If you would have heard this hindi saying ” dil ka darwaaza pet se hai” . This literally means ” Way to heart is through stomach”. Yes I would agree to this. As we all know, as fat as your gut (stomach) is healthy you will be healthy. So it is very important that we take good car of our digestive system so that it doesn’t trouble you. Today we are going to talk about acidity. There are so many people who often suffer from acidity issues. First of all let’s understand what acidity is?In simple term, acidity is a condition where your food pipe gets irritated bu the acidic digestive juices and bile secretions. It is a condition characterized by heartburn felt around the lower chest area. Some people also diagnose it as chest burning.
It is proven that the causes of acidity are unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices. So if you are looking at curing this problem you should first look at the causes.
1. Heavy meals
2. Irregular meals.
3. Too much oily and fried food.
4. Adding too much garam masala and spices to food.
5. Eating less fiber in diet i.e fruits and vegetables.
6. Less curd and yoghurt (probiotics) in diet.
7. Less physical Activity.
8. Drinking water in between meals.
9. Eating whole pulses very frequently.
10. Frequent alcohol intake
11. Smoking
12. Too many chocolates.
13. Excessive Stress.
14. Less sleep.
We take acidity very casually and choose to pop a pill of antacid without focusing or trying to know the cause behind this. Antacids work by counteracting (neutralizing) the acid in your stomach. That means your body has less amount of acids to act on the food you eat. When this happens repeatedly, your body stops producing those digestive acids and hence the acidity problem continues for long. Then you are been suggested tablets of digestive enzymes. And your tablets intake just go on increasing.Gut is the main organ.
Any disease or syndrome is directly related to abnormal functioning of your gut. So it’s our duty to take care of it and make the desired lifestyle changes to keep gut healthy. As long as you gut is healthy your body will have strong immunity. Some people who are on heavy dose of medicine may require antacids but rest of them don’t require those pills. By making some lifestyle changes acidity can be prevented. If your antacids intakes are high, that sends signal to the body to stop making acids. Stomach produces acid not just for digestion but also to destroy the bacteria, pathogens, dirt and contamination. This is the prime function of acids to break down these contagions and keep us healthy. So if you take antacid pill on regular basis or treat your acidity with it quite often your stomach produces less of these acids and hence prolonged gastric issues, colon and H.Pylori sets in.
So based on the cause, we need to make desired changes in our lifestyle and eating habits.
1. Eat small frequent
2. Eat meals on time.
3. Do not add too much oil while cooking.
4. Include salads and fruits to diet.
5. Have Probiotcs ( Best is to have curd with your meals)
6. Increase your activity levels. Try to move around more frequently.
7. Drink water every one hour. No water before and after 30 mins of meal.
8. Avoid whole pulses in diet when symptoms there.
9. Reduce the quantity and frequency of smoking.
10. Quit smoking.
11. Avoid having chocolates if you face severe acidity.
12. Avoid having caffeine and caffeine containing drinks.
13. If you are over weight, losing weight will also help you to get rid of acidity.
14. You can chew tulsi or basil leaves, cloves, aniseed.
So follow the remedies listed above to have acidic free life.
RD Neha Kava
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