long healing phase may make you feel deprived if you're used to coffee, chocolate, wine... all the sins of our modern age--but his straightforward and practical approach can help. There are also lots of menu and recipe suggestions that focus on helping you not feel deprived. He includes other lifestyle recommendations as well, many of which you have probably heard if you've struggled with reflux but it's nice that he addresses the problem holistically.
The basic idea of healing the damage from excess acid is to go for a month without eating any food that has a pH below 5, and avoiding anything that can relax the esophageal sphincter (hence the prohibition on caffeine and alcohol). What I liked best about the book was that it explained the science behind the symptoms. It always seemed remarkable that throat pain and hoarseness could be caused by stomach acid... until I learned about pepsin receptors.
If you've suffered from/struggled with acid reflux, I highly recommend this book.
July 26, 2017
After a near-choking incident on our 25th wedding anniversary, it was the wake-up call that I needed to get serious about changing my diet and lifestyle. Before reading this book, little did I know that the lump feeling in my throat that makes is very difficult to swallow was from throatburn, indicating the presence of prolonged acid damage that can lead to esophageal cancer.
The Acid Watcher Diet was very informative and easy to read. The recipes had some hard-to-find items, but I was finally able to find the odd items at a health food store. The meals and snacks are truly delicious. My husband loves the meals as well! The healing program is already helping me, and for that, I am eternally grateful and committed to sticking with it.
The Acid Watcher Diet was very informative and easy to read. The recipes had some hard-to-find items, but I was finally able to find the odd items at a health food store. The meals and snacks are truly delicious. My husband loves the meals as well! The healing program is already helping me, and for that, I am eternally grateful and committed to sticking with it.
August 6, 2019
I will return to this review when I've gone further into the diet because I'm currently on day two (although I was easing into it for the past week - and my symptoms do seem reduced - I am tracking all my meals & symptoms). My thoughts so far is life without acid is boring af, but would be worth it if I didn't have GERD symptoms all the time. Too early to say if it's having an effect so persist I must.
Things I like about this book: It is more comprehensive than Koufman's Dropping Acid - the same science is there but he goes into more detail on the do's and don'ts in terms of food and lifestyle and why. His "healing phase" diet is also a little less restrictive than Koufman's "induction phase" though he takes a much harder line on processed foods. Some of the recipes are quite tasty, but I would have liked more of them.
Things I didn't like: There is some (inconclusive) science to support low acid diets for reflux (Koufman's small sample size study) and apparently lots of anecdotal evidence from Koufman & Aviv's practices. But there are things here that Aviv paints as gospel that really aren't supported by any evidence, like GMOs being bad for you. There were points he goes a little much into the "woo" for my tastes.
Second major complaint is that this diet is not vegetarian friendly. If you have any other dietary restrictions in addition to low acid/low fat/no trigger foods (e.g. mint, chocolate), this makes this diet even harder to follow. Yes, he recommends that one meal a day be vegetarian, so there are vegetarian meals, but you have to do your own meal planning to get a vegetarian lunch and dinner.
My third complaint is related: the overall difficulty of implementing this diet. There is a lot of scheduling, planning, and prepping to do with no processed foods, five meals a day, can't eat 3 hours before bed, and can't exercise 2-3 hours after eating. This means a very rigid structure for the day. I am managing it right now, but I work a 9-5, don't have kids, and it's the slow season at my job. In February, when I'm working >50 hrs/week, this is going to be a lot tougher. I also imagine it would be really hard for anyone doing shift work, who doesn't have consistent access to cooking facilities, anyone on a budget etc.
My fourth complaint is his alarmism about both oesophageal cancer and about endoscopy. It's not that I think people should be blasé about reflux, but scaring people about cancer is not reducing their stress, which contributes to reflux! Most people with reflux never get oesophageal cancer. And depending where you live, endoscopy may be your only option.
There's also a big piece missing here about habit change. He tells you to do these things but not how to make the change stick. If people were going to stick with a healthy routine, they probably would have done it already because people already know smoking and soda pop and drinking and stress are bad for you. The science of habit change says trying to make a bunch of radical changes at once tends not to work very well. We know 95% of diets fail in the long term. So I would have liked to see some sort of scale up to the diet. Maybe try to shift to 5 small meals first, then eliminate trigger foods, then go to the full diet, which is sort of what I did. And maybe some advice for how to build this into your life. How does he do it as a busy physician?
My final and biggest complaint is that despite noting that reflux is increasingly being seen in people who don't fit the usual profile for reflux, he still gears this book towards that profile, namely older, "overweight," poor diet, sedentary, smoker etc. There is a lot of focus on weight loss in this book. I am 35, have daily reflux symptoms, don't smoke, don't eat fast food, don't drink alcohol or pop, have a BMI of 23 (in the 'normal' range), get some form of moderate to vigorous exercise 30+ minutes daily, and do my best to manage stress (exercise and daily meditation). My GP was concerned because my lifestyle is pretty healthy but I'm still having reflux so she wanted me to go on PPIs. But I decided to try the diet for a month first. Given that my diet is not terrible, the main things I am giving up are: tea including kombucha, chocolate (which I did eat a bit of basically daily), acidic fruits, vinegar (which is weirdly one of the hardest things because I love vinaigrette), and carbonated water which I did occasionally drink. I have also given up several idiosyncratic foods I suspect as triggers, at least for the first bit: banana, dairy, egg, cucumber. This diet will suck less if I can reintroduce them.
Giving up tomatoes is really hard. Goodbye marinara, my old, dear friend.
Five meals a day and not eating 3 hrs before bed is also new and very tough. I have trouble sleeping to begin with, and now my bed is at a 45 degree angle and I progressively slide down it all night! After all this, I sure hope it works as well as he claims.
Things I like about this book: It is more comprehensive than Koufman's Dropping Acid - the same science is there but he goes into more detail on the do's and don'ts in terms of food and lifestyle and why. His "healing phase" diet is also a little less restrictive than Koufman's "induction phase" though he takes a much harder line on processed foods. Some of the recipes are quite tasty, but I would have liked more of them.
Things I didn't like: There is some (inconclusive) science to support low acid diets for reflux (Koufman's small sample size study) and apparently lots of anecdotal evidence from Koufman & Aviv's practices. But there are things here that Aviv paints as gospel that really aren't supported by any evidence, like GMOs being bad for you. There were points he goes a little much into the "woo" for my tastes.
Second major complaint is that this diet is not vegetarian friendly. If you have any other dietary restrictions in addition to low acid/low fat/no trigger foods (e.g. mint, chocolate), this makes this diet even harder to follow. Yes, he recommends that one meal a day be vegetarian, so there are vegetarian meals, but you have to do your own meal planning to get a vegetarian lunch and dinner.
My third complaint is related: the overall difficulty of implementing this diet. There is a lot of scheduling, planning, and prepping to do with no processed foods, five meals a day, can't eat 3 hours before bed, and can't exercise 2-3 hours after eating. This means a very rigid structure for the day. I am managing it right now, but I work a 9-5, don't have kids, and it's the slow season at my job. In February, when I'm working >50 hrs/week, this is going to be a lot tougher. I also imagine it would be really hard for anyone doing shift work, who doesn't have consistent access to cooking facilities, anyone on a budget etc.
My fourth complaint is his alarmism about both oesophageal cancer and about endoscopy. It's not that I think people should be blasé about reflux, but scaring people about cancer is not reducing their stress, which contributes to reflux! Most people with reflux never get oesophageal cancer. And depending where you live, endoscopy may be your only option.
There's also a big piece missing here about habit change. He tells you to do these things but not how to make the change stick. If people were going to stick with a healthy routine, they probably would have done it already because people already know smoking and soda pop and drinking and stress are bad for you. The science of habit change says trying to make a bunch of radical changes at once tends not to work very well. We know 95% of diets fail in the long term. So I would have liked to see some sort of scale up to the diet. Maybe try to shift to 5 small meals first, then eliminate trigger foods, then go to the full diet, which is sort of what I did. And maybe some advice for how to build this into your life. How does he do it as a busy physician?
