Author:
Monica Porter
Date Of Creation:
18 March 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Excess acid in the stomach can cause many symptoms such as acid reflux, heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux. If you run into any of these problems, you know how annoying it is. Fortunately, there are several things you can do at home to ease your symptoms. By controlling your diet and making some lifestyle changes, you can effectively prevent or treat excess stomach acid. If you have tried all of the above