 Let me restart this real quick. And welcome to the show that we like to call Lillian's Vegan World, where we talk about the fascinating, wonderful world of the plant-based diet and veganism. Huge welcome to all of you who tune in every second Friday. I'm coming to you live from the beautiful studio at Hawaii Think Tech, which is downtown Honolulu. It's a beautiful day here. Thank you for joining the show. This month is the second month for our funding. We do ask that anyone who enjoys the shows please donate. It's tax-deductible. Think Tech Hawaii is, we do run these shows on donations. So we'd appreciate anything that you were able to give. Aloha Friday today. I have a wonderful guest that I would love to introduce you to. My dear friend, Terri Ledgerwood. Happy Friday. Happy Aloha Friday. Welcome, Terri. Thank you. What are you doing here? I'm here because you asked me here. Just felt like coming over for a chat. Terri's a beautiful friend of mine. I'm hanging out with you. Yeah, well, awesome. I see that you haven't brought any goodies for me. I mentioned everyone. Oh, I forgot the champagne. Well, there's always time for that after the show. I have asked Terri to come on the show today because we have something very important to talk about that. I have actually, I knew nothing about, and I'm here looking forward to hearing what you have to say about acid reflux. Now, the program I have named today, dropping acid the vegan way, not the other naughty way, no. So, Terri, before we go on, please tell us about yourself. How long have you been here in Hawaii? I've been in Hawaii for 28 years. Wow. And very spoiled. Yes, totally spoiled. No, it's been great. We just love living here and married. And we've just had a great life. We run our own business. We have a small business. We sell accounting software, mostly for property managers and construction companies. Wonderful. And yeah, so it's been good. You're also a very talented jewelry designer and maker. It's my hobby. These little beauties that I'm wearing on my ears, Terri actually made for me. They're gorgeous. I love them. And the jewelry that you're wearing, you've actually put together two of the black pearls. Gorgeous. Not this. I don't do cast. Cast jewelry is just fun. Yeah, well, they're also acceptable donations if you prefer the gift side. We could definitely do that. Now, it's just my hobby. I wonder when I retire, maybe I'll be able to do more of it. It's just super fun. Awesome. It's good to do something that you enjoy doing because we're all here to have fun and enjoy life. So, Terri, let's get to today's program, which is about acid reflux. I did do some research into this as it's all new for me. I mean, I think all of us have no people or have people around us who eat. And you can see they have sort of heartburn or a little bit of awkwardness, discomfortness after eating. So can I first just tell you or tell the viewers a little bit about what acid reflux is? So the technical term for this is gastroesophageal reflux disease, otherwise known as GERD. I have to be careful when I speak, because some people can't hear the R's in my words. It's GERD, G-E-R-D. So gastroesophageal reflux disease. It's a long-term condition where stomach acid persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus. Is that correct? Yes, definitely. I've had all of that over my course of eight years dealing with it. That's a long time. Yeah. It's about eight years ago I was diagnosed. And I remember the doctor saying, this is a disease for life. And I was just kind of happy to walk out the door. And here it was just that, because it just really makes you feel awful. I thought there was something horrible, like with my heart or something like that. But yeah, it's been a long time. And I've had a couple of, we were talking before, endoscopies. And everything is OK. Just to make sure that everything is OK, very important. And I do want to do a quick disclaimer that today's show, neither of us are a professional medical in the medical field. So be sure to consult with your doctor or physician or medical expert before making any huge changes to your diet. So Terry, eight years of this. Acid reflux is also known as heart burn, acid indigestion, or pyrosis, which is another term for heart burn. What are the symptoms that you have when you're feeling this discomfort? I think it varies for a lot of people, but for me, I would get extremely uncomfortable. It just feels like it's burning all the way up your esophagus. Sometimes at night, you can actually taste it. There's a funny taste in your mouth. Really? Yeah, and I've had. So it's definitely coming up in refluxing, I guess, is what they call. But yeah, so over the course of the years, I've had sort of asthmatic type of symptoms. I've had where the