Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, is a common complaint that is typically associated with a burning sensation in the throat. As a sporadic sufferer, the discomfort of acid reflux never bothered me more than when I was expecting. With a growing foetus vigorously elbowing your stomach, you can’t but suffer from indigestion. By the time my third and fourth pregnancies came along, the heartburn seemed to settle in before the pregnancies were even confirmed.
Pregnant or otherwise, I have found it’s important to avoid trigger foods, which may provoke heartburn and in turn cause undue upset to the tummy. Fatty or spicy food, citrus fruit, caffeine, carbonated drinks and alcohol, all have the ability to aggravate a heartburn harbourer. Different foods affect everyone, so listen to your body and if a bout of heartburn occurs, try to avoid that food in the future – or at least until your gut is in a better condition.
It can be useful to keep a food diary, noting which foods are triggering the heartburn. Eating smaller meals regularly can also help. As with so many conditions, leading a healthy lifestyle will help maintain a healthy digestive system. Most people experience heartburn at some stage, however, if you are suffering from prolonged acid reflux, if it becomes increasingly worse, or if you’re in any way concerned, consult your doctor.
• Nessa Robins, food writer and nurse, grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath, where she lives with her husband Diarmuid and their four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen, published by New Island, is out now.Bulgur wheat salad with griddled chicken
Bulgur wheat is high in fibre, protein, minerals and especially rich in B vitamins. It’s easily digestible and favourable to a healthy digestive system, which in turn can help to ease heartburn.
Chicken adds protein to the meal and its flavours are inoffensive to a heartburn sufferer. For a mild, yet flavoursome, marinade for the chicken, I’ve simply added some finely chopped fresh marjoram, a drizzle of olive oil and a little seasoning. I have included lots of fresh herbs in this dish as they boast a wealth of health benefits – especially parsley, which is great in aiding digestion.
It’s important to use fresh herbs as the dried alternatives have a greater ability to cause heartburn. There is plenty of flavour in the stock-infused bulgur wheat, so really there is no need for a dressing, but my honeyed mint yogurt sauce coats the dish with a little luxurious creaminess that perfectly marries the flavours.
Ingredients
125g of bulgur wheat
200ml of boiling-hot vegetable stock
75g of raw cashews, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1 tbsp of honey
4 chicken fillets, butterflied
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves only, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 carrots, finely grated
2 tbsp of fresh parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
For the sauce:
100g of plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of fresh mint, finely chopped
Prepare the bulgur wheat by placing it in a bowl and pouring over the boiling stock. Cover tightly with clingfilm and leave to soak for 30 minutes.Place the cashew nuts and sesame seeds in a frying pan and dry-fry them for three to five minutes over a medium heat, tossing regularly, until nicely brown. Remove from the heat, add the honey and place back over the heat for a minute. Once the nuts and seeds are coated, remove them to a plate and leave to one side.Place the chicken fillets in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and fresh marjoram or oregano. Combine well, ensuring that each fillet is well coated. Just before cooking, sprinkle each chicken fillet with a little sea salt and pepper.Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Add the chicken fillets. Cook for approximately five minutes on each side.While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by combining the yogurt, honey, Dijon and fresh mint in a small bowl.
Once the bulgur wheat is ready, fluff it with a fork. Add the grated carrot and parsley. Combine well and season with a little salt and pepper.Divide the bulgur wheat salad between four plates. Check that the chicken is cooked by cutting into the thickest part of the fillet. Once the chicken is ready, place a fillet on top of each plate of bulgur. Next, add a sprinkling of the honeyed cashews and seeds, then top with a spoonful of the yogurt sauce.Probiotic/Prebiotic
buttermilk smoothie
I know what you’re thinking: “Buttermilk in a smoothie?” But believe me, it really works. Its tart flavour balances the natural sweetness of the mango and banana, while the health benefits of real buttermilk make it an ideal beverage for heartburn sufferers.
Due to its live cultures, buttermilk is a good source of friendly bacteria, known as probiotics. Probiotics help to balance the gut’s flora and in turn can calm the exacerbation of excess acid. It does need to be real buttermilk (there are a few on the Irish market) and cooking it will destroy its probiotic content so it must be taken straight from the carton.
Cultured dairy foods such as yogurt are also a great source of probiotics. It’s important to choose one that has a live culture, so look for “live cultures” or “active cultures” on the label. Bananas, honey and oatmeal are all sources of prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria already in the gut.
Oatmeal can help to absorb excess acid, while bananas and mangos are considered safe fruit for those suffering from acid reflux as they are non-acidic and won’t irritate the tummy.
Even for the non-heartburn sufferers, this is a super drink for encouraging a healthy digestive system.
Ingredients
50g of porridge oats
250ml of real buttermilk
125g of low-fat probiotic yogurt
1 mango, peeled, stoned and sliced
1 large ripe banana, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Add the oats to a blender or a liquidiser. Blitz for 20 seconds.Now add the remaining ingredients and blitz for a minute or so, until the ingredients are smooth and well combined.Serve straight away and enjoy.Nessa Robins | For more inspiration, visit www.nessasfamilykitchen.blogspot.ie
Acid reflux, also known as heartburn, is a common complaint that is typically associated with a burning sensation in the throat. As a sporadic sufferer, the discomfort of acid reflux never bothered me more than when I was expecting. With a growing foetus vigorously elbowing your stomach, you can’t but suffer from indigestion. By the time my third and fourth pregnancies came along, the heartburn seemed to settle in before the pregnancies were even confirmed.