My final and biggest complaint is that despite noting that reflux is increasingly being seen in people who don't fit the usual profile for reflux, he still gears this book towards that profile, namely older, "overweight," poor diet, sedentary, smoker etc. There is a lot of focus on weight loss in this book. I am 35, have daily reflux symptoms, don't smoke, don't eat fast food, don't drink alcohol or pop, have a BMI of 23 (in the 'normal' range), get some form of moderate to vigorous exercise 30+ minutes daily, and do my best to manage stress (exercise and daily meditation). My GP was concerned because my lifestyle is pretty healthy but I'm still having reflux so she wanted me to go on PPIs. But I decided to try the diet for a month first. Given that my diet is not terrible, the main things I am giving up are: tea including kombucha, chocolate (which I did eat a bit of basically daily), acidic fruits, vinegar (which is weirdly one of the hardest things because I love vinaigrette), and carbonated water which I did occasionally drink. I have also given up several idiosyncratic foods I suspect as triggers, at least for the first bit: banana, dairy, egg, cucumber. This diet will suck less if I can reintroduce them.
Giving up tomatoes is really hard. Goodbye marinara, my old, dear friend.
Five meals a day and not eating 3 hrs before bed is also new and very tough. I have trouble sleeping to begin with, and now my bed is at a 45 degree angle and I progressively slide down it all night! After all this, I sure hope it works as well as he claims.
March 1, 2017
Dr. Aviv provides an anti-inflammation, alkaline diet to try to heal damage done by reflux. I think the intention is good here, and there is some good information, particularly about the Ph values of various foods and the reasons why some non-intuitive foods can be acid triggers.
That said, I found the diet that he proposes kind of hard to take. It's meant to be kept strictly for 28 days, with some of the acidic foods re-introduced at the end of that time. In some ways, it isn't a whole lot different than a Whole 30 kind of diet... no processed foods, more vegetables, very little dairy, no alcohol, no white flour, no fried foods. This diet allows some things that Whole 30 doesn't: a few cheeses, a few kinds of whole grain bread, olive oil, beans, nuts and organic peanut butter, but in turn it takes away some of the things that whole 30 would allow because of acid level: tomato, garlic and onion, citrus, more acidic fruits like berries, grapes, and apples, any kind of red meat, regular salt, quite a few spices, and anything to drink except for water without carbonation. For the kind of person who has long lived a lifestyle which led to reflux in the first place, it's a lot to drop at once, and frankly if we had that kind of restraint, we probably wouldn't be battling reflux in the first place. Neither the advice (which is usually just some kind of variation on just suck it up and stop eating it), the alternate ingredients (all mail order stuff), or the recipes (lots of blended and bland looking fare) that is offered make any of it easier to swallow (pun intended.)
So if you're suffering from reflux, you can get some good information here, and hopefully that will help you to moderate your own lifestyle to a point where you can find some relief, but unless you really don't like food that much, you may find this more depressing than motivating.
That said, I found the diet that he proposes kind of hard to take. It's meant to be kept strictly for 28 days, with some of the acidic foods re-introduced at the end of that time. In some ways, it isn't a whole lot different than a Whole 30 kind of diet... no processed foods, more vegetables, very little dairy, no alcohol, no white flour, no fried foods. This diet allows some things that Whole 30 doesn't: a few cheeses, a few kinds of whole grain bread, olive oil, beans, nuts and organic peanut butter, but in turn it takes away some of the things that whole 30 would allow because of acid level: tomato, garlic and onion, citrus, more acidic fruits like berries, grapes, and apples, any kind of red meat, regular salt, quite a few spices, and anything to drink except for water without carbonation. For the kind of person who has long lived a lifestyle which led to reflux in the first place, it's a lot to drop at once, and frankly if we had that kind of restraint, we probably wouldn't be battling reflux in the first place. Neither the advice (which is usually just some kind of variation on just suck it up and stop eating it), the alternate ingredients (all mail order stuff), or the recipes (lots of blended and bland looking fare) that is offered make any of it easier to swallow (pun intended.)
So if you're suffering from reflux, you can get some good information here, and hopefully that will help you to moderate your own lifestyle to a point where you can find some relief, but unless you really don't like food that much, you may find this more depressing than motivating.
March 6, 2017
This seems like a very fitting book to write a review on given I deal with a stomach disorder that flares with acid EVERY DAMN DAY. I was a bit apprehensive to read a "how to" book about something I know and oftentimes despise greatly, but I figured I give this book a fair chance. The Acid Watcher Diet by Dr. Aviv approaches acid and its effects on the body in a very approachable way. There aren't too many fancy words or overly-explained jargon...instead, the book is broken into three easily digestible (HAHA, STOMACH JOKE) sections.
Part I is about acid and how it can disrupt your diet. This section includes a lengthy discussion on acid reflux, inflammation, and what symptoms you should look out for when seeking medical treatment.
Part II is about "food and lifestyle prescriptions," which is mainly about how proteins, fiber, pH/alkaline levels, and other acid-creating foods can have an impact on your overall health and well-being.
Part III is a culmination of Parts 1 & 2 in that it actually gives you a 28 day plan on how to reduce acid in your diet in order to achieve a happier gut.
Overall, I really liked this book and how it approaches health in such a friendly way. There are quizzes throughout the book, which are engaging to a reader that might otherwise check out (as many do when reading health and wellness titles). There are also lots of little lists (which I LOVE) that talk about specific foods and behaviors one can look for when say, you're trying to see if you've got some variety of acid reflux (e.g. look for hoarseness, phlegm, shortness of breath, etc.).
This isn't to say this book should by in ANY means be a replacement for seeking treatment from a medical professional, but it is a start for a) someone who is hesitant to go to a doctor right away, or b) someone like me who already has a diagnosis, but is trying to learn more about homeopathic treatments and a different medical professional's opinion (and how it may or may not differ from the gazillion stomach doctors I've seen myself).
Another absolutely great aspect to the book is the 28 day meal plan, as it provides many easy to make recipes that take the guesswork out of "is this too acid for my delicate gut?" The recipes are broken down in "healing" and "maintenance" phases, which again underscores the necessity of reducing acid gradually and then keeping up with a modified diet. Many of the healing recipes would be totally fine for someone without acid problems (e.g. the roasted beets and fresh cucumber with creamy white bean dip). Each appetizer, entree, or snack is no more than a page long, coupled with serving size and prep/cooking times.
As a whole, I'd recommend this book to acid-suffers looking for some guidance, as well as normal guts looking to try something new. The book is totally approachable, easy to read, and methodically laid out.
Score Card: Cover Art 4/5 | Content: 5/5 | East of Read: 5/5
I was provided a complimentary copy of this text in exchange for my honest thoughts after reading it.
Part I is about acid and how it can disrupt your diet. This section includes a lengthy discussion on acid reflux, inflammation, and what symptoms you should look out for when seeking medical treatment.
Part II is about "food and lifestyle prescriptions," which is mainly about how proteins, fiber, pH/alkaline levels, and other acid-creating foods can have an impact on your overall health and well-being.
Part III is a culmination of Parts 1 & 2 in that it actually gives you a 28 day plan on how to reduce acid in your diet in order to achieve a happier gut.
Overall, I really liked this book and how it approaches health in such a friendly way. There are quizzes throughout the book, which are engaging to a reader that might otherwise check out (as many do when reading health and wellness titles). There are also lots of little lists (which I LOVE) that talk about specific foods and behaviors one can look for when say, you're trying to see if you've got some variety of acid reflux (e.g. look for hoarseness, phlegm, shortness of breath, etc.).
This isn't to say this book should by in ANY means be a replacement for seeking treatment from a medical professional, but it is a start for a) someone who is hesitant to go to a doctor right away, or b) someone like me who already has a diagnosis, but is trying to learn more about homeopathic treatments and a different medical professional's opinion (and how it may or may not differ from the gazillion stomach doctors I've seen myself).
Another absolutely great aspect to the book is the 28 day meal plan, as it provides many easy to make recipes that take the guesswork out of "is this too acid for my delicate gut?" The recipes are broken down in "healing" and "maintenance" phases, which again underscores the necessity of reducing acid gradually and then keeping up with a modified diet. Many of the healing recipes would be totally fine for someone without acid problems (e.g. the roasted beets and fresh cucumber with creamy white bean dip). Each appetizer, entree, or snack is no more than a page long, coupled with serving size and prep/cooking times.