nasal passages get inflamed. I had once where I had an infection in my lungs. It was just small. It wasn't a major thing. But I had to get antibiotics. And the doctor thought that it's probably, sometimes it comes up through the lungs and gets into the lungs somehow. Really? The small piece of food gets in there and you get a little infection, cough. And it's just very uncomfortable and hard to sleep at night. It must be, yes. Well, I did read a lot about the symptoms and the occasional acid reflux is quite common. A lot of studies are saying between 10% to 20% of Westerners, American Westerners, are suffering from this. That's quite a huge amount of the population who have this discomfort. It is. And it often occurs as a result of overeating. And lying down, you did say when you lie down, you can really feel that burn. Obviously, when you eat particular food. Definitely. And it occurs when the sphincter, the opening at the bottom of the esophagus, becomes weak or opens when it shouldn't. So this is how it's. I've been told it's a muscle. And that, items like if you eat things with fats in them, the muscle will relax. And this is what I've been told by my doctor. Again, I'm not a physician. But I've been told it relaxes when you eat fatty foods. And so in that words, more acid comes up. So that's one thing. And then it gets stretched out if you overeat. I mean, I'm not a huge overeater. But I just, my doctor did tell me that some people simply overproduce acid. And that could also be it, too. I don't eat big cheeseburgers at steaks every night. But there are, I just get to the point where there are small things, even like occasionally I'll have a cracker in it. I can feel it. It sets it off. It sets it off. Little things that'll set it off. Gosh. So the reason why I've asked you to come on the show is because you've had a bit of an epiphany somehow. So a few months ago, I'm trying to think when it was that you and I, you first sat at my dining table. Yes, that was, I think it was around Christmas. Yeah, or just after January. I'm thinking January. So the viewers out there who don't know, I am a vegan chef. And I do seven course vegan dining lunches and dinners, private dining dinners and lunches here, too. And you were a guest at my table for one of these seven course vegan dinners. Now, what happened after you, well, first of all, tell us how it was. Well, I was lucky enough to come for one of your, if you haven't been, you have to go. Fabulous seven course meals. It was excellent. And it's just, wow, a different way to look at vegan food, just fine dining, beautiful food. Thank you. And yeah, I really enjoyed it. I ate almost everything on my plate. And then later on, I thought, even as I was driving home, I kind of thought, I am going to be so uncomfortable because I ate all this food. I tried to eat smaller amounts and so forth. And in fact, what happened after this huge meal because seven courses is a lot of food. Seven courses is a lot of food. And I felt fine. It was amazing. And I was like, man, there just has to be something to the vegan diet in helping with acid reflux. Was this the first time that you ate a vegan meal? Like in that sort of structure, so much at one time or plant-based? Was it the first time? Yeah, I mean, on purpose. Yeah. I mean, occasionally, I mean, I love veggies and vegetables and so forth. And I eat like the veggie sushi occasionally, which I really love. And a salad. And of course, you know, roasted veggies, stuff that you would see in a normal American diet, I guess. But I never purposely went to eat just a vegan meal. Okay. So it was kind of my first eating a full vegan meal on purpose, you know? And it felt okay. I did. And you know, okay, also I have an adjustable bed. So that helps and that definitely helps, but it's never made it go away. And it was a marked difference from the way I typically would have felt after eating that much food. Really, I felt almost perfectly fine. Interesting. So that's pretty huge when you consider that you have been dealing with this for eight years. That's a very long time. And then suddenly you have one meal and you feel okay after it. So this is quite huge. Yeah. I mean, I'm so glad that this has worked out for you. Since then, you have been. Yeah. So since then, I've been vegan by night. Vegan at evening. Vegan at the evening. It's like joy to my ears when I hear that someone's going vegan at evening. But you're doing this because it makes you feel better. Yeah. So when I go to sleep at night, I sleep better. I'm just more comfortable because that's the thing a lot. You know, in the day when you have a meal, walking around, things wear off. And at night, you tend to be more, you know, you're sitting around a lot more. Okay. So for me, if I eat vegan at night, I feel