Gas and Other Tummy Troubles has been my most popular speaking topic to date. Why? It seems in this busy world it’s hard to escape a little undesirable action in your digestive system, but there are definitely some medicine-free ways to manage and improve the way you feel.
First of all, know that acid is a vital part of your digestive system. It’s not a bad thing. It is created internally from parietal cells and transforms into hydrochloric acid (HCL).
Here’s what it does:
HCL activates an enzyme that breaks down protein.
HCL helps your body absorb B12, iron,, calcium and magnesium from the food you are eating.
HCL provides the acid your body needs for a balances Ph
HCL kills pathogens that may be in your food
So you can see, acid is not a bad thing, in fact it’s pretty important if you want to absorb your nutrients. Food needs to be broken down and HCL will do the job for you.
The problem starts when HCL backs up into your esophagus and causes heartburn. There are 2 muscular rings or sphincters, one separating your stomach from your esophagus and one separating your stomach from your small intestines. Their job is to prevent acid leakage from the stomach from entering either the esophagus or the small intestine.
What to Eat and When
You can’t expect to have a healthy digestive system if you are eating fast food, donuts, bagels chips, candy and cookies and black coffee. The best place to start when you are looking for the foods that work for you is to cut these fast foods from your diet.
Some other common culprits follow::
chocolate
apples
citrus
tomatoes
wine
lemonade
soda
fruit juice
energy drinks
gluten
processed foods
From there, create an eating style with a mix of unprocessed complex carbohydrates, protein and good fats. These may include:
whole grains
nuts and seeds
seafood
antibiotic free poultry
antibiotic free red meat with no added hormones
most fruits
most vegetables
olive and avocado oil
Why not processed foods?
their long shelf life suggests there is not much life in them
many contain harmful additives like food coloring, fillers and artificial flavors
preservatives and additives
their nutrient density is inferior to fresh whole foods
When to Eat?
If you envision your digestive system it is a top down system. starting in your mouth and ending in your rectum. You can use gravity by staying upright to avoid backflow of acid into your esophagus. Try to wait 3 hours after eating before going to bed.
Plan your meals so that you have at least 12 hours between your last food of the day and your first meal the next morning. In that way your body has adequate energy and time to work on repairing and building other internal systems.
Consider your unique self
This is especially important because we are all different biologically. What bothers you may be a basically healthy food but it just doesn’t agree with you.
Before you accept acid reflux as a normal part of life, look at your lifestyle. Pay attention to which foods bother you and get them out of your diet. There are countless quality foods you can choose from, so eliminating a food you know is not friendly to your system will not be difficult.
Seasonal changes and your biological age can also be factors. We are always changing and what might be easily digestible at one point in your life may not always be so, It’s not that something is wrong with your body so mach as your body is lookiing for something different that will support it.
Medications?
It is always inportant to work with your doctor or nutrition counselor if your digestive issues persist after adjusting your diet and lifestyle. But what you eat every day almost always leads you to the source of your problems.
Note: this information is not a replacement for a medical diagnosis.