So I had a massive heartburn attack in August and was diagnosed with GERD. No more pizza, coffee and chocolate.

[usonian]

36. I tried substituting gingerbread for my chocolate addiction.

I may be worse for all I know. And the mix makes so much that it spoils before I can make a dent in it. I suppose I should refrigerate it or freeze it. So, that experiment has gone nowhere. I figure that the strong flavor might substitute. But that’s just a wild guess. Other strong flavors I like are orange and lemon.

I really limit all things, or try to.

Italians use laurel leaf (bay) as a seasoning and as a tea. Turns out that I have several trees some 30 feet tall on the property here. We used to make it for upset stomach.

You know to check things out, so I am just throwing some ideas out there. In the real world, moderation is the first step, as is eliminating known trouble makers. The rest is in finding substitutes that work, and as you noted, it might mean giving up some old favorites. Hopefully something decent substitutes rather than imitates.