fine when I go to bed. You know, I wake up in the morning without that. Remember, I was telling you I have a taste in your mouth. Yes. Sometimes I don't have that. Okay. And you know, even I have the adjustable bed, you know, all that kind of stuff. And I would still even feel that after eating a normal meal. Awesome. So yeah, I've just, like you said, it's kind of a bit of an epiphany. It is an epiphany and I hope that anyone who's watching this show, like, really takes this into consideration that perhaps making some changes to your diet really may help with this unfortunate, you know, acid reflux. That's what you're suffering from. Definitely something that has helped. Yes. You know, it's just, you know, it's never something, and then some of the doctor told me, it's never gonna go away. It's just, and he even told me, and I don't, I haven't seen much of this on the internet, but he said even if your mom or dad didn't have it, someone in your line did, he seems to think that it was, and I don't know, it's one doctor's opinion, but he seemed to think it had some component of genetics. Well, we are gonna go to a break soon, Terry, but we do have to talk about ways you can prevent this. Like any health problem you have, it's not about popping a pill and fixing the pain. I think this is one thing that people like myself who live on a vegan diet, on a plant-based diet, really do take into consideration that, you know, popping pills, it's not the magical, you know. It covers it up. It covers it up, but the problem's still there. So we will after the break talk about, you know, some ways you can relieve this and some things to incorporate into your diet that may help, again, you know, becoming vegan or entering onto a plant-based diet isn't a magical thing either. It doesn't fix everything by any means. Especially, you know, when you're coming from a lifestyle that has not been very, you know, health, you haven't been health conscious about how you eat and stuff. So everything takes time, but I'm glad to hear that in only a short few months, like five months, I guess, you're already feeling better, so yes. Definitely, yeah, I have definitely felt a lot better doing that. And even, you know, one of my big triggers is caffeine, you know. And who doesn't like a cup of coffee, you know? Well, Terri, let's talk about that. Yeah, go to a quick break. Stay tuned, see you in a bit. Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, host of Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. My show is based on my book, also titled Beyond the Lines, and it's about creating a superior culture of excellence. Leadership, and finding greatness. I interview guests who are successful in business, sports, and life, which is sure to inspire you in finding your greatness. Join me every Monday as we go Beyond the Lines at 11 a.m., aloha. Hi, I'm Mabuhay. My name is Amy Ortega Anderson, inviting you to join us every Tuesday here on Pinoy Power, Hawaii. With Think Tech, Hawaii, we come to your home at 12 noon every Tuesday. We invite you to listen, watch, for our mission of empowerment. We aim to enrich, enlighten, educate, entertain, and we hope to empower. Again, maraming, salamat po, Mabuhay, and aloha. Welcome back to Lillian's Vegan World. Today, we are talking about dropping acid the vegan way and how adopting or adding more of a plant-based diet to your lifestyle can actually relieve some of the symptoms involved with acid reflux. My guest here, Terri Ledgerwood, is talking to us about her journey. Well, not journey, but say the past five months you have adopted a somewhat of a vegan diet, especially at night. And to sum it up quickly, it has helped. Definitely has helped me. It's just helped me every day, it really has. Awesome. So Terri, here is how a vegan diet can relieve acid reflux according to some professionals. There was an article in One Green Planet where they talk about fiber and how it is important for those suffering from GERD, from acid reflux, because it promotes intestinal health and it protects the esophagus from acid exposure. Consuming a vegan diet is an option for fighting GERD because it's, now here's an important point, because it is rich in anti-inflammatory foods and the plant foods contain phytonutrients that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can counteract gut inflammation caused by GERD. So the anti-inflammation, that's a huge thing too. You were talking about before the show about how... how your esophagus gets just inflamed, basically, and it's amazingly painful, you know, and it takes a while of eating just... I mean, I've gone on rice and bananas and just to... And just, that's kind of what I had to do to just get it to cool down and relax and I've had that happen, I think, twice when it was so