As a whole, I'd recommend this book to acid-suffers looking for some guidance, as well as normal guts looking to try something new. The book is totally approachable, easy to read, and methodically laid out.
Score Card: Cover Art 4/5 | Content: 5/5 | East of Read: 5/5
I was provided a complimentary copy of this text in exchange for my honest thoughts after reading it.
August 6, 2019
After dealing with acid reflux for a decade now, I have tried nearly every crackpot theory out there for solving my symptoms once and for all. Needless to say, none of them have 100% worked. Even stranger have been the year or so periods where all my symptoms go away and mysteriously resurface for seemingly no reason.
I never had a doctor explain pepsin and its nature to me. This book was an eye opener for me. It's also explained really weird problems I've had in the past --how water can sometimes cause you more throat pain! You might not even know that water coming out of your faucet varies in pH year-round.
In any case, I appreciated that this was scientific and honest about my condition, and its confirmed many of the things I've found out over the years about my body. Anyone who tries to say this condition can be cured by medication or diet alone probably isn't right. For me, raising my activity level, swimming to increase the strength of my diaphragm also was a big piece of the puzzle.
Since few doctors have the wealth of time to diagnose a complex disease like this, books like this fill a critical gap in treatment.
I never had a doctor explain pepsin and its nature to me. This book was an eye opener for me. It's also explained really weird problems I've had in the past --how water can sometimes cause you more throat pain! You might not even know that water coming out of your faucet varies in pH year-round.
In any case, I appreciated that this was scientific and honest about my condition, and its confirmed many of the things I've found out over the years about my body. Anyone who tries to say this condition can be cured by medication or diet alone probably isn't right. For me, raising my activity level, swimming to increase the strength of my diaphragm also was a big piece of the puzzle.
Since few doctors have the wealth of time to diagnose a complex disease like this, books like this fill a critical gap in treatment.
February 9, 2020
An informative book, that just may save my life. There is science behind everything contained within the pages. The new way of eating is doable. Add in lifestyle changes and I'm on the path to better health. The diet is not only great for cutting down or eliminating reflux, it's also anti-inflammation.
September 14, 2021
4.5 - The book was very informative and offered a good number of recipes. I like how the book also included a comprehensive list of foods that are friendly to the diet. I wish that the author was more clear on which packagings and preparations were acceptable in the diet, as I found that it was difficult at times to figure out which foods belonged to which phase of the diet. Overall great resource. I will rate this book higher if it actually works.
Dietary acid causes heartburn. Watch out for high fructose corn syrup, because it has sulfuric acid in it. Seltzer water is bad for acid reflux. Dietary acid can be in bread. Processed foods are acidified, meaning that their pH is lowered, in order to make them shelf-stable. Just because a food is high in pH, doesn't mean it is good for an Acid Watcher. There is a healing phase and a maintenance phase. In the Healing Phase, eat foods with a pH of 5 and higher, including lean animal proteins, whole grains, and a range of fruits and vegetables. The Healing phase should take place for a minimum of 28 days. The Maintenance Phase is to reintroduce foods. Acid, directly and indirectly, causes esophageal cancer. Foods with a pH below 5 will activate pepsin. Acid is found in most processed foods, for preservation. The ph scale is logarithmic. Soda is the worst thing to ingest for heartburn. The chemicals in high fructose corn syrup loosen the LES. Inflammation is a precursor to a range of autoimmune, metabolic, and chronic diseases. Long-term consumption of dietary antioxidants is more effective than vitamins and supplements. Free radicals play a role in cancer development. Acid reflux can make it harder to breathe. Visceral fat makes you feel hungrier because the hormones are sending the wrong message to your brain. Don't eat within 4 hours of sleep. Consume more fiber. Any diet that deprives you of a macronutrient is unhealthy because they are unsustainable. Excessive amounts of fat can exacerbate acid reflux. Avoid red meat. Avoid berries and citrus. Avoid simple carbs. Onions and garlic can cause gas and bloating, have a laxative effect, and get rapidly fermented which leads to more gas production. Bad fats are trans fats and (in excessive amounts) saturated fats. Good fats are unsaturated fats. Trans fats are also called "hydrogenated oil". Trans fat loosens the LES. Try to not allow more than 10 percent of your daily fat intake to come from saturated fat. With the exception of red meat, monounsaturated fats are typically good choices for people with acid reflux disease, however, although they are monounsaturated fats, vegetable oils made from seeds are not good for those with acid reflux. (soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil.) Cold-pressed vegetable oils are always the best option for people with acid reflux. (EVOO) Olive oil without a scent has probably been heavily processed or deodorized and should be avoided. The best sources of monounsaturated fat for people with acid reflux are cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, coconut oil, cashews, almonds, peanuts. Polyunsaturated fat is one of the healthiest forms of fat. Omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3 is produced in the leafy parts of the plant during photosynthesis. Omega-6 is produced predominantly in the seeds of plants. Avoid deep-fried foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Dietary fiber intake is significantly inversely associated with lots of diseases and death. Fiber lessens the pressure on the LES. Fiber binds to carcinogens and other toxins and then promotes the excretion of these materials as waste, ridding them from your body before they cause any long-term damage. Dietary fiber intake reduces the risk of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer. Acid-base balance is not the same thing as gastric acid or dietary acid balance. Onions and garlic cooked on high heat can be eaten if they are not your trigger foods. The acidity of a tomato can be neutralized by cucumber. During the Healing Phase of the Acid Watcher Diet, foods will be limited to a pH of 5 and above, which will thoroughly quell pepsin activity and allow the esophageal and throat tissues to heal. Avoid foods that have been pickled, jarred, fermented, and preserved.
HEALING PHASE
Avoid carbonated sodas, coffee and tea, citrus fruits, tomato, vinegar, wine, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, mint, raw onion, and raw garlic. Citrus fruits are allowed as a flavoring but on when used on raw animal protein such as in a marinade for fish or chicken. Avoid processed food. Safe to eat canned foods include canned tuna (water-packed and drained), chickpeas (organic and thoroughly washed), and beans. Avoid fried foods. Don't overeat. Eat small meals every 2.5 to 3 hours. Foods that have a pH of 5 or higher.
HEALING PHASE pH 5 FOOD LIST
Fish: salmon halibut, tilapia, trout, flounder, branzino, and sole
Poultry: chicken breast, ground turkey, eggs
Vegetables and herbs: spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula, curly kale, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash,
potato, sweet potato, carrots (not baby carrots, beets, cremini mushrooms, basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, dried thyme, and sage.
Raw fruit: banana, Bosc pears, papaya, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, lychee, and avocados.
Dried Fruit: Dates, raisins, shredded coconut.
Nuts and seeds cashews, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, pine nuts.
Spreads, fresh, raw, organic peanut butter, and almond butter.
Cheese: parmesan, mozzarella, feta, and other select hard cheese.
Bread and grains: old-fashioned rolled oats, whole-grain pasta, 100% whole grain bread, whole-grain wheat flour.
Condiments: Celtic salt, olive and coconut oil, Bragg Liquid Aminos, hemp protein, vanilla extract, white miso paste.
Eat a daily minimum of 1 pound of vegetables above pH 5, half of which should be consumed raw.
Eat a daily minimum of half a pound of raw fruit, above pH 5.
Avoid seed oils, peppers, berries, honey, organic agave.
Only eat cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and unfiltered if available.
Avoid pepper-based spices. Berries can be eaten in both phases of the diet if they are balanced by acid neutralizers such as almond milk, non-GMO soy milk, rice milk, and coconut milk. Bread that can be eaten includes rye, spelt, wheat, barley, and oat if they are 100% whole-grain. If you can't get 100% whole-grain bread, choose one that doesn't have preservatives or artificial flavors. Only drink water. When eating out, order chicken or seafood that is either steamed, roasted, baked, or grilled, never fried. Acid Watcher's cooking methods consist of roasting, sauteing, grilling, poaching, and blanching.
