The right diet is a key component of a healthy and happy lifestyle. If you’re overlooking eating well, you are running the risk of succumbing to many nasty gastrointestinal diseases. If left untreated, they can have some seriously detrimental effects on your health.
One of the most common problems related to the digestive tract is high stomach acid. It may lead to many worrying conditions, such as acid reflux, which manifests in a plethora of unpleasant sensations, such as heartburn or bloating. If you find yourself struggling with reflux, you may find comfort in the fact that it is increasingly common amongst adults in the UK.
Most people can get their stomach acid levels back under control with the right diet and lifestyle choices. Those who’ve developed more serious conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), find themselves regularly experiencing reflux. They often end up having to buy omeprazole in combination with an acid reflux diet in order to keep their symptoms in check.
If you’ve recently been experiencing difficulties with keeping your stomach contents down where they belong, you may need to start making some lifestyle changes, especially in the culinary department.
What Foods to Avoid
People with GERD often tend to point towards fried foods and carbonated beverages as the main culprits that trigger their symptoms. Other things you should look out for are tomato products, chocolate, and all sorts of citrus fruits. When it comes to beverages, you’ll be better off avoiding coffee and alcohol, at least during periods when your reflux is at its worst.
It may be difficult to imagine life without marinara sauce or your morning cup of joe. Still, if you’re serious about alleviating the acid reflux disease symptoms, these diet changes are paramount to keeping your esophageal sphincter shut when it needs to be.
Replacing Your Vices
Unfortunately, some of the products that contribute most to increased acid production and trigger GERD symptoms are also some of the most commonly consumed ones. If you want to improve, you need to face the music – your favorite foods may cause reflux, and you need to remove them from your diet.
The easiest method of taking acidic foods off the menu is the replacement strategy. There is no added philosophy to it – it’s all based around replacing the faulty foods with products that are easier on your stomach and don’t contribute to worsening your symptoms.
Replacing most of these foods is not as difficult as you may think – choosing brown rice over french fries is simply a matter of throwing the right thing in your grocery cart. Not all substances are as easy to kick, though, and the more addictive ones, such as coffee or alcohol, may prove to be a challenge.
Life After Coffee
If you can handle the drop in caffeine intake, the best substitute for your daily lattes and espressos is herbal coffee. Not only does it provide the energizing kick you so desperately crave every morning, but it also helps reduce the production of stomach acid! If giving up caffeine altogether is out of the question for you, you should give yerba mate a shot. It packs a similar punch to coffee, but it isn’t as acidic. If your acid reflux symptoms are not related to an underlying condition, yerba may prove to be the perfect replacement.
When it comes to alcohol, it may be a little harder to find a viable alternative. There aren’t many non-acidic products that can simulate the specific flavor of alcoholic beverages, which may mean that you’re going to have to go cold turkey on that one.
Wonderfoods – What to Eat More Of
Cutting out reflux-inducing foods is one part of alleviating symptoms and bringing relief to your stomach, but you’ll never fully curb your acid production if you don’t add the right elements to your diet.
Besides ginger, there are a couple of other medically reviewed foods that can naturally bring down your high acid levels. The general rule is to stick with low-fat products and eat whole grains as often as possible. For example, replacing fried eggs with oatmeal for breakfast may provide you with the fiber you need to absorb stomach acid more efficiently.
Another thing to watch out for is your protein intake – you need loads of it to function correctly, but you should be particularly careful about where you get it from. Foods such as chicken, egg whites, seafood, or tofu should completely replace the beef and pork you regularly consume if you want to notice improvements in your stomach’s condition. Effectively combating acid reflux is intrinsically tied to many sacrifices, but you’ll find them to be worth the effort when you start feeling the symptoms going away.
Bottom Line
High stomach acid levels are usually the result of your own poor choices regarding what foods to eat and other substances you take in. Acid reflux conditions are among the most common lifestyle diseases, and as such, they require significant changes in the way you go about your daily routine. If you’ve been having these stomach issues for a while now, and still have not acted upon them, it’s high time you do so – don’t wait till it’s too late.
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