Secret Weapon: Fruit/Floral Tisanes

Peach Tranquility, a fruit and floral tisane

When I started my diet management plan for my GERD, I was appalled by the thought of "giving up" tea.  Tea is a big part of my life -- I enjoy it, rely on it, look forward to it, shop for it like other people buy fine wine.  Herbals never excited me.   When I realized that caffeinated tea was one of my triggers, I decided I would minimize the amount of tea I drink daily, reducing it from three cups to one (maybe two, on a hectic day).    By staggering the amount of black or green tea I drink, and by having it later in the day -- not first thing in the morning -- and by going on mini caffeinated tea hiatuses (24-48 hours without any tea), I can usually drink any tea with no GERD side effects. 


One thing that has helped me keep my tea in my diet is my willingness to develop a taste for herbals.  I usually start the day off with lemon verbena tea or chamomile.   By late morning, I have a cup of black tea -- Oolong or a classic black tea (Ceylon, Earl Gray) -- or I'll just have a cup of Pu-ehr in the afternoon.   Before or after dinner, I enjoy another cup of tea.  This one is herbal or possibly an Oolong.

Lemon verbena is a favorite herbal, but "Peach Tranquility," a fruity blend from Teavana, is becoming my herbal tea of choice.   (Note on Teavana:   Yes, this is a mall chain, and yes, the sales help are known to be pushy, but the tea itself is outstanding.  So are the accessories.)  Peach Tranquility is tasty, soothing, fun to brew (look at all that stuff!), and completely agreeable to my cranky gut.

CAVEAT:  In checking around the web, I found a few recommendations for GERD sufferers to avoid fruit-based infusions -- they will be too acidic.   I have no problem with this one.   As always, you'll have to see what works for your particular gut.