Healing Phase Food List
Dairy (if dairy is not your trigger food): Blue cheese, butter (organic), hard cheese (Dublin, parmesan, asiago, mozzarella, cheddar)
Tree Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios
Dairy Alternatives: Almond milk, soy milk, (plain), rice milk
Condiments and Spreads: Almond butter, peanut butter (preferably fresh ground and organic), Bragg Liquid Aminos
Spices: Ginger sumac, celery seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, coriander seed
Fish and Seafood: Lobster (boiled), shrimp (boiled), crab meat, halibut (poached), salmon (grilled), octopus (grilled), sardines (fresh if available) tuna (in water, canned), tuna (seared), tilapia, sole, branzino, flounder, swordfish, bass, cod (broiled)
Poultry and Meat: Eggs, turkey (fresh roasted), chicken (grilled), beef (sirloin)
Grains: Multigrain bread (Bread Alone), Brown rice, rolled or steel-cut oats, whole-wheat fusilli, barley, buckwheat groats, Ezekiel 4:9 Flax,
100% whole grain bread, Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame, whole-wheat fiber bread.
Legumes: Peas (green and black-eyed), edamame, cannellini
Vegetables: Artichoke, cucumber, fennel, radicchio, eggplant, string beans, brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli,
celery, iceberg lettuce, swiss chard, asparagus, kale, cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms, Russet, Yukon Gold, red, and sweet potato, beets, carrots.
Herbs: Cilantro, Ginger, Basil parsley
Fruits: Avocado black olives, watermelon, lychee, butternut squash, banana, papaya, dates (Halawi, Delilah) dragon fruit, honeydew, pumpkin, pear, lemon (only when used on raw animal protein products)
In restaurants, only eat chicken and fish, and avoid breaded fried and sauced options.
For sushi, avoid soy sauce and wasabi.
MAINTENANCE PHASE FOOD LIST
In the maintenance phase, dark chocolate, cooked garlic, and onion can be reintroduced in small quantities.
Raw Vegetables: All Bell Peppers
Raw and Dried Fruits: Apple (Red Delicious, golden delicious, gala), kiwi, mango, figs, cherries, raisins (dark), prunes (dried), peach (yellow),
pear (Forelle, bartlett), blueberries, grapes (green seedless)
Dairy: Cottage cheese, unsalted butter, feta cheese, cream cheese (Philadelphia), yogurt (plain, Stonyfield), Greek yogurt (Chobani, Fage), goat cheese,
Kefir, Almond Yogurt (plain, almond dream), Coconut Milk cultured (plain, vanilla, So Delicious), soy yogurt (plain, vanilla, Whole Soy and Co),
Manuka Honey, Light agave nectar, Ezekial 4:9 cinnamon raisin bread
Post-meal walks help to prevent acid reflux.
Abdominal breathing can help with GERD.
Gentle yoga can help with GERD, but inversions should be avoided, such as downward dog.
Wait at least 2 hours after a meal before exercising, 3 hours if after a large meal. Don't do exercises that put a strain on your abdominal wall or encourage the upward movement of gastric acid: heavy weight lifting, sit-ups, cycling in a crouched position, gymnastics or advanced yoga, jumping activities, high impact aerobics, vigorous running, jumping rope, surfing. Good exercises include stationary biking in an upright position, gentle yoga, brisk walking, non-heavy strength training, bodyweight training, and short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity. Ripe fruits have a higher pH than unripe fruits.
Dietary acid causes heartburn. Watch out for high fructose corn syrup, because it has sulfuric acid in it. Seltzer water is bad for acid reflux. Dietary acid can be in bread. Processed foods are acidified, meaning that their pH is lowered, in order to make them shelf-stable. Just because a food is high in pH, doesn't mean it is good for an Acid Watcher. There is a healing phase and a maintenance phase. In the Healing Phase, eat foods with a pH of 5 and higher, including lean animal proteins, whole grains, and a range of fruits and vegetables. The Healing phase should take place for a minimum of 28 days. The Maintenance Phase is to reintroduce foods. Acid, directly and indirectly, causes esophageal cancer. Foods with a pH below 5 will activate pepsin. Acid is found in most processed foods, for preservation. The ph scale is logarithmic. Soda is the worst thing to ingest for heartburn. The chemicals in high fructose corn syrup loosen the LES. Inflammation is a precursor to a range of autoimmune, metabolic, and chronic diseases. Long-term consumption of dietary antioxidants is more effective than vitamins and supplements. Free radicals play a role in cancer development. Acid reflux can make it harder to breathe. Visceral fat makes you feel hungrier because the hormones are sending the wrong message to your brain. Don't eat within 4 hours of sleep. Consume more fiber. Any diet that deprives you of a macronutrient is unhealthy because they are unsustainable. Excessive amounts of fat can exacerbate acid reflux. Avoid red meat. Avoid berries and citrus. Avoid simple carbs. Onions and garlic can cause gas and bloating, have a laxative effect, and get rapidly fermented which leads to more gas production. Bad fats are trans fats and (in excessive amounts) saturated fats. Good fats are unsaturated fats. Trans fats are also called "hydrogenated oil". Trans fat loosens the LES. Try to not allow more than 10 percent of your daily fat intake to come from saturated fat. With the exception of red meat, monounsaturated fats are typically good choices for people with acid reflux disease, however, although they are monounsaturated fats, vegetable oils made from seeds are not good for those with acid reflux. (soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil.) Cold-pressed vegetable oils are always the best option for people with acid reflux. (EVOO) Olive oil without a scent has probably been heavily processed or deodorized and should be avoided. The best sources of monounsaturated fat for people with acid reflux are cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, avocado and avocado oil, coconut oil, cashews, almonds, peanuts. Polyunsaturated fat is one of the healthiest forms of fat. Omega-3 and omega-6 are polyunsaturated fats. Omega-3 is produced in the leafy parts of the plant during photosynthesis. Omega-6 is produced predominantly in the seeds of plants. Avoid deep-fried foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Dietary fiber intake is significantly inversely associated with lots of diseases and death. Fiber lessens the pressure on the LES. Fiber binds to carcinogens and other toxins and then promotes the excretion of these materials as waste, ridding them from your body before they cause any long-term damage. Dietary fiber intake reduces the risk of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer. Acid-base balance is not the same thing as gastric acid or dietary acid balance. Onions and garlic cooked on high heat can be eaten if they are not your trigger foods. The acidity of a tomato can be neutralized by cucumber. During the Healing Phase of the Acid Watcher Diet, foods will be limited to a pH of 5 and above, which will thoroughly quell pepsin activity and allow the esophageal and throat tissues to heal. Avoid foods that have been pickled, jarred, fermented, and preserved.
HEALING PHASE
Avoid carbonated sodas, coffee and tea, citrus fruits, tomato, vinegar, wine, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, mint, raw onion, and raw garlic. Citrus fruits are allowed as a flavoring but on when used on raw animal protein such as in a marinade for fish or chicken. Avoid processed food. Safe to eat canned foods include canned tuna (water-packed and drained), chickpeas (organic and thoroughly washed), and beans. Avoid fried foods. Don't overeat. Eat small meals every 2.5 to 3 hours. Foods that have a pH of 5 or higher.
HEALING PHASE pH 5 FOOD LIST
Fish: salmon halibut, tilapia, trout, flounder, branzino, and sole
Poultry: chicken breast, ground turkey, eggs
Vegetables and herbs: spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula, curly kale, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, celery, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash,
potato, sweet potato, carrots (not baby carrots, beets, cremini mushrooms, basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, dried thyme, and sage.
Raw fruit: banana, Bosc pears, papaya, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, lychee, and avocados.
Dried Fruit: Dates, raisins, shredded coconut.
Nuts and seeds cashews, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, pine nuts.
Spreads, fresh, raw, organic peanut butter, and almond butter.
Cheese: parmesan, mozzarella, feta, and other select hard cheese.
Bread and grains: old-fashioned rolled oats, whole-grain pasta, 100% whole grain bread, whole-grain wheat flour.
Condiments: Celtic salt, olive and coconut oil, Bragg Liquid Aminos, hemp protein, vanilla extract, white miso paste.
Eat a daily minimum of 1 pound of vegetables above pH 5, half of which should be consumed raw.
Eat a daily minimum of half a pound of raw fruit, above pH 5.
Avoid seed oils, peppers, berries, honey, organic agave.
