Got Heartburn? Try Livin' La Vida Low-Carb!

Joe and Teresa Graedon say many low-carbers see indigestion go away

A couple who call themselves "The People's Pharmacy" and write a nationally syndicated question and answer column revealed a special benefit of livin' la vida low-carb that I was not aware of.

I guess I never really paid much attention to it, but Joe and Teresa Graedon explained in this column their refreshing answer to the following inquiry from a reader:

"Years ago, I was overweight and had high blood pressure. So my doctor put me on a diet. When I reached a plateau, the doctor told me to cut out bread. It worked. I lost the desired amount, and my blood pressure normalized.

During this diet, I found that I could eat corn or wheat chips in place of bread and continue to lose weight. I love them, so I ate lots.

I began having indigestion about the same time, though I didn't make the connection.

Recently I developed borderline high blood sugar, and my doctor recommended that I cut down on carbohydrates. I cut out the chips completely, and my indigestion disappeared. I have not had indigestion since."

The Graedons responded that this reader is "not the first person to discover that a low-carb diet could control indigestion. We have heard from several others with similar experiences."

I used to suffer with bad heartburn and indigestion. I remember taking as many as 10-15 Tums in a day and the condition persisted. It didn't matter what I did to try to control all that acid coming up out of my stomach, nothing seemed to help.

When I started livin' la vida low-carb in January 2004, I noticed that my indigestion improved and now I can't even remember the last time I have experienced this unpleasant nuisance. I guess I had assumed it was because of the low-carb eating plan, but now I know that's exactly what it was!

However, the Graedons said their "usual advice" regarding heartburn and indigestion is to tell people to scale back their intake of high-fat foods. They believe the chips were the culprit for the reader's indigestion.

On this point, I will have to disagree. As many of you know, I do not pay attention to anything else on a nutrition label except for net carbs. Fat is not a concern for me, especially when I am consuming such good fats that are found in nuts primarily. When you are on a low-carb lifestyle, you do not need to be restricting your fat intake. That's a recipe for failure if I ever saw one!

While nobody is advocating people go out an gorge themselves on lard and bacon all day long, the more sensible low-carbers are incorporating healthy fats into their eating plan and keeping their carbohydrates at a minimum level necessary for weight loss or weight maintenance. Isn't that the goal of any weight management program?

We should celebrate new discoveries about our healthy lifestyle and continue to encourage and educate people about the truth of low-carb.

Got heartburn? Why don't you try livin' la vida low-carb?