The Acid Watcher Diet: A 28-Day Reflux Prevention and Healing Program

Informative and eye opening. I have been plagued with heartburn for years and diagnosed with Baretts oesophagus. This diet has given me relief and I am no longer using medication.

I've been an Amazon customer for over a decade and never wrote a review, but this book changed my life and solved the mystery of my Acid Reflux and so since I couldn't thank Dr Aviv in person, at least I could write a sincere public thank you for better educating me on Acid Reflux and helping me figure out what the heck was causing it. I knew for the most part over the last ten years what typically caused acid Reflux and even since I was a child I knew there were just certain things I couldn't eat or I would pay dearly for it. However, this book helped identify foods I never thought could cause Acid Reflux and also helped me better understand Ph levels of foods to just finally enjoy life again without the nagging Acid Reflux monster lurking in the background. I absolutely do not like taking any medication and always thought my body was simply trying to tell me that some foods I just couldn't eat, but who would have thunk it could have been "good for you" foods like Citrus, Fruits, etc. Further enlightening was the fact that while some foods are great for you, too much of them can cause acid Reflux - for me that was bananas - 1/2 banana vs a whole made all the difference - incredible! Thank you Dr Aviv. I have shared my discovery of your book and how it has helped me with anyone and everyone I can. Beating Acid Reflux "naturally" has been a wonderful achievement in life and not relying on big pharma or having to remember to carry antacids with me like they were some kind of life saver has been such a relief. The book is well written and easy to follow. Dr Aviv explains the root causes of Acid Reflux and provides historical background on how our food has changed over the past decades, contributing to the Acid Reflux problems many of us experience today. The Ph scales/levels are extremely helpful and make for a quick reference for determining acidity of common foods. The recipes are easy, ingredients are readily available and simply work. The healing and maintenance schedules make it easy to succeed and follow along. I highly recommend this book to anyone experiencing Acid Reflux, indigestion and/or heartburn. I've tried everything over the last ten years to figure it out and nothing worked as well as what Dr Aviv suggests in his book.

