Heartburn or Acid Reflux is Uncomfortable. You Can Take Antacids or Other Medicines – But Here Are the Natural Solutions!
There can be many different causes for heartburn – and that’s not much comfort when you’ve got it. Of course, it’s easy and convenient to take medication to ease acid reflux – tablets or liquids work well.
But it’s good to know the natural solutions as well. Why? Because the medications simply reduce the symptoms. Yes, they make you feel better, but they don’t really solve the problem long-term.
There are things you can do differently that will help you to avoid getting heartburn in the first place. First though, a word about the “baking soda stomach acid test”.
The Baking Soda Stomach Acid Test
If you’ve spent time on social media, you’ve probably seen someone telling you that drinking baking soda with water will tell you if you’ve got low stomach acid or not.
It seems great – but you can’t rely on it.
First, it’s not scientifically proven. And second, different people use different times for the test, and reach different conclusions.
That means you simply can’t rely it to decide if you have an acid problem or not.
Instead, let’s look at what you CAN safely do to ease acid reflux – and hopefully, stop it from starting!
Avoid or Reduce High-Risk Foods
The foods which are most likely to cause heartburn in most people are
- Spicy foods (e.g. curries)
- Acidic foods (e.g. citrus fruits such as lemon)
- High-fat foods (e.g. fatty meat and sausages)
You’ll probably also find that heavily processed foods – convenience foods, many takeaway foods and junk food – also contribute to acid reflux. And they’re lousy for your health. That goes for deli meats such as bacon, salami etc. too.
Other offenders are caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
If you enjoy any of these, try to consume them earlier in the day rather than late at night. And of course, moderation is key – enjoy them as a treat!
Other Tips
It’s best to eat foods that are rich in fiber and mainly plant-based (although again, avoid heavily processed foods even if they’re vegetarian or vegan). AÂ vegetarian diet is often better for your health, but even cutting back on meat and eating more veggies is helpful.
Eat your main meal as early as possible in the day. Eating late in the evening and going to bed soon after it will probably lead to heartburn.
In fact, a really good tip is to avoid all food and alcohol for at least 3 hours before you go to bed. Do this as often as you can.
Read on below to discover another possible cause…..
Low Zinc?
It’s possible that low zinc levels can also cause stomach acid issues. So eating more foods with zinc –
- oysters
- lean beef
- beans
may help support healthy stomach acid levels.
Other Good Things to Eat to Ease Acid Reflux
Fermented foods are good – kimchi, plain live yogurt, sauerkraut, etc. all help you to digest foods more easily.
Bananas, berries, garlic and leeks also help – and when you combine them with fermented foods, you get pre- and probiotics which is great!
Rye bread and sourdough bread are also good for gut health. Remember that for your next sandwich!
An apple a day …… improves your gut health. It can contain up to 1 million (good) bacteria
And finally, drink lots of water – the more water you drink, the better your gut health.
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Do you have acid reflux? Let me know in the comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S.  Don’t forget to download your FREE recipes for yummy smoothies that will keep you feeling full! Click here. Â