The Acid Reflux Solution: A Cookbook and Lifestyle Guide for Healing Heartburn Naturally Paperback – March 27, 2012

I reserve raving about a book only for the very best. I've read stinkers, I've read classics, I've read overrated garbage that the media think is essential, and I can say with 100% certainty that Dr. Rodriguez's "The Acid Reflux Solution" is one of the best volumes I have ever had the pleasure of reading on the subject of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).And, for the record, I do not watch television and had no idea who Dr. Jorge Rodriguez was. I came across his book in my quest for relief from my own struggle with GERD.I had a copy of the book for the longest time and flipped right to the recipes. That's a mistake with this volume. Do yourself the favor and read the Six Chapters worth of information preceding the recipes. Sure, a lot of the information contained within is stuff you can find on the Internet, but dong things that way requires a whole lot of what amounts to cutting and pasting information from this website and that blog. There are plenty of people who just do not want to invest that time in looking for information in easing their GERD symptoms. Sad, but true.What sold me on Dr. Rodriguez's book is the fact that he's actually advocating against the constant use of medicine, especially the powerful - and dreaded - PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors). It's nice to hear from a mainstream doctor, in this case a gastroenterologist who suffered from GERD himself, that such medication is okay for the short-term, but for long-term, even permanent, relief from GERD, it is required to change your eating habits. There is no getting around that.A lot of what Dr. Rodriguez has committed to print is common sense, but still people need to read it and adhere to it if they want relief from GERD. He was smart in enlisting the help of a nutritionist who could go over the medical literature with him and then and translate that into English for the masses.As for the level of difficulty of the recipes: I don't think they're difficult at all. I've seen recipes for deep fried garbage that were more complicated than the delicious dishes Dr. Rodriguez and Susan Wyler included in this book. The chicken and rice dish (that even the good doctor had to explain to his Cuban mother) features many ingredients, but it's easy as anything to make.The only slight minus about this book is the fact it doesn't have breakfast recipes. That was really the reason I picked this book up in the first place and was discouraged when he stated that breakfast is personal for people. I'd like to add that eating in general is a very personal thing. But, in any case, I chose to overlook that and look forward to eventually making every recipe in this volume.And just a note on the effectiveness of his advice: He suggests that, for the most part, people aren't sensitive to the tomato sauce (gravy), but, instead, they are sensitive to the macaroni in spaghetti and meatballs. He suggests eating a smaller portion of macaroni/pasta and, chances are, you won't have GI discomfort. I tried this advice a few days ago ... and it worked. The key to it all is portion control. Yes, common sense, but still good advice.Whether you've been suffering from GERD for years or newly diagnosed, save yourself some major time with researching and read "The Acid Reflux Solution" cover to cover and put the information and recipes to productive use. Your digestive system will really thank you for it. - Donna Di Giacomo.

It took me a long time to get diagnosed with GERD. I have been having issues with eating for almost 2 years now, trying everything, giving up certain foods for a couple months at a time to find out if I am allergic or sensitive and nothing has helped. I was never diagnosed with GERD because I do not have heartburn, I do not eat spicy foods, and I do not have the "normal" symptoms. But following the guidelines in this book for the past 3 weeks have made a world of change in my life, you don't realize how terrible you are feeling everyday until you are feeling normal again. This book has some great advice about NOT taking drugs for acid reflux as your doctor prescribes it for months or years. You can heal this on your own! Food is, and has always been, your best medicine!

It’s a lot good info in the book

This book was easy to read and encouraging, and I thought some of the information was good. I would have liked to have seen more science. I was also surprised that the authors would not discuss the research on pepsin and silent reflux. So, if you have silent reflux and inflammation from that, do not follow this book. It will leave you worse off when you are eating all of the foods in the recipes that trigger pepsin. Actually, even if you have inflammation from pepsin/reflux in your esophagus, the foods in this book will activate the pepsin there and may keep causing pain. It could be that the authors had not come across the pepsin research when they wrote the book. I would imagine that is what is going on. Great advice about portion control in here.

Because I am a physician, I was skeptical about learning anything from this book. However, I was so desperate to get off the acid reducing meds, which I truly believe are bad for us, that I bought and read it. I actually DID learn quite a bit, and found the book very practical, with sensible and sound advice based on good quality research, and easy to read. I followed Dr. Jorge's recommendations to the letter, was able to wean off the PPI medication I have taken for 10 years in 2 weeks. I feel absolutely great! The recipes are also excellent, and even if you don't make them, reading them will help you learn where to make changes in your own cooking and eating. I HIGHLY recommend this book, and have already asked many family members and patients to read it. A worthwhile investment of money and time for anyone tired of reflux and taking acid-reducing medication!

I have been hospitalized for damage I did to myself with a high acid diet. Nearly two months into following the advice given in this book and my health has made a dramatic improvement. The recipes in part 2 of the book look great, but being honest, I haven't tried any of them. I have followed the advise and information provided in part 1 and I am shocked at how much better I feel. I used to take 6 antacids everyday, now I don't take any. Based on the results of a follow up exam and testing, I also discontinued my proton pump inhibitor (ppi) meds.

Great reference for a disorder that many adults suffer from and don't talk about. Information my doctor didn't tell me. Much usefull information. For me, one sentence was worth a million bucks ( in treatment cost, pain and suffering). It was about not drinking coffee. None. Not even decaf. Seems it wasn't the caffeine. The day I went without coffee was the day my reflux ended. I used to drink one cup (10 oz) cup in the morning and no more. Withou this, no reflux. Try green tea.

I really liked this book! It was extremely helpful and offers great advice. Although he stresses that being overweight is a big factor if or most people with Gerd, I didn't feel like this was a "diet" book as someone else said. I am not overweight and have Gerd, and all his suggestions were extremely helpful. Even I over eat at times so being more conscious of my portion sizes is key.