I've had this book for about 2 days and have been pouring through reading and studying it. I have to say Dr. Aviv GETS IT. I am the patient he describes, endless visits to ENTs and my PCP for years until I was finally diagnosed with "silent reflux" (LPR) by an ENT I will forever be grateful to for finally getting it right. I've been told for over 3 years that I have "allergies" although no allergy tests show any major reactions to anything. I've used antibiotics for supposed ear infections and sinus infections, used nasal sprays and decongestants for post nasal drip until I finally did some research of my own and asked for a new ENT's second opinion. He diagnosed me, put me on PPIs & Gaviscon Advance, told me drink alkaline water before meals and lose weight but didnt offer any more direction. So, my story goes as many do - I tried the "alkaline diet" - only to find conflicting, confusing claims and info and after trying to muddle my way through it for about a month without much improvement other than losing a quick 10 lbs, I started to get concerned that I would be doomed to stay on stomach meds forever - and that just isnt safe. In comes the Acid Watcher - and I'm so glad I found it. Much of what Dr. Aviv says about the dangers of ignoring LPR, I already knew, but for someone who doesnt - it's a LOUD warning. Almost too loud, in my opinion. As others have commented, Dr. Aviv frequently mentions the risk of cancer and Barretts esophagus. While it's good t know the risks, to motivate serious action, I dont think it's necessary to mention it so often that it becomes scary. As a 9 time brain surgery survivor, I dont scare easy when it comes to health. But that cancer word, eessh, that's terrifying for anyone - and honestly really only needs to be stated once, maybe twice. No need to drive your patients to panic, ya know? Especially since stress is one of the triggers for reflux, so in the future, my advice to the author is not to dwell so much on the danger. Now, as far as the solution - well that was enlightening and refreshing! I've been eating such a restricted (confusing) "alkaline" diet, I was missing meat - and so was my body! What Dr. Aviv does is tell you how to eat COMBINATIONS of food that neutralize acid offenders and I found that education to be VERY helpful. He also shows a variety of foods - including helpful recipes - to broaden your tastes and open your eyes that eating for a healthy gut doesnt have to be restrictive - and food is a healer! YES! Does the Acid Watcher Diet work? I dont know yet, this is my first day and I've only gotten as far as planning meals to start fresh next week. I'll update this review with my results after the first month Healing Phase. I also appreciate that this book is written in understandable terms. I've spent much of my life talking with neurosurgeons who forget to be human and forced me to learn the meaning of words with 6 syllables. Dr. Aviv writes this in plain english and breaks down myths and reasoning in easy to understand words which I really appreciate not having to look up words I dont understand. I also appreciate the substitutions for common foods like garlic and onion with foods like fennel and some of the spices that I didnt know produced certain flavors. So, why didn't I give it 5 stars? Three reasons - one I already mentioned about all the cancer talk (just too much, but I definitely got the message that you're passionate about helping your patient and care) the other two critiques I have for this book are this: 1) Too many olives. Ok, so this might be a personal preference, but I absolutely cannot stand olives of any kind. And there's quite a few recipes that include olives and not a very good sub. I might just have to try them, but I'm not looking forward to it at all. 2) No celiac friendly whole wheat subs. Now, the book makes it very clear that bread MUST be 100% whole grain and theres quite a few meals that include toast or whole wheat flour, especially the mini meals. But what does a celiac sufferer do? I say this because my best friend is gluten free because of celiac. So, I would warn anyone who needs to live gluten free or has celiac disease, this book will leave you with limited options. My advice to the author is just to take that into account since gluten is a big problem for a growing number of people. I personally use almond or coconut flour by choice and have never used whole wheat flour and the book doesnt make it clear if it's ok to substitute so it seems like you can't. I've also purchased the other book of Acid Watcher recipes and should get that soon. I'm looking forward to a bigger selection and hoping there might be some other varieties of flour or bread - but I'm afraid there wont be because of how the book absolutely forbids processed foods and many of those are unfortunately processed. I'm thinking the almond flour might be ok though, because almonds are on the approved nuts list. Overall, this book has proved to be a great resource and it makes sense - reading a book that describes exactly what you've experienced and been misdiagnosed for so long is empowering. I now feel like I have a new direction to begin healing and hopefully be PPI-free soon. I'm looking forward to showing my ENT this book and all the steps I plan to take in my diet/lifestyle to combat this problem. One other thing I appreciate is that Dr.Aviv tells you what to expect from your doctor - so now I'm armed with questions for my ENT to make sure that more of this dangerous condition is not overlooked. I especially value the discussion on TNE vs an upper endoscopy. As a frrequent flier to the operating room, I know the aftermath of sedation and procedures - any time I can avoid anesthesia, I'm happy to do that. Thank you for a wonderful resource. To those with LPR symptoms and not knowing where to turn for help, this book is a good read and highly informative. I encourage you to read it - and bring it to your doctor like I plan to do.

An excellent, thoughtfully written, and thoroughly researched book. If you'd like to know all about acid reflux and what you can do about it before resorting to prescription drugs, this is the book for you. Even though the title accurately suggests it's mainly about diet, Dr. Aviv dedicates roughly the first half of the book to the condition, its causes and mechanisms, and lifestyle changes you can make to help, of which diet is just one. Some reviewers have complained the book is too alarmist about the dangers of acid reflux, but I beg to differ. Acid reflux can cause cancer and it's becoming dramatically more prevalent, so it IS rightly alarming. Roughly the second half of the book provides recipes you can use to control acid reflux through your diet. There are dozens and dozens of detailed, delicious-sounding recipes. It looks like they've been carefully developed, or at least curated, by Dr. Aviv or someone close to him. One gets the sense he is not just a great doctor, but also someone who is very handy around the kitchen. This book is obviously a labor of love. Every page shows the author's passion for helping people manage and avoid this potentially life-threatening condition. It has helped me, and I highly recommend it.

I highly recommend this if you have some or any of these symptoms: Chronic cough (even if it is not hacking); lots of mucous in throat every or most days; waking up coughing or because of mucous; sore throat from clearing it; acid reflux. Look up what silent reflux is and look up acid reflux. Many people have both and silent reflux is ....drum roll...often not obvious, thus "silent"...until it is not silent... can be too late at that stage because left unchecked it can turn into cancer or barrettes esophagus. I am not a doctor so this is based on what medical information is online by well known health sites. My own experience has led me to look for help because going to a regular doctor and even A GI specialist has actually missed a lot of things and led me to have more issues than I should of because they don't often educate patients due to lack of time or perhaps even education in some cases. I wish that I had of received this kind of information long, long ago. I would not be in a situation now where I may have cancer (getting tests done because it is highly suspicious, according to a specialist I just consulted with). Avoid these foods and you will probably reduce your symptoms drastically and hopefully have a healthier life, going forward. Strangely, a number of the foods/drinks mentioned in this book, I just found out that my immune system reacts very much when I consume them. (had a food sensitivity test done that I paid for out of pocket and it seems to be very accurate in my case). I wish we had more doctors like this author and if he was in my area I would go see him HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