Only eat cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and unfiltered if available.
Avoid pepper-based spices. Berries can be eaten in both phases of the diet if they are balanced by acid neutralizers such as almond milk, non-GMO soy milk, rice milk, and coconut milk. Bread that can be eaten includes rye, spelt, wheat, barley, and oat if they are 100% whole-grain. If you can't get 100% whole-grain bread, choose one that doesn't have preservatives or artificial flavors. Only drink water. When eating out, order chicken or seafood that is either steamed, roasted, baked, or grilled, never fried. Acid Watcher's cooking methods consist of roasting, sauteing, grilling, poaching, and blanching.
Healing Phase Food List
Dairy (if dairy is not your trigger food): Blue cheese, butter (organic), hard cheese (Dublin, parmesan, asiago, mozzarella, cheddar)
Tree Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios
Dairy Alternatives: Almond milk, soy milk, (plain), rice milk
Condiments and Spreads: Almond butter, peanut butter (preferably fresh ground and organic), Bragg Liquid Aminos
Spices: Ginger sumac, celery seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, coriander seed
Fish and Seafood: Lobster (boiled), shrimp (boiled), crab meat, halibut (poached), salmon (grilled), octopus (grilled), sardines (fresh if available) tuna (in water, canned), tuna (seared), tilapia, sole, branzino, flounder, swordfish, bass, cod (broiled)
Poultry and Meat: Eggs, turkey (fresh roasted), chicken (grilled), beef (sirloin)
Grains: Multigrain bread (Bread Alone), Brown rice, rolled or steel-cut oats, whole-wheat fusilli, barley, buckwheat groats, Ezekiel 4:9 Flax,
100% whole grain bread, Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame, whole-wheat fiber bread.
Legumes: Peas (green and black-eyed), edamame, cannellini
Vegetables: Artichoke, cucumber, fennel, radicchio, eggplant, string beans, brussels sprouts, zucchini, cauliflower, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli,
celery, iceberg lettuce, swiss chard, asparagus, kale, cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms, Russet, Yukon Gold, red, and sweet potato, beets, carrots.
Herbs: Cilantro, Ginger, Basil parsley
Fruits: Avocado black olives, watermelon, lychee, butternut squash, banana, papaya, dates (Halawi, Delilah) dragon fruit, honeydew, pumpkin, pear, lemon (only when used on raw animal protein products)
In restaurants, only eat chicken and fish, and avoid breaded fried and sauced options.
For sushi, avoid soy sauce and wasabi.
MAINTENANCE PHASE FOOD LIST
In the maintenance phase, dark chocolate, cooked garlic, and onion can be reintroduced in small quantities.
Raw Vegetables: All Bell Peppers
Raw and Dried Fruits: Apple (Red Delicious, golden delicious, gala), kiwi, mango, figs, cherries, raisins (dark), prunes (dried), peach (yellow),
pear (Forelle, bartlett), blueberries, grapes (green seedless)
Dairy: Cottage cheese, unsalted butter, feta cheese, cream cheese (Philadelphia), yogurt (plain, Stonyfield), Greek yogurt (Chobani, Fage), goat cheese,
Kefir, Almond Yogurt (plain, almond dream), Coconut Milk cultured (plain, vanilla, So Delicious), soy yogurt (plain, vanilla, Whole Soy and Co),
Manuka Honey, Light agave nectar, Ezekial 4:9 cinnamon raisin bread
Post-meal walks help to prevent acid reflux.
Abdominal breathing can help with GERD.
Gentle yoga can help with GERD, but inversions should be avoided, such as downward dog.
Wait at least 2 hours after a meal before exercising, 3 hours if after a large meal. Don't do exercises that put a strain on your abdominal wall or encourage the upward movement of gastric acid: heavy weight lifting, sit-ups, cycling in a crouched position, gymnastics or advanced yoga, jumping activities, high impact aerobics, vigorous running, jumping rope, surfing. Good exercises include stationary biking in an upright position, gentle yoga, brisk walking, non-heavy strength training, bodyweight training, and short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity. Ripe fruits have a higher pH than unripe fruits.
November 27, 2021
I'm grateful this book exists!
Dr. Aviv is a master at his craft and has polished his knowledge and sources well. He does a great job putting it into words everybody can understand and after explaining the root, gives recipes that anyone can find some favorites in. He teaches you how to think in terms or pH for food. He changed my life and the way I look at acid reflux and esophagitis development and healing. From the first part or the book I already felt more hopeful. Definitely saw improvement (even if slow) with my condition. I regret smoking, drinking alcohol and sodas and chucking all that fast food. Now I'm paying the price. And Dr. Aviv is there to help those like me too, those who fucked up but are willing to give up all the nasty things to get better. Thank you sir for holding my hand through it, even if in the form of a powerful literature.
Dr. Aviv is a master at his craft and has polished his knowledge and sources well. He does a great job putting it into words everybody can understand and after explaining the root, gives recipes that anyone can find some favorites in. He teaches you how to think in terms or pH for food. He changed my life and the way I look at acid reflux and esophagitis development and healing. From the first part or the book I already felt more hopeful. Definitely saw improvement (even if slow) with my condition. I regret smoking, drinking alcohol and sodas and chucking all that fast food. Now I'm paying the price. And Dr. Aviv is there to help those like me too, those who fucked up but are willing to give up all the nasty things to get better. Thank you sir for holding my hand through it, even if in the form of a powerful literature.
August 21, 2021
4.5 stars.
This book is so very important because it stresses the fact that while most people think that if they don't experience heartburn, that they are okay - that acid damage causes other symptoms as well that you might not ever think about. Cough after eating? Feel a lump in your throat? Have sinus issues? A sore throat? Trouble swallowing? Sleeping? These are all symptoms of reflux issues and if you don't act, it's only going to get worse. The rate of people being diagnosed with esophageal cancer is growing and growing.
I'm a 33 year old woman who has been dealing with stomach issues most of my life. My reflux issues started when I was a child (I remember heartburn as young as six years old) and only progressed as I got older. Unfortunately, when one thinks of acid issues with their stomach they just tend to think avoiding spicy foods is the answer - not realizing how many other every day foods are the ones actually causing your pain and irreversible damage to your digestive tract. Years of coffee and soda drinking, eating super processed foods due to convenience and cost, and going to bed shortly after eating had all band together to bring me to a point where there are few things I can eat without it causing symptoms - coughing relentlessly after eating or drinking even water (which is the only beverage I drink now), severe stomach pain due to ulcers, a persistent lump sensation in my throat and sinus issues.
This book was packed with information, studies, and stories of people dealing with the same issues. It laid everything out and explained it in great detail to not only help you understand your symptoms and how they relate to acid, but why it happens and what you can do to prevent it. It lists foods and their pH levels to help you better understand what is good, bad, and what straddles the line of a food that is okay to have occasionally.
One of my favorite parts that really puts it all into perspective is that a banana has a safe pH, but a jar of banana baby food does not due to the addition of dietary acid. Your body is being forced to digest excess acid before you're even old enough to talk. And as we get older, what we consume only gets worse.
I highly recommend this to anyone who suffers even one of these symptoms. Being preventative is much better than dealing with it when it gets to the point mine has.
This book is so very important because it stresses the fact that while most people think that if they don't experience heartburn, that they are okay - that acid damage causes other symptoms as well that you might not ever think about. Cough after eating? Feel a lump in your throat? Have sinus issues? A sore throat? Trouble swallowing? Sleeping? These are all symptoms of reflux issues and if you don't act, it's only going to get worse. The rate of people being diagnosed with esophageal cancer is growing and growing.
I'm a 33 year old woman who has been dealing with stomach issues most of my life. My reflux issues started when I was a child (I remember heartburn as young as six years old) and only progressed as I got older. Unfortunately, when one thinks of acid issues with their stomach they just tend to think avoiding spicy foods is the answer - not realizing how many other every day foods are the ones actually causing your pain and irreversible damage to your digestive tract. Years of coffee and soda drinking, eating super processed foods due to convenience and cost, and going to bed shortly after eating had all band together to bring me to a point where there are few things I can eat without it causing symptoms - coughing relentlessly after eating or drinking even water (which is the only beverage I drink now), severe stomach pain due to ulcers, a persistent lump sensation in my throat and sinus issues.
