Feeling Acidity or Heartburn? – Do’s & Dont’s

Acidity or heartburn is a condition that most people experience at one point or the other. Though very common, it is problematic and causes extreme discomfort. Acidity or Heartburn essentially happens when the normal digestive process is hampered. The lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) opens to allow the food to pass swiftly through it to the stomach and closes right after to avoid any acid or juices from the stomach to flow back into it. Heartburn occurs when the LES is weakened and relaxes inappropriately causing digestive disorders where the contents of the stomach are returned to the oesophageal. This disorder causes one to experience the burning sensation and acidity. 

While most of the time, we might consider this problem temporary and often get away easily with some home remedies for acidity or heartburn; but that might not solve the problem completely and acidity symptoms might reoccur. That said, the food you eat directly impacts the formation of acid in the stomach. Hence, to manage the problem of acidity or heartburn effectively, it is important to remember some important dos and don’ts in food that help reduce acidity symptoms. 

Some Do’s for people experiencing acidity or heartburn

Milk: Cold milk being alkaline works magically to soothe the stomach muscles and the irritated esophagus, as well as the lining of the stomach, which thereby reduced the acidity symptoms and the heartburn.

Non-citrus Fruits: You should consume non-citrus fruits such as melons, bananas, apples, and pears in your diet to help with acidity symptoms. These non-citrus fruits are less likely to trigger heartburn and acidity.

Honey: Honey is rich with micro-nutrients and Vitamins such as Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which are both highly effective antibacterial agents and work smoothly to calm the irritated stomach muscles and lining.

Lean Meats and Seafood: Lean meats including skinless chicken (the skin of the chicken is home to 80% of fat content), turkey, fish, and fat-trimmed pork chops are relatively low in fat, calorie content, and are a good source of protein. You can also include seafood in your diet to fight against acidity. Lean meats can be grilled, broiled, baked or poached as per preference. These low-fat, rich in protein, low-calorie food items effectively reduce symptoms of acid reflux.

Egg Whites: Eggs are a rich source of protein but to avoid acid in the stomach you must separate the yolk from the whites, and consume the whites as they act as a lean source of protein helping to reduce acidity and acid reflux symptoms. Egg yolks are high in fat and can trigger acidity in some cases. 

Healthy Fats: Consumption of healthy fats monounsaturated fats such as avocados, peanuts, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, sesame, canola, and sunflower oil is good to reduce acidity. You should also consume polyunsaturated fats including safflower, soybean, corn, flaxseeds, walnuts, soybeans, tofu, salmon, and trout, which are also healthy and do no trigger acidity symptoms. Intake of Trans fat and saturated fats should be avoided to shun the acid in the stomach. 

Vegetables: Green vegetables such as beans, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, leafy greens, spinach, and kale are low in fat and sugar which helps in easier digestion and keeps the body weight healthy. These vegetables help to reduce stomach acid and do not hinder the natural process of food digestion. Including green vegetables in your diet is extremely beneficial for acidity cure. You can opt for cucumbers and potatoes which are also known to help in the reduction of acid in the stomach. Drinking vegetable soup is also another way to get hands-on these effective home remedies for acidity. 

Some Don’ts for people experiencing acidity or heartburn

Tomatoes and Citrus Fruits: For people, you experience frequent acidity symptoms, citrus fruits such as orange, lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, and pomelos – should be avoided as they cause acid reflux in the body. One should also stay clear of tomatoes to avoid any acid reflux symptoms.

High-fat Foods: High-fat foods such as French fries, onion rings, full-fat dairy products, desserts, snacks, heavy gravies, cream sauces, salad dressings, oily and greasy foods, etc. cause the LES to relax leading to more flow acid into the esophagus, thus causing acidity and heartburn.

Chocolate: Chocolate contains methylxanthine – an ingredient that has causes the LES muscles to relax inappropriately causing acidity. 

Caffeine: Caffeine can cause acidity symptoms to aggravate, hence it should be avoided if the acid reflux problem is frequent.

Garlic, Onion, and Spicy Food: These foods have known to trigger acidity symptoms in many people though not all. Hence, it is best to keep consumption of these items at the minimum; though spicy foods should be avoided at all costs.

Further, some other lifestyle and habitual do’s and don’ts that one must consider, if they experience acidity symptoms or heartburn, are:

• Do not eat heavy meals instead eat smaller portions frequently
• Improve your physical activity
• Do not lie down immediately after eating food
• Avoid carbonated beverages or sweetened drinks
• Avoid consuming spicy, oily and greasy food items
• Focus on a nutritiously balanced diet of protein, fibre, and healthy carbs
• Avoid excessive salt
• Limit alcohol intake
• Avoid excessive caffeine or tea
• Quit smoking
• Refrain from bedtime snacking
• Early your dinner, do not eat anything at least 3 hours before bedtime
• Manage your weight
• Wear loose and comfortable clothes
• Drink lots of water

Further, if you need immediate relief from acidity symptoms and heartburn, keep Gas-O-Fast sachets handy; these are available in all flavours and work magically to provide you relief from acidity and heartburn instantly.