It was the TEA!

I am an avid tea drinker, or at least, I was. I am also a sufferer of GERD - GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease.

I don't like coffee. I like the way it smells, but I don't like the taste. I like black tea with sugar & hazelnut flavored creamer.

I would start my day everyday, with a cup of tea. It's been so cold in California lately, that sometimes I'd drink several cups during the day, and one at night before bed.

I would also have a tremendous amount of gas rumbling around in my stomach. Gas and heartburn, with GERD, the gas was STUCK! It wouldn't come out from either end! It just churned and burned in my stomach and occasionally acid would back up and burn into my throat!

Pure misery. I knew my diet needed adjusting, but where to start? What do I eliminate?

I noticed one day, after my daughter bought me a cup of tea, increased gas production. Hmmm....,? I Googled and to my surprise, I learned that black, white, green, oolong and pu'er teas were the culprits! My daughter suggested I try lemon and ginger tea. I did. It was a no go. Stomach started doing the gurgling watusi. I stopped drinking tea. Gas decreased TREMENDOUSLY, and I actually FEEL better. It's only been a few days. Not even a week yet.

I'm also an avid cola drinker. I just knew it probably factored in my gastrointestinal discomfort, since they show that you can clean rust with it. Who knows what havoc it's doing to your body, right? But I noticed when I drank a cola, it gave me a nice, really healthy burp, that relieved some discomfort, but it didn't seem to contribute to the discomfort.

It was the tea. Who knew?