This book was packed with information, studies, and stories of people dealing with the same issues. It laid everything out and explained it in great detail to not only help you understand your symptoms and how they relate to acid, but why it happens and what you can do to prevent it. It lists foods and their pH levels to help you better understand what is good, bad, and what straddles the line of a food that is okay to have occasionally.
One of my favorite parts that really puts it all into perspective is that a banana has a safe pH, but a jar of banana baby food does not due to the addition of dietary acid. Your body is being forced to digest excess acid before you're even old enough to talk. And as we get older, what we consume only gets worse.
I highly recommend this to anyone who suffers even one of these symptoms. Being preventative is much better than dealing with it when it gets to the point mine has.
May 19, 2018
I have been on this diet for 6 weeks. At first my GERD got better until I started getting really busy at work and had no time to walk after dinner. Then it flared up again and has been bothering on and off for the past 2.5 weeks. As a result, I haven't moved on to the maintenance phase.
I did not have a hard time adjusting to this diet. Yes, it's drastic. I've had to give up coffee, carbonated water with lime, limes, tomatoes, garlic, onion, etc, which is everything I love. But for some reason, I took to the diet easily perhaps because the alternative is a lot worse or perhaps because I'm such a bookworm that I can stick to anything that's in a book.
I've lost tons of weigh and in the morning I don't usually have those post-caffeine crashes.
I sometimes found the instructions confusing. The author says to only drink water, but then has almond milk and some other beverages on the ok list. And why can we only eat a specific brand? Are all other brands of say Trader Joe's organic peanut butter unacceptable? And sometimes the title of dishes say "broiled" in them, but there is no broiling in the recipe.
I wish there was actually a cookbook with more recipes to follow.
I did not have a hard time adjusting to this diet. Yes, it's drastic. I've had to give up coffee, carbonated water with lime, limes, tomatoes, garlic, onion, etc, which is everything I love. But for some reason, I took to the diet easily perhaps because the alternative is a lot worse or perhaps because I'm such a bookworm that I can stick to anything that's in a book.
I've lost tons of weigh and in the morning I don't usually have those post-caffeine crashes.
I sometimes found the instructions confusing. The author says to only drink water, but then has almond milk and some other beverages on the ok list. And why can we only eat a specific brand? Are all other brands of say Trader Joe's organic peanut butter unacceptable? And sometimes the title of dishes say "broiled" in them, but there is no broiling in the recipe.
I wish there was actually a cookbook with more recipes to follow.
October 30, 2019
It's a misnomer to call this a diet in the sense of it being temporary or geared toward weight loss. What it is is a roadmap to the types of foods human beings are meant to eat. Food is meant to be fuel for our bodies, not entertainment or emotional therapy. This book lays out, with science and hard data, what has happened to our bodies over the last half-century as we consume acid in virtually everything. I have read a lot of comments about this "diet" being difficult to follow, because it means giving up sweets, alcohol, etc. Respectfully, it's a matter of looking at food as fuel vs. eating for other reasons, i.e. Eat to live, rather than live to eat. And I am someone who, until recently, ate sweets virtually EVERY day of her life. Eating nourishing foods is a gift to our body, which does everything for us.
February 18, 2018
The Acid Watcher Diet by Jonathan Aviv is a great tome for anyone willing to make dietary changes in order to get rid of acid reflux without using medication. if you like what it says, you'll keep it as a reference book. I thought that I was reasonably knowledgable about the topic, but there was much for me to learn from Dr. Aviv! I rarely get an acid attack now. When it happens, it almost always has to do with drinking wine with my meal! I've learned to limit it to one small serving and it has made me truly appreciate the wine. Mostly, though, I sick to water.
October 3, 2019
An absolute must for people suffering from LPR (LaryngoPharyngealReflux/Silent Reflux), an illness often confused with GERD, though it is related, and other conditions: asthma, hypertension, heart conditions, ENT diseases. Read. Do. Find the support group online. It might save your life, or at least make it bearable.
July 19, 2022
A great resource for those of us with chronic reflux. My Dr didn’t have a lot of good advice and gave me an upper GI scope. I gave her a copy of this book!
September 29, 2025
Excellent book if you want to stop heartburn and indigestion. Some recipes in the back are helpful. The way the information is presented makes it easy to digest.(!)
June 21, 2017
Pretty informative
February 6, 2024
I can’t remember when I developed heartburn/acid reflux, but it’s been a long time. I literally had heartburn 24/7. I went to the doctor who prescribed Omeprazole (a proton pump inhibitor [decreases acid production in the stomach]), and have been taking it for about sixteen years now. Omeprazole comes with a long list of side effects: early onset Alzheimers/dementia, kidney disease, other types of cancer, etc. Throughout the years, I tried to stop taking the pills every now and then or decrease the dosage, while trying various health remedies, but all to no avail. I would always have a huge return of symptoms that sent me running back to the pills.
Recently I went in for a routine check up and the doctor wanted to do an endoscopy due to my Omeprazole usage. He found a ton of stomach polyps (a symptom of Omeprazole) and an “irregular z-line” (a sign that my esophagus was at risk for Barrett’s esophagus - a precancerous condition).
The doctor gave me three choices: surgery (which didn’t have a great success/satisfaction rate and only lasts 10-15 years), stay on the pills (with all of the risk factors), or stay on a horrifically strict diet for the rest of my life.
While trying to decide what I would do, my wife found a Facebook page for people suffering from GERD, and a common thing recommended on the page was a book by a Dr. Aviv called “The Acid Watcher Diet”. The diet contains a meal by meal, snack by snack plan. Be warned, many of the ingredients are obscure and hard to come by, and the prep is often long and involved.
I began with an all day fast on January 1st, and then started the diet and began sleeping with a wedge pillow on January 2nd. I went over a week without sleep because I could’t sleep on that damned wedge pillow. It also screwed up my back. I was working long days, then coming home and making and eating dinner (in order to make a strict “can’t eat three hours before bed” deadline), then prepping/cooking breakfast, two snacks and lunch for the next day (per the diet). It was a rough period of time - not sleeping, working all day, my back killing me, and often cooking up until bed time - not to mention eating food I often found to be…less than savory. I finally got a higher quality (not to mention far more expensive) wedge pillow, which I could finally sleep on and didn’t hurt my back.
After two weeks I decided to quit taking the pills cold turkey. I was expecting a flare up, which I hoped would go away. But I had no flare up whatsoever. As far as reflux/heartburn were concerned, I felt as if I was still taking the pills. This was a little bit of a morale boost, but the continued foul meals and constant food prep quickly took the joy out of it. After about another week (the end of week three/start of week four), I started getting heartburn again. After two solid days of heartburn (all while putting so much effort into this diet) I was just about ready to go back on the pills and deal with whatever came of it. I came to realize that something on the approved diet food list was a “trigger” for me. I cut that out and was again heartburn free and have been ever since.
The basis of the Acid Watcher Dirt is this:
1. Your esophagus is burned and damaged by stomach acid and pepsin.
2. Eating food below a certain pH level causes it to burn more and creates further damage. (Think of rubbing lemon on your hand - no biggie; but if you first soaked your hand in a vat of acid, that lemon juice would burn).
3. Eating only foods above a 5 pH level - also excluding some that chemically weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) - allows your esophagus to heal. (This is the “Healing Phase” and lasts a month.)
4. The “Maintenance Phase” allows food with a 4 pH level and above. (The Maintenance Phase lasts two weeks.)
5. Once you’ve finished the two phases, you can start adding in foods and see what “triggers” reflux or heartburn (which is different for everyone).
I’ve got one week of the Maintenance Phase left, but my diet has opened up significantly and I am already able to enjoy coffee, dark chocolate, vodka, tomatoes, etc. (allowed in the Maintenance Phase for those who are able - which I’m happy to say, I now am).
I also haven’t had a headache or urinary tract infection since I stopped taking the pills (a common occurrence while I was on them).
This book was a Godsend and a lifesaver, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone dealing with the same issue!
