Papaya Good for GERD? The Jury's Still Out

There's tons of articles, blogs, and websites out there that talk about the benefits of Papaya fruit and GERD:

Papaya is a powerhouse fruit that is not used nearly enough in our society. Papaya is an excellent natural remedy for acid reflux disease.  It is not only a low acidic food, but contains an enzyme called papain that is designed specifically to help with digestion.  It also consists of potassium which is helpful in providing  an healthy bacterial setting for your intestines.  This eases the digestive process and helps your stomach not work as hard.  This is the underlying source of health to fix the disease process. 

Papaya also has more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.  vitamin C also helps with digestion.  You don't necessarily have to eat papaya to get it's benefits.  You can also buy a papaya enzyme supplement.  My family uses this to get our papain and it comes with a mint taste. 

and

Papaya : If you have access to fresh papaya, eat half of one for breakfast every morning with half a cup of yogurt and you will see a huge improvement in the amount of acid your body is producing. Papayas contains papain which will aide in the digestive process along with the live cultures in the yogurt. Squirt a slice of lemon over the flesh of the papaya for added flavor and Vitamins before eating, or sprinkle with a Tablespoon of wheat germ for a nutty flavor. If papaya is not available in your area, pick up some papaya tablets at the health food store. Read the label to be sure they do not contain any salt, sugar or sorbitol (sugar substitute).

However, after more digging, it seems there's still no real evidence, or consensus on Papaya: 

Papaya Enzyme 
One of the alternative treatments for GERD that you may have heard about is papain, or papaya enzyme.Papaya enzymes occur naturally in the fruit of the papaya plant, and they have well established proteolytic properties, meaning that they help digest proteins. For this reason, one of the historical uses of papaya has been as a meat tenderizer -- marinading tough cuts of meat in papaya for several hours can soften the muscle fibers, making the meat easier to chew.

Enzyme FunctionThere simply isn't any scientific evidence that papaya enzyme can help reduce symptoms of GERD. In part, this is because enzymes are very reaction-specific, as explained by Drs. Mary Campbell and Shawn Farrell in their book "Biochemistry." Enzymes with roles in metabolism don't play a part in digestion. Enzymes that digest fats can't affect carbohydrates. In the specific case of papaya enzyme, because it digests protein, it has by definition no effect whatsoever upon acid production or reflux.

Other Considerations

A further reason that papaya enzyme can't affect or reduce your GERD is that enzymes operate within a very narrow range of temperatures and acidity levels. Very few enzymes can survive the highly acidic interior of the stomach, and papaya enzymes aren't among them. As such, when you consume papaya enzyme, your stomach acid renders it inactive. You simply digest the enzyme, which is itself a protein, as you would any other dietary protein.

For now, I've added papaya to my list of items to buy at the super market.  We'll see how it goes.

Garlic Helps with GERD

You may have read in many places how garlic should be avoided if you have GERD.  However, I've read tons of blogs where people have said the opposite.  I found this article that may help to explain why garlic may or may not help:

Eat Garlic & Parsley: This is one of the biggest myths you will see on line, not to eat garlic. Garlic is one of the great plant healers. The garlic must be crushed or chopped up to release the components. Don't buy garlic that is shipped in from over seas. All garlic that comes into America from over seas has to be irradiated before entering the country. This kills the healing properties. Only buy local grown garlic. Parsley is another great healer. It is not only for garnish. Get fresh parsley, mince it up with the garlic and add it all fish, chicken or meat dishes. Add parsley minced (stems too) to all types of salads, soups and stews. Add a handful into the juicer when juicing other vegetables to pack a healthy punch.

 So, I ran to the store and bought myself some locally grown garlic.  I can't say it's cured me, but it definitely has not hurt.


Also, take a look at more information:

How Garlic Works

• Garlic contains the enzyme allinase and alliin, an amino acid. When a garlic clove is attacked by bacteria or crushed, the enzyme reacts with the amino acid to produce allicin. The new compound is known to fight off bacterial infections, such as those which cause acid reflux symptoms.

