I'm in the gastritis group also. They have a lot of posts about what to eat and what not to eat.

Spicy is spicy. Pepper is considered spicy if it causes heartburn. Start on very bland foods and slowly build up as your stomach heals. You might find some of the bland foods bother you, you never know. It is hit and miss.

I drink tea instead of coffee. I have migraines daily so I take Fiorcet, Imitrex, and Advil. Plus all my prescribed meds. The Nexium has stopped the burning most days. I also use a heating pad every morning to stop cramping and nausea.

I hope you feel better soon.

First, have you been checked for H. pylori? This bacteria can cause all kinds of stomach problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori

Things to do for GERD that helped me recover from it was:

1. In the AM: no coffee. Now I drink it without problems.

2. Apple juice IMO is a no, but not for GERD. Juices of all kinds give your system a big sugar hit and all should be avoided.

3. Drink plain water, but not before, during, or after, any meals. Just sip some water while eating if you cannot stop drinking something with meals. Remember, GERD is caused by the LACK of acid in nearly all cases not too much acid. Drinking water around mealtime just decreases what little acid you have. You want stomach acid to do its job quickly and then pass the food on down your GI system.

4. Take Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL before every meal. DGL Ultra is an excellent brand and is available on Amazon and health food stores. DGL helps protect the stomach from acid. Even though it is licorice, DGL is not the candy form. DGL Ultra tastes great.

5. Take digestive enzymes to help with digestion. Here is a link to an excellent brand (note that it include a small dose of acid): http://www.jigsawhealth.com/supplements/digestive-enzymes/

6. Other than coffee, watch out for any other foods that may cause you problems. The list of evildoers seems to vary a lot between people. Taking fish oil, for example, gave me problems (and many others as I now know).

7. No late evening meals (after say, 6PM), and no big meals late in the day. Remember, you want your dinner out of your stomach before bedtime, which for most people, is prime GERD time.

8. Avoid all antacids. They work short term, but make things much worse if you continue to take them.

9. Eat low alkaline foods for a snack that also reduce acid problems. For example, we keep sticks of celery in the fridge that we can eat right before bedtime if we think we are going to have a GERD problem while sleeping (the worse thing to wakeup with believe me!). There are many other low acid foods that can be used, but celery is easy to keep, works fast, and is good for you regardless.

10. Assuming that you have GERD at night, raise the head of your bed about 6", or buy a "wedge" pillow that will have the same effect (raise your head above your stomach/GI line). Remember that when using a wedge pillow that you still use your regular pillow on top of the wedge. Feels strange at first, but it is easy to get used to.

11. I really never had stomach pain per se, but just a sick feeling. So I would look for something other than GERD if you have stomach pain.

Those are the main things that I can think of at this moment. I wish you could find a GI doctor somewhere so you can be checked out. BTW - - How do you know that you have GERD?

Good luck, and be prepared for a long struggle to get GERD under control.

Thank you for your responses. I was told I have GERD & before that they called it gastritis then they called it acid reflux. It's really confusing. But an x ray showed that liquid travels back up to my esophagus. I also have a tight feeling in my throat & sometimes a bad taste in my mouth. A pharmacist today told me that anxiety causes more acid to produce, so obviously I freaked out cuz I suffer from bipolar & anxiety. She ended up telling me that I might have to choose btwn my bp meds & GERD meds. Idk about that.

I just don't want this feeling in my throat. That's what bothers me most.

You all have been very helpful. A lot ... A lot... A lot more helpful than every Dr I've seen here. Thank you!

If you actually have stomach pains you might have gastritis not GERD. Or like me I have both, with reflux and Barrett's. And I just healed ulcers caused by stress. Pain is a big part of gastritis. You might want to post in the gastritis site and get another opinion.

What you really need is an endoscope. That would tell you everything you need to know. I've had 3 this year keeping track until the ulcers healed. It's a very easy test. Just let your doctor know you want the light sleep.

Apple juice is acidic. Try oatmeal and bananas.