Recently I went in for a routine check up and the doctor wanted to do an endoscopy due to my Omeprazole usage. He found a ton of stomach polyps (a symptom of Omeprazole) and an “irregular z-line” (a sign that my esophagus was at risk for Barrett’s esophagus - a precancerous condition).
The doctor gave me three choices: surgery (which didn’t have a great success/satisfaction rate and only lasts 10-15 years), stay on the pills (with all of the risk factors), or stay on a horrifically strict diet for the rest of my life.
While trying to decide what I would do, my wife found a Facebook page for people suffering from GERD, and a common thing recommended on the page was a book by a Dr. Aviv called “The Acid Watcher Diet”. The diet contains a meal by meal, snack by snack plan. Be warned, many of the ingredients are obscure and hard to come by, and the prep is often long and involved.
I began with an all day fast on January 1st, and then started the diet and began sleeping with a wedge pillow on January 2nd. I went over a week without sleep because I could’t sleep on that damned wedge pillow. It also screwed up my back. I was working long days, then coming home and making and eating dinner (in order to make a strict “can’t eat three hours before bed” deadline), then prepping/cooking breakfast, two snacks and lunch for the next day (per the diet). It was a rough period of time - not sleeping, working all day, my back killing me, and often cooking up until bed time - not to mention eating food I often found to be…less than savory. I finally got a higher quality (not to mention far more expensive) wedge pillow, which I could finally sleep on and didn’t hurt my back.
After two weeks I decided to quit taking the pills cold turkey. I was expecting a flare up, which I hoped would go away. But I had no flare up whatsoever. As far as reflux/heartburn were concerned, I felt as if I was still taking the pills. This was a little bit of a morale boost, but the continued foul meals and constant food prep quickly took the joy out of it. After about another week (the end of week three/start of week four), I started getting heartburn again. After two solid days of heartburn (all while putting so much effort into this diet) I was just about ready to go back on the pills and deal with whatever came of it. I came to realize that something on the approved diet food list was a “trigger” for me. I cut that out and was again heartburn free and have been ever since.
The basis of the Acid Watcher Dirt is this:
1. Your esophagus is burned and damaged by stomach acid and pepsin.
2. Eating food below a certain pH level causes it to burn more and creates further damage. (Think of rubbing lemon on your hand - no biggie; but if you first soaked your hand in a vat of acid, that lemon juice would burn).
3. Eating only foods above a 5 pH level - also excluding some that chemically weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) - allows your esophagus to heal. (This is the “Healing Phase” and lasts a month.)
4. The “Maintenance Phase” allows food with a 4 pH level and above. (The Maintenance Phase lasts two weeks.)
5. Once you’ve finished the two phases, you can start adding in foods and see what “triggers” reflux or heartburn (which is different for everyone).
I’ve got one week of the Maintenance Phase left, but my diet has opened up significantly and I am already able to enjoy coffee, dark chocolate, vodka, tomatoes, etc. (allowed in the Maintenance Phase for those who are able - which I’m happy to say, I now am).
I also haven’t had a headache or urinary tract infection since I stopped taking the pills (a common occurrence while I was on them).
This book was a Godsend and a lifesaver, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone dealing with the same issue!
December 13, 2017
I can't speak to the diet because I haven't gone through it, so I'm rating this book in terms of usefulness to me.
A little bit of context/background on my health situation: have had GERD and IBS since birth, tried various elimination diets/medicines to treat them. I'm currently taking a PPI that my doctor cycles me on and off about every 6 months-1 year depending on the severity of my symptoms and sticking (mostly) to a low FODMAP diet with some tweaks to remove foods that trigger my acidity. I have a lot of the classic symptoms of GERD with pronounced heartburn and burping. With my current diet, on a good week I have about 1 what I would consider moderate or severe flare-up, on a bad week I might have 2-3. I was having 3-5 before my current plan, so I consider myself to be in a pretty good place but there's always room for improvement.
This book is most useful for people who have just been diagnosed with GERD. It goes a lot into the basic information and some of the often ignored symptoms (like frequent coughing, lump in throat, etc.). This is all great information but useless to me since I already know it. The section I found most helpful was the one breaking down the PH of specific foods and what that means, that's a reference I could use frequently.
As far as the diet itself goes, it really is an elimination diet. It's a lot less strict than other elimination diets I've been on (you don't know hell unless you have to eat nothing but brown rice, chicken and beans for almost a month) but I still think a lot of people would balk at how much it asks you to give up. The book presents it more as a lifestyle change but I think it's really more like a medication than anything else. The diet is going to be pretty damn miserable and limiting if you stick to it to the T (which according to the author, you MUST in order for it to work). Particularly in the liquid department - the only Acid Watcher Diet approved drink is water. Coffee and pop are a given to eliminate but tea? Unsweetened fruit juice? I think that's a tall order for a lot of people.
The diet then transitions into a slightly more broad approach that you can follow for a few weeks or for the rest of your life (gulp). The section I was looking most forward to was the recipes and unfortunately...they're not that great. They will allow you to survive but that's about it.
If you are at the point of desperation this book and diet is definitely one to try. Based on the success stories of a lot of patients I don't doubt that it works, but this is a case where I'm not at that point where I feel like I need to make this leap. I think most people with mild to moderate GERD would probably be fine identifying and eliminating their trigger foods rather than going through this drastic upheaval. But I'm not a doctor so don't follow my advice.
A little bit of context/background on my health situation: have had GERD and IBS since birth, tried various elimination diets/medicines to treat them. I'm currently taking a PPI that my doctor cycles me on and off about every 6 months-1 year depending on the severity of my symptoms and sticking (mostly) to a low FODMAP diet with some tweaks to remove foods that trigger my acidity. I have a lot of the classic symptoms of GERD with pronounced heartburn and burping. With my current diet, on a good week I have about 1 what I would consider moderate or severe flare-up, on a bad week I might have 2-3. I was having 3-5 before my current plan, so I consider myself to be in a pretty good place but there's always room for improvement.
This book is most useful for people who have just been diagnosed with GERD. It goes a lot into the basic information and some of the often ignored symptoms (like frequent coughing, lump in throat, etc.). This is all great information but useless to me since I already know it. The section I found most helpful was the one breaking down the PH of specific foods and what that means, that's a reference I could use frequently.
As far as the diet itself goes, it really is an elimination diet. It's a lot less strict than other elimination diets I've been on (you don't know hell unless you have to eat nothing but brown rice, chicken and beans for almost a month) but I still think a lot of people would balk at how much it asks you to give up. The book presents it more as a lifestyle change but I think it's really more like a medication than anything else. The diet is going to be pretty damn miserable and limiting if you stick to it to the T (which according to the author, you MUST in order for it to work). Particularly in the liquid department - the only Acid Watcher Diet approved drink is water. Coffee and pop are a given to eliminate but tea? Unsweetened fruit juice? I think that's a tall order for a lot of people.
The diet then transitions into a slightly more broad approach that you can follow for a few weeks or for the rest of your life (gulp). The section I was looking most forward to was the recipes and unfortunately...they're not that great. They will allow you to survive but that's about it.
If you are at the point of desperation this book and diet is definitely one to try. Based on the success stories of a lot of patients I don't doubt that it works, but this is a case where I'm not at that point where I feel like I need to make this leap. I think most people with mild to moderate GERD would probably be fine identifying and eliminating their trigger foods rather than going through this drastic upheaval. But I'm not a doctor so don't follow my advice.
October 4, 2019
This book was exactly what I was looking for and answered my questions about throatburn reflux. I've had throatburn reflux symptoms for years: frequently clearing my throat, feeling a lump in my throat or like my throat was swollen, hoarseness when I tried to speak, postnasal drip, and sometimes difficulty swallowing. I once was told I had silent reflux, but I was not given much information about what to do about it. I was given a prescription for medication that I never filled. Other than than, most of the time when I mentioned my symptoms, I would get a blank stare like they were not a big deal. The problem is that I don't usually feel heartburn. Sometimes I would feel "stomach burn" but otherwise I just had the throat symptoms. It's so annoying to clear my throat repeatedly every day. One time at work, someone approached my desk and asked if I was okay. He could hear me clearing my throat repeatedly across the office. I muttered something about having congestion in the morning. Now, I understand that what I was experiencing was throatburn symptoms. It's so much better to have a name for it and to know what I can do to alleviate these symptoms naturally, without medication!