Using Garlic

• In order for allicin to be produced, a garlic clove must be damaged, either through biting, chewing or crushing. To relieve acid reflux, you should chew garlic thoroughly before swallowing, or blend a clove with fruits or vegetables in a juicer and consume immediately.

Prevention/Solution

• Whether garlic will be good or bad for acid reflux relief depends on how it is consumed. Despite the known health benefits, in some instances, garlic remains listed as a food to avoid to prevent acid reflux, as are other foods used to create spicy, highly seasoned dishes. These types of foods aggravate the condition rather than help it.

I think the reason why garlic is still listed is because we're all so use to just buying garlic from the super market.  According to articles, this garlic has lost all its original healing properties because import regulations require that the garlic be irradiated (exposed to radiation).

Foods to Eat to Prevent GERD

I personally eat these foods, they generally do not aggravate my GERD.

Oatmeal
Drop that doughnut, unless you want heartburn for breakfast. If you have GERD, high-fat food is usually a recipe for pain. Instead choose oatmeal. It's a low-fat, high-fiber meal that can soothe your stomach. Top it off with sliced bananas, which are thought to fight stomach acid naturally.

Ginger
Fresh ginger acts as an anti-inflammatory and is an age-old remedy for stomach problems of all kinds. You can get your daily dose—2 to 4 grams (more than that can actually cause heartburn)—by steeping ginger in hot water to make tea, chewing a piece of ginger, or using ginger generously when you cook.

Pasta (hold the red sauce)
Tomatoes and heavy sauces are a no-no for people with GERD—which rules out a lot of classic Italian dishes (unfortunately). For those with a craving for pasta, the National Heartburn Alliance recommends thin, broth-like sauces. And using a whole-wheat pasta will boost your fiber intake.

I personally like to make a garlic sauce.  Make sure you use locally grown garlic to make sure the import process has not killed off the health benefits of your garlic.

Beans
Certain fatty meats, such as ground beef, are thought to trigger heartburn. Beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber and a great alternative to meat. If you have GERD, they should be a regular feature in your diet.

Almonds
Raw almonds are wonderful if you're looking for a mid-day snack.  It's loaded with protein and vitamins, and you can be quite satisfied by just eating a handful.

I found a chart that's pretty handy, to which I both added and put some notes for you.  I definitely don't subscribe to eating all these foods, particularly the cookies.  But take a look:

Safe Foods for the Acid Reflux Diet

Food Group	Foods With Little Potential to Cause Heartburn
Fruit	• Apple, fresh • Apple, dried • Apple juice • Banana • Melons • Strawberries Try to limit high calorie fruits.
Vegetables	• Baked potato • Broccoli • Cabbage • Carrots • Green beans • Peas • Romaine or iceberg lettuce • Eggplant • Celery • Sweet bell peppers • Lentils • Watercress Some websites warn against eating vegetables rich in starch, such as potato, sweet potato, carrots, brussel sprouts, tomatos and turnips.
Meat	• Ground beef, extra-lean • Steak, London Broil • Chicken breast, skinless • Turkey meat • Egg whites • Egg substitute • Fish, no added fat • Shrimp, crab meat I've read that pork may not be good for GERD.
Dairy	• Cheese, feta or goat • Cream cheese, fat-free • Sour cream, fat-free • Soy cheese, low-fat Just make sure you're not lactose intolerant or that lactose in some way may be the cause of your GERD.  Cut all lactose out then introduce it again to see if this may be the cause.
Grains	• Bread, mult-grain or white • Cereal, bran or oatmeal • Corn bread • Graham crakers • Pretzels • Rice, brown or white • Rice cakes Just keep in mind that your GERD may be cause because of some Gluten intolerance, so try to cut glutens out then introduce them to see how you feel.
Beverages	• Mineral water • Alkaline water I've read some articles on the benefits of alkaline water, so this may be worth a try.
Fats / Oils	• Salad dressing, low-fat • Olive oil • Coconut oil Try to limit the use of oils as much as possible because, as you probably know, grease can aggravate GERD.
Sweets / Desserts	• Cookie, fat-free • Jelly beans • Red licorice • Potato chips, baked I've been staying far away from all kinds of deserts period, but you can give these a try and note how you feel.

