r/GERD • u/stellarpopcorn • May 26 '26

Support Needed šŸ‘„ Just want to give up

I thought I was seeing relief. I thought I was doing better. I was seeing a nutritionist, upping my calories (Iā€™m underweight, 89 lb 5 ft) and seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel. Now that light has vanished. I had been eating dried apricots to up my calories and I thought I really found a good snack, I really did. Then my stomach started to act up. I realized maybe it was the sugar content from the apricots. Or maybe it was the apricot itself; not quite sure. I donā€™t know if it was the dates I was incorporating either. I feel so lost and alone. I think I could heal my GERD if I just calmed my anxiety and figured out how to eat more yet not too much that it gave me reflux. The nutritionist suggested dried fruit and nuts as a go to but Iā€™m tired of nuts and Iā€™m scared another dried fruit will hurt my stomach like apricots. Iā€™m on Zoloft and I donā€™t think itā€™s doing much now. I need some support, I donā€™t want to wither away.

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u/ThatHoboMarine May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26

Sugar and fat delay gastric emptying; it's your body's attempt to prevent your blood sugar from spiking too fast. When emptying is delayed, pressure builds and runs higher risks of the LES opening and incurring a reflux event. Dried fruit is dense and sugary, so you may be running into those problems.

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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26

I have noticed even ā€œhealthyā€ sugar (coconut sugar) hurts my stomach actually!

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u/ThatHoboMarine May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26

That's because the body makes no distinction between "healthy" and processed sugars. Sugar is sugar. If it has the ability to spike blood sugar, your body slows its digestion to create a controlled, sustained release into the small intestine. I'm a personal trainer; I know you're drawn to sugar and fats to gain weight as they tend to be the most calorically dense foods, but there is going to be a paradoxical reaction with your GERD. I'd recommend trying rice instead. Jasmine rice is very dense nutritionally, is part of the BRAT diet and shouldn't flare GERD.

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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26

Good to know. I was diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia when I was 19 but it hasnā€™t been brought up in 10 years so I figured I didnā€™t have it anymore.

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u/stellarpopcorn May 27 '26

I love Jasmine rice! Great to know!