Update: 6/2021: I used Alleve while rehabbing a painful injury to my shoulder and kicked up esophagealweeks issues. My diet, also, had slipped into a bad pattern for reflux. When I returned to Dr. Aviv’s diet I stuck much closer to his meal plan. The first two were tough: Shopping, prep and cleanup we onerous. I almost gave up, but read some Amazon reviews and decided to keep going. I am so glad I did! Now towards the end of Week 3, I. feel great! My energy has returned and the diet no longer seems overwhelming. I just had one of the best lunches I have ever eaten: Mexican shrimp salad with avocado, black beans and cilantro. I took a picture, but had trouble uploading it. Once you have most ingredients and have prepared most mealscouple of times, it gets much easier. That said, I am home for most meals and doubt I could do this if I were working. I bought this book after reading a positive review in the NYT. After looking through it, I decided that the diet would be too difficult and inconvenient and shelved the book. But I did tell a friend about it who was on three medications for reflux and still miserable. About six weeks ago I ran into this friend. She couldn’t wait to tell me how effective the diet is for her. She had an endoscopy before and after adhering loosely to the diet that showed dramatic improvement. A year ago, I was diagnosed through endoscopy with ulcers in the esophagus and inflammation. My gastro prescribed omeprezole twice/day for three months and then once daily the rest of my life or I would risk getting cancer. After the initial period in which my esophagus healed and I became asymptomatic, I started once daily omeprezole. Before long, symptoms returned in a milder form. I am concerned about the risks of Omeprezole and certainly did not want to increase dosage. Spurred by my friend’s endorsement, I started on Dr. Aviv’s Diet. I bought a NutriBullet, also from Amazon, many of the foods and seasonings Dr. Aviv recommends, and adhere to the diet about 80 to 90percent. I do have a cup of coffee with Hazelnut Coffeemate, and a cup of decaf, most days. But I also have a smoothie every day with a banana, berries, greens and flaxseeds or nuts. I alternate breakfasts between oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and almond milk (and cheat by adding Stevia); and an egg with two egg whites, sometimes with veggies, and toast. Lunch or dinner is chicken or fish with corn or a sweet potato, and the other meal is a smoothie. I eat avocados, nuts and cheat with Skinnypop popcorn at night. This diet is very satisfying says the chocoholic! Most cravings are gone and my weight is good, though I was of normal weight before. I’ve lost a couple of pounds and am no longer struggling to maintain my weight. The diet is not hard to keep at home or in restaurants once you buy the foods he recommends. And it is oh, so healthy! Thank you, Dr. Aviv, and I may soon try to gradually decrease omeprezole!

I have to preface this review: I'm just getting started with the 28-day meal plan and haven't read the first two parts of the book in depth yet. What I have read of the educational content is really interesting and insightful. But with that said, I'm finding the 28-day Healing Phase section very confusing. There are multiple lists of foods and habits to avoid, making it difficult to keep track of them all. And on top of that, there are a number of inconsistencies when it comes to specific foods. The prime example is garlic and onion. The first mention of them is on page 122 of the Healing Phase section, and it says that they are two of the "Dirty Dozen" that are not allowed at all during this phase of the diet. But in this mention, both say "raw" in front of them but the explanation that follows makes it sound like it's all onion and garlic, not just raw. Then on page 145, he talks about onion and garlic being completely off the table in this phase of the diet. And then, to help you make up your own menu if you want, he provides "A Complete List of pH 5 Foods Allowed During the Healing Phase" and guess what appears on the second page: "Garlic" and "Onion (sweet)" with no mention of raw or cooking or anything. So can I have garlic and onion at all? Only cooked? Really confusing. This is the most prominent example of inconsistency but there are several.

This book has been read and reviewed better than a doctor, in my personal opinion. I have been to different doctors and none have described what my diet needed to be. I personally asked a few doctors and they said I could eat anything, but that wasn't the case. Good thing, I read this book and received great guidance. I thought I had GERD, but it was a combination of GERD and gastropathy, which in a sense do overlap.