Pregnant or otherwise, I have found it’s important to avoid trigger foods, which may provoke heartburn and in turn cause undue upset to the tummy. Fatty or spicy food, citrus fruit, caffeine, carbonated drinks and alcohol, all have the ability to aggravate a heartburn harbourer. Different foods affect everyone, so listen to your body and if a bout of heartburn occurs, try to avoid that food in the future – or at least until your gut is in a better condition.
It can be useful to keep a food diary, noting which foods are triggering the heartburn. Eating smaller meals regularly can also help. As with so many conditions, leading a healthy lifestyle will help maintain a healthy digestive system. Most people experience heartburn at some stage, however, if you are suffering from prolonged acid reflux, if it becomes increasingly worse, or if you’re in any way concerned, consult your doctor.
• Nessa Robins, food writer and nurse, grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath, where she lives with her husband Diarmuid and their four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen, published by New Island, is out now.Bulgur wheat salad with griddled chicken
Bulgur wheat is high in fibre, protein, minerals and especially rich in B vitamins. It’s easily digestible and favourable to a healthy digestive system, which in turn can help to ease heartburn.
Chicken adds protein to the meal and its flavours are inoffensive to a heartburn sufferer. For a mild, yet flavoursome, marinade for the chicken, I’ve simply added some finely chopped fresh marjoram, a drizzle of olive oil and a little seasoning. I have included lots of fresh herbs in this dish as they boast a wealth of health benefits – especially parsley, which is great in aiding digestion.
It’s important to use fresh herbs as the dried alternatives have a greater ability to cause heartburn. There is plenty of flavour in the stock-infused bulgur wheat, so really there is no need for a dressing, but my honeyed mint yogurt sauce coats the dish with a little luxurious creaminess that perfectly marries the flavours.
Ingredients
125g of bulgur wheat
200ml of boiling-hot vegetable stock
75g of raw cashews, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1 tbsp of honey
4 chicken fillets, butterflied
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves only, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 carrots, finely grated
2 tbsp of fresh parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
For the sauce:
100g of plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tbsp of fresh mint, finely chopped
Prepare the bulgur wheat by placing it in a bowl and pouring over the boiling stock. Cover tightly with clingfilm and leave to soak for 30 minutes.Place the cashew nuts and sesame seeds in a frying pan and dry-fry them for three to five minutes over a medium heat, tossing regularly, until nicely brown. Remove from the heat, add the honey and place back over the heat for a minute. Once the nuts and seeds are coated, remove them to a plate and leave to one side.Place the chicken fillets in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and fresh marjoram or oregano. Combine well, ensuring that each fillet is well coated. Just before cooking, sprinkle each chicken fillet with a little sea salt and pepper.Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Add the chicken fillets. Cook for approximately five minutes on each side.While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by combining the yogurt, honey, Dijon and fresh mint in a small bowl.
Once the bulgur wheat is ready, fluff it with a fork. Add the grated carrot and parsley. Combine well and season with a little salt and pepper.Divide the bulgur wheat salad between four plates. Check that the chicken is cooked by cutting into the thickest part of the fillet. Once the chicken is ready, place a fillet on top of each plate of bulgur. Next, add a sprinkling of the honeyed cashews and seeds, then top with a spoonful of the yogurt sauce.Probiotic/Prebiotic
buttermilk smoothie
I know what you’re thinking: “Buttermilk in a smoothie?” But believe me, it really works. Its tart flavour balances the natural sweetness of the mango and banana, while the health benefits of real buttermilk make it an ideal beverage for heartburn sufferers.
Due to its live cultures, buttermilk is a good source of friendly bacteria, known as probiotics. Probiotics help to balance the gut’s flora and in turn can calm the exacerbation of excess acid. It does need to be real buttermilk (there are a few on the Irish market) and cooking it will destroy its probiotic content so it must be taken straight from the carton.
Cultured dairy foods such as yogurt are also a great source of probiotics. It’s important to choose one that has a live culture, so look for “live cultures” or “active cultures” on the label. Bananas, honey and oatmeal are all sources of prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria already in the gut.
Oatmeal can help to absorb excess acid, while bananas and mangos are considered safe fruit for those suffering from acid reflux as they are non-acidic and won’t irritate the tummy.
Even for the non-heartburn sufferers, this is a super drink for encouraging a healthy digestive system.
Ingredients
50g of porridge oats
250ml of real buttermilk
125g of low-fat probiotic yogurt
1 mango, peeled, stoned and sliced
1 large ripe banana, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Add the oats to a blender or a liquidiser. Blitz for 20 seconds.Now add the remaining ingredients and blitz for a minute or so, until the ingredients are smooth and well combined.Serve straight away and enjoy.Nessa Robins | For more inspiration, visit www.nessasfamilykitchen.blogspot.ie
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