Q. I have been diagnosed with a bad case of acid reflux. I am not supposed to eat citrus fruits, tomatoes or tomato-based foods. Those are the staples of my diet. I put tomatoes in almost everything. There go pastas, pizza, soups, you name it.
Is there anything I can put on tomatoes or fruit that will neutralize the acids? I have also been told to avoid fizzy water, caffeine and alcohol, so there’s not much left. Decaf iced tea doesn’t agree with me. Help!
A. There is an over-the-counter product called Prelief (calcium glycerophosphate) that takes the acid out of food. It comes in tablets or powder form and is sold in drugstores or online at www.prelief.com. It should make digesting juice or tomatoes less challenging.
We are sending you our Guide to Digestive Disorders for many more non-drug ideas on dealing with heartburn and reflux.
Cutting back on carbohydrates like pasta and pizza may be more helpful than eliminating tomatoes. Studies have found that a low-carb diet can often ease symptoms of reflux, especially in overweight individuals (Digestive Disease and Sciences, Aug. 2006).