seriously inflamed like that. Yeah, that's sad because you don't want to be forced to eat stuff. Yeah, that's no fun. You have to enjoy what you're eating. It's a huge part of the joy of life. Well, here are some things that you can eat to reduce acid reflux again. I'm not a professional, but just, you know, researching and listening to what people who have been suffering with acid reflux do and what some of the experts are saying. So Sonja Angelone, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also recommends a largely plant-based diet for managing acid reflux. A diet high in healthy foods like beans, vegetables, and nuts tend to calm inflammation in the body, whereas a diet heavy in processed foods does the opposite. She goes on to say that there has been a growing understanding of acid reflux as an inflammatory disorder and that the acid itself might not do the real damage. The body's inflammatory response may. So there's another aspect, another key that you might have to... The inflammation. Think about it, the inflammation. So, sorry, Sonja Angelone does say, quote, unquote, make healthy changes to your diet that you can live with for the long haul. Your diet choices matter. They matter in your risk of chronic diseases down the road and in more immediate symptoms like acid reflux. So that's something that vegans like myself who get out there and try to promote this lifestyle always say, you know, make these changes that are realistic that you can live with. Because it's not a diet, yeah, it's not a diet. Diets don't work, veganism is not a diet. The plant-based diet is not a diet. It's a lifestyle and the more changes you can make that are sustainable and you're happy with living with do you make those changes? Yeah, absolutely. Terry, what to eat to reduce acid reflux? Here we go. So here's one thing that I do every single morning before when I break the fast for breakfast, take a shot of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Just mix it with warm water. It has alkaline pH which helps the body from becoming too acidic. Now, the people that I saw on YouTube that are suffering from acid reflux, a lot of people talked about this, shot of raw apple cider vinegar. Mix with water, warm water. So adding whole grains, high in fiber obviously because fiber keeps you regular. It helps move stuff through. It doesn't sit there and... Yes, exactly, so... More acid. Foods like oatmeal are great for an anti, sorry, for acid-reducing diet. Do you eat oatmeal? I do. Okay. Does that, it helps? It does help, especially, yeah, it does. You know, as opposed to breakfast in the morning rather than eating, my husband grew up on a farm. He likes eggs and sausage. Yes. If I have oatmeal, I'm good. If I have that, then I suffer a little bit. Just starting out in the morning, you know? Yeah. So, yeah, so I... Not the best thing to have in the morning. I think oatmeal's another thing that's very soothing for them. Yeah, so they do recommend that. Obviously, add more non-citrus fruits and vegetables that don't trigger the heartburn flare-ups. Bananas, melons, apples, pears, leafy greens, cucumbers, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes. I noticed there was no champagne in that list. No champagne. None of that. Cutting out soda, cutting out sodas also helpful in relieving the symptoms. You mentioned as well, soda doesn't work for you. That triggers the acid reflux. Yeah, anything with carbonation. It bothers carbonation. Really kind of ratchets up the acid production, I think. It doesn't, me, anyway. Also, coconut water helps. Coconut water, for me, really helps as a drink, something to drink during the day. And it's also delicious, really refreshing. Coconut, also another anti-inflammatory. And I think it's alkaline. There's something to do with the alkalinity of it as pH of it. And I've noticed that's something that's always helped me or kind of has over. My journey of eight years with it. I'm so glad that you are feeling better and just adding more of a plant-based diet to your lifestyle is helping. So, Terri, a lot of my friends and people who watch the show, all the 10 million people of you who watch the show, thank you so much, do ask why I don't talk about what I'm doing here on the island in Honolulu. And as this is Lillian's vegan world, I would like to tell you a bit about what I do. And Terri, when you are adding a plant-based diet to your lifestyle, here are some things you can eat. So, I'm going to show the first video. And the video is of food that I have cooked in the past two weeks at some of my events. So, I love Japanese food. Lots of whole grains, lots of whole foods. That's all of the food. That is barley, miso soup, fermented foods, very good for you. I love that one. Some tofu scramble. That's a gyoza. What