Since the beginning of my college career, my mom told me that I am absolutely not allowed to go to a restaurant for any of my first dates. She has many reasons for this rule.
1. The moment the food comes out on the table, all forms of speech end. The only thing on my mind is "fork, plate, mouth, chew, swallow, repeat." I forget to take breaths in between bites and completely disregard any table manners.
2. It's awkward at the end of the meal when you're not sure who should pay. "You don't want to let them pay because then they expect other favors, if you know what I mean," my mother says. "But at the same time, you don't want to offend them if they're offering and genuinely want to treat you to a meal." I do not do well in awkward situations, especially when my mother's words cause me to think so much.
3. It was cute when I was a baby and there was leftover dessert on my chin, but apparently it's not so cute anymore.
4. The permanent retainer on the back of my ex-buckteeth is not the easiest to pick food out of and unless my date appreciates his lady flossing at the table, eating food is not the ideal first date.
5. Finally, the most important and disgusting reason that my mother told me to stay away from dinner dates: my burps.
Approximately 15 minutes after I swallow my last bite of a big meal, I begin to feel the acid and digesting food bubbling in my stomach. Within seconds the bile makes its way from my stomach to my esophagus and into my throat. I can't decide whether it's more embarrassing or painful, but either way it is not the ideal way to get a second date.
Approximately 33 percent of people in the U.S. have acid reflux disease, also known as GERD, according to The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.
Many people, including some of my roommates, consider this disease to be a mere inconvenience and do not take medications to treat it. Many don't go to a doctor to be officially diagnosed with GERD because of how rarely their symptoms act up.
Me? I burp up acid when I wake up in the morning, even before eating breakfast. After every big family gathering that involves food, I set aside at least three hours to throw up pure acid and lay in pain, chewing Pepto Bismol and Tums by the container.
My doctor prescribed me Dexilant, a medication that would cost me approximately $200 each month. That's basically my rent on South Campus. So I opted to purchase the lower-strength medication and cut out the majority of my favorite foods.
Regardless of how often symptoms arise, it is crucial to know what to eat and what not to eat when it comes to dealing the reflux culprit. You may feel as if all of your favorite foods are being yanked away from you.
I am here to tell you that not all hope is lost. Some hope most definitely is lost, but not all.
Each Wednesday, I will rip your heart out with another food that you should not eat if you have symptoms of acid reflux, but then I will try to mend it back together with suggestions of alternative foods.
It's the first week of school and most of us are living off Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Sorry, pals - if you have acid reflux, you must cut out the intense amount of caffeine.
Your cup needs to basically be milk with a little bit of coffee, rather than coffee with milk if you choose to continue drinking it. Instead of sipping your drink throughout the day so your Starbucks cup adds to your trendy look, make sure to finish your beverage early in the day.
Speech Pathologist Karen Cruey, located in Bayside, N.Y., said each time an acidic food enters the stomach, that person's sphincter opens up and the food moves upward instead of downward. If a person with acid reflux were to finish his or her beverage in one sitting, the acidity would only act up once rather than several times throughout the day.
One cup of light coffee is fine in the morning, but if it's still negatively affecting your insides (and my dates), there are alternatives. Target is now selling coffee-flavored coconut water. Coco Caf?(c) is made out of natural coconut water, one strong shot of espresso and a splash of reduced fat milk, according to drinkcococafe.com.
The one espresso shot inside of the coconut water is enough to keep the stragglers and tired students awake and keep the coffee-lovers' favorite flavor in the mix. The coconut water helps alleviate the stomach pains that come with acid reflux and indigestion.
The yellow cardboard container holding the beverage is a perfect morning drink and it's relatively cheap. A pack of 12 costs $27.
You may not take your acid reflux seriously yet, but if you have the beginning stages of the disease, it may get worse. You might as well take steps toward bettering your health now, unless you want to end up paying $200 a month just to drink a regular cup of coffee. Is that worth it? If so, then by all means drink your heart out in black coffee and pay the money for the top meds. If not, then coco caf?(c) it is.
Email: keren.baruch@ubspectrum.com
