@mollypelletier.rd: I cut out gluten, dairy, garlic, and coffee. I was down to a handful of "safe foods" and my reflux was still there. What I was missing was my nervous system. Living in fight or flight affects how your stomach, digestion, and LES work, and all that restriction kept my nervous system on high alert and hurt my microbiome too. In one study, people with reflux didn't report drinking more coffee or eating more spicy food than people without it, but they scored higher on anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. It's one reason I stopped looking only at my plate. One place to start is diaphragmatic breathing: slow belly breaths for 1 to 5 minutes after meals, letting your rib cage expand 360 degrees (front, sides, and back). Follow for daily reflux tips. 💚 📚 Wang et al., 2023, Life (Basel), prospective cohort, n=98 with erosive esophagitis and 50 controls: coffee, alcohol, smoking, and spicy food intake did not differ between groups, while anxiety, depression, and somatic symptom scores were higher in the reflux group. A somatic symptom score (SSS-8) of 12 or more predicted PPI-refractory GERD (OR 7.4, 95% CI 1.6 to 33.3). PMID 37763266. #refluxtok #acidreflux #gerd #vagusnerve #nervoussystem

Molly | The Reflux Dietitian

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Monday 26 October 2026 18:16:19 GMT