do you call gyoza in English here? There's Chinese dumplings. Yeah, I guess we call it a dumpling. Some orzo with orchini mushroom, lemon cake. I've had several of those and I love every one of them. They've been really good. Thank you. I did a cooking demo at Down to Earth two weeks ago. Two cooking classes, which were really fun. You came to one of them, thank you. Yep, got some great recipes, they were awesome. Thank you. And this is at one of my cooking classes that I teach here. There's my famous cheese sauce. Scramble tofu, pancakes for brekkie. Sandwiches, those are good. Yeah. And that's something that my fiance asked me to make. He wasn't feeling well last week, and he was craving chicken noodle soup. So I made him some noodles with plant-based meatballs. Yum. That tasted pretty close to it, but plant-based. I was just watching on TV this morning. There was a news report on one of the financial shows about that company of the burgers. Beyond burgers. Burgers, and how well they're doing. Yep, they're doing incredibly well. It's amazing. So there's more people getting on. Yeah, and a lot of people that eat those burgers aren't vegans. Yeah, probably. Because I'm a vegan and I don't eat those burgers because they look too similar to the real thing. They do. And it just, for me psychologically, something that looks like meat, I can't. It just doesn't work for you. It just doesn't work for me. But I support any of those products out there that are giving people like myself and people like yourself the option to choose between plant-based and non-veg-based. And my husband just, he thought they were great. And so he's, this is someone who grew up on a farm. And he loves his meat. He'll probably never, never, he will probably, he'll always be, you know, have meat. It's not everyone's journey to be vegan. And you don't have to, you just have to take care of yourself, make sure that you're healthy and happy and satisfied in the lifestyle that you are, you know, too. So let's have a look at another slide. I did bring some pictures with me this time. Crave Magazine, which is in the Star Advisor, did an article on my cheeses. I don't know if you saw that, it was two weeks ago. So they did a really great article for me. Thank you so much, Joel Lean for the article. I loved it. This one is one of my seven course fine dining vegan dinners, which I am holding tonight and tomorrow night. Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite. This is a lunch, a lunch that I made just a little bento for some friends scrambled tofu. Some of my cheeses, the vegan cashew cheeses. Delicious. A little platter there. Very good. I love that. My cheese sauce that goes so much with it. Yeah, this is so good. You can just like, swim in it. There's, yeah, that chicken noodle soup, but the vegan version, which is just, I used kombu dashi, the kombu seaweed broth, and some vegetable stock. So flavorful. Yeah. And the meatballs were frozen. I wanted to say huge mahalo to Down to Earth. I really enjoyed the two cooking demos that I did there. They were really fun, met a lot of nice people. I did basic Japanese food, so. Yeah, it was great. And that's all stuff you can find. That's a good thing. Some girls from Japan who came over to take for a holiday and then took my class, one of my cooking classes. So that's what I've been up to on the island. I'm getting around. So I'm a vegan chef, cooking instructor, and lifestyle coach. So I hope that you do see me somewhere on the island if you do, reach out and say aloha. Oh yeah. And if you have a chance, go to one of your dinners are just fabulous. Thank you, Terry. It really was. And I'm not just saying that. That's why you put friends on the show because they say nice things about you. They have to, they're friends. It really was excellent though, I mean, I just, yeah. And again, it makes you look at vegan food in a whole new light, you know. And having you on the show has been awesome, Terry. I thank you so much. And it has, honestly, I've learned something from this and something that I didn't know, that there is somewhat of a connection between acid reflux and the plant-based diet. So if you are suffering from that, do your research, ask your physician or doctor, you know, if they recommend you eating more plant-based foods. And I did ask my, by the way, just, he did say that the last time I was in, I said, I went to this vegan dinner and you know, I felt great afterwards. And he said, it's just a matter of fact, it takes less acid to break down all that food. Well, there you go. Another reason to go vegan, live levita vegan and be healthy. Always take care of yourself. Thank you so much, Terry. Thank you. Appreciate you coming on the show. No problem. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. Aloha.