The hardest part of the diet was giving up coffee in the morning. I switched to black tea for a few days and then to green tea. I'm still drinking the green tea. I was also eating a lot of lemon juice, vinegar, and citrus fruits, drinking orange juice, eating pork and grass-fed beef, and chewing mint-flavored gum. I already try to avoid garlic and onions as much as possible because I get bloated easily and they seem to be trigger foods for me. I haven't done the diet perfectly (hard to eat only chicken and fish, gets boring quickly), but I have seen an improvement in my symptoms. I've also become more aware of my symptoms when they do occur.
There are a few questions I have that were not answered in this book. For example, mint gum is out, but is fruit-flavored gum okay? What about herbal teas (peppermint is out, but what about ginger, chamomile, etc.)? Is there a way to neutralize citrus fruits by eating them with something else (because they contain vitamin C)?
I also started getting a little confused as to which dietary recommendations were to reduce acid reflux and which were just the author's idea of how to lose weight. For example, is eating one vegetarian meal a day better for reflux or just to help lose weight?
Overall, this is an excellent book to learn what throatburn reflux is, why it's important to work to reduce it, and how to reduce it in a practical way with dietary modifications and not drugs.
The hardest part of the diet was giving up coffee in the morning. I switched to black tea for a few days and then to green tea. I'm still drinking the green tea. I was also eating a lot of lemon juice, vinegar, and citrus fruits, drinking orange juice, eating pork and grass-fed beef, and chewing mint-flavored gum. I already try to avoid garlic and onions as much as possible because I get bloated easily and they seem to be trigger foods for me. I haven't done the diet perfectly (hard to eat only chicken and fish, gets boring quickly), but I have seen an improvement in my symptoms. I've also become more aware of my symptoms when they do occur.
There are a few questions I have that were not answered in this book. For example, mint gum is out, but is fruit-flavored gum okay? What about herbal teas (peppermint is out, but what about ginger, chamomile, etc.)? Is there a way to neutralize citrus fruits by eating them with something else (because they contain vitamin C)?
I also started getting a little confused as to which dietary recommendations were to reduce acid reflux and which were just the author's idea of how to lose weight. For example, is eating one vegetarian meal a day better for reflux or just to help lose weight?
Overall, this is an excellent book to learn what throatburn reflux is, why it's important to work to reduce it, and how to reduce it in a practical way with dietary modifications and not drugs.
February 13, 2020
This was leaps and bounds better than the other GERD/acid reflux diet books I read.
At points it comes across as a little bit kooky, but the author cites all his sources so if something seems a bit questionable at least you can see where he got it from.
My least favorite thing about this book (and there's not much too complain about) is probably how much the author repeats himself. I get that most self-help writers will repeat important points three times to make sure they stick in your mind, but Aviv makes several points way more than three times. I found myself saying out loud, "Yeah man, I get it."
But this is definitely the book to read if you're having any kind of acid-related digestive trouble. I picked it up because I have a stomach ulcer and even though this book isn't aimed specifically at me, it's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I also have crohn's so I can't follow the diet as is because I can't eat half the foods he recommends, but there's enough information here that I can figure things out for myself. Other books are mostly recipes with a shallow explanation of issues caused by stomach acid but this one really breaks it down so you understand what's happening and why some foods help and others hurt.
I see in other reviews the biggest complaint is the recipes, but as someone who's had a very limited diet for most of my life, I just want to say it's a small price to pay for health. These recipes are much more interesting than the ones in other books, and this is also one of the more forgiving acid reflux/GERD diets. I also find I don't have to strictly adhere to it to see pretty dramatic results, but again, I'm dealing with an ulcer, so maybe that's why. I don't know. Unfortunately, there's no easy way around it when what you eat is making you sick. The side effects of the medications are bad enough that I'll eat whatever I have to eat to get better without them.
At points it comes across as a little bit kooky, but the author cites all his sources so if something seems a bit questionable at least you can see where he got it from.
My least favorite thing about this book (and there's not much too complain about) is probably how much the author repeats himself. I get that most self-help writers will repeat important points three times to make sure they stick in your mind, but Aviv makes several points way more than three times. I found myself saying out loud, "Yeah man, I get it."
But this is definitely the book to read if you're having any kind of acid-related digestive trouble. I picked it up because I have a stomach ulcer and even though this book isn't aimed specifically at me, it's exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I also have crohn's so I can't follow the diet as is because I can't eat half the foods he recommends, but there's enough information here that I can figure things out for myself. Other books are mostly recipes with a shallow explanation of issues caused by stomach acid but this one really breaks it down so you understand what's happening and why some foods help and others hurt.
I see in other reviews the biggest complaint is the recipes, but as someone who's had a very limited diet for most of my life, I just want to say it's a small price to pay for health. These recipes are much more interesting than the ones in other books, and this is also one of the more forgiving acid reflux/GERD diets. I also find I don't have to strictly adhere to it to see pretty dramatic results, but again, I'm dealing with an ulcer, so maybe that's why. I don't know. Unfortunately, there's no easy way around it when what you eat is making you sick. The side effects of the medications are bad enough that I'll eat whatever I have to eat to get better without them.
April 16, 2023
I had been suffering from severe reflux (LPR - silent reflux) for over a year. Severe being I was taking 40mg of esomeprazole magnesium (Nexium - proton pump inhibitor) everyday, sucralfate 2x a day before meals, and changed my diet moderately and still dealt with moderate reflux. I’ve read Jamie Koufman’s dropping acid, which was good, but not as great as this book. I really appreciated the scientific explanation behind the food and body, and the easy recipes. A few weeks into the diet and my reflux has vastly improved. Although I’m still taking the Nexium, I’ve stopped the sucralfate and hope to ween off the Nexium over the next couple of months. I recognize the diet restrictions are challenging to adhere to, but I haven’t found any other alternatives as effective as this.
July 6, 2020
Great resource if you’re struggling with this health issue. Overall, it’s been very helpful and I’ve found relief for a lot of my symptoms, but the meal prep is pretty hard. It can be a little unrealistic to follow the food plan completely if you work full-time or are on a budget...it’s a lot. Some recipes are easy and I’ll keep them in rotation, others not so much. But in general, getting rid of the “dirty dozen” has been really helpful and I know I’ll continue to come back to this book as I keep working on my health.
October 3, 2021
Recipes are just okay so far, but the book is well written, relatable and the program is easy to follow. He gives you a lot of hope for healing that other doctors haven’t been able to give through medication. Sort of similar to doing a Whole30 (with very different guidelines), but i’ve had almost instant relief from some chronic acid reflux symptoms as a result of his advice. I definitely recommend reading if you have acid reflux disease or are beginning to feel symptoms.
August 22, 2019
An eye-opening book about acid reflux. Many people have symptoms that they do not connect to acid reflux, such as coughing, sore throats and trouble swallowing. Some even have no symptoms at all. A must-read for anyone who eats an "American" diet.
November 24, 2022
It works. I no longer suffer with acid reflux. I’m so thankful for this book even though the recipes were like eating a steaming pile of poop. I’ve never been so hungry in my life after following the diet but IT WORKS!
March 23, 2018
Informative and helpful
August 11, 2019
If you follow what is suggested it works! Be ready to commit to some serious life changes.
September 12, 2019
Just a bunch of fear mongering.
June 25, 2022
I've had acid reflux for a while, so a lot of this wasn't new - avoid tomatoes and citrus and other trigger foods. But the science around the acid damage, how it progresses, and how certain unexpected foods can trigger it is worth the read.
The recipes are interesting - I'm definitely going to try a few. But the "diet plan" is garbage. Who eats a single hard-boiled egg for breakfast? Without at least having some fruit or a vegetable or toast? And I *love* to cook, but even I looked at the plan and thought it was too much prep and cooking.
Overall I'd say it was helpful, but not life-changing.
The recipes are interesting - I'm definitely going to try a few. But the "diet plan" is garbage. Who eats a single hard-boiled egg for breakfast? Without at least having some fruit or a vegetable or toast? And I *love* to cook, but even I looked at the plan and thought it was too much prep and cooking.
Overall I'd say it was helpful, but not life-changing.
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