Prevent Night Time GERD

There's tons of suggestions out there on how to prevent night time GERD.  Just know, I find that by preventing night time GERD, you can wake up to a GERD free morning too.

So here are some of the suggestions I've found out there:

1. Eat your big meal at lunch instead of at dinnertime.

This is very important to make sure you digest your food before sleep.  Going to bed with a full belly is a guaranteed way of not getting a good night sleep.

2. Eat at least two to three hours before lying down.

This will give you time to digest and go to bed with an empty stomach.

3. Avoid foods that are known to lead to heartburn.  Some foods to avoid: chocolate, mint, citrus, tomatoes, pepper, vinegar, catsup, and mustard.

Consider a high protein and low carbohydrate diet.  I'm now on a paleo diet.

4. Eliminate late-night snacking.

This has been extremely hard for me.  I use to do most of my eating as night time snacking.  Just take a look at how I got here. The thing is, that every little bit of food and liquid (including water) needs to be digested and in order to have a good night sleep most of your digestion has to be done before hand.

5. Sleep with your head and shoulder on an incline.

I raised the head of my bed by 4 inches.  I have read in many places that this helps by relieving pressure from your esophagus.  Gravity is a great thing for us GERD sufferers.

6. Sleep on your left side.

I prefer to sleep on my back, but I have found that sleeping on my right side doesn't feel as comfortable.

7. Make sure your bed clothes are loose-fitting.

This really applies to everything.  Forget the tight clothes, they restrict everything in your body. Loose clothing helps your body's circulation.

8. Stop smoking.

Considering all the other problems that smoking causes, this is just not a surprise.

9. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated drinks.

This is quite painful.  It means no going out to bars, unless it's to drink water, and no morning coffee.

10. Eat your food slowly.

I find this is very helpful.  I use a small teaspoon, cut my food into tiny pieces, and make sure I pay attention to what I'm eating and how I'm eating.  For this, you may need to turn the TV off while eating.  Just pay attention, slow it down, and chew a lot.

11. Eat smaller portions.  

I think I've cut my food portions by more than half.  Sometimes it's because I really can't eat any more.  Smaller portions will help you not over eat, which very important in controlling your GERD.

12. Avoid fatty/greasy foods. Try lean meats.

I mostly only eat poultry and fish now.  I'm not looking forward to this summer though, because I've always enjoyed a big burger. I've just found that everything to control grease.  I find that eating greasy food will give me what I call my "GERD attack," which is sudden shortness of breath and painful bloating and burping.

Mornings without GERD

I love mornings.

It is only in the mornings when I feel 100% normal, almost every day since my GERD struggle begun. I generally feel light, like perhaps I'm ok.  Better yet, perhaps today will be a symptom free day.  I feel so good!

So why are my mornings better?

I've looked online and can only guess that it's because of my behavior at night.

1. I stop eating 3-4 hours (preferably 4+ hours) before I go to sleep.  I don't get into bed unless I feel my stomach is already empty.

2.  No more snacking after dinner.  At most, I drink water. I know this is hard but every time I put something in my mouth, I wonder how it will affect my GERD.

3. I have changed my diet, I'm now on a paleo diet.

4. I stop drinking glass fulls of water before going to sleep.

5. I try to sleep on my back, this helps to eliminate pressure on your esophagus.

6. I raised the head of my bed 5 inches from the ground.  This makes my bed look quite funny but it does help; it's also better than buying tons of pillows.

Take a look at other recommendations people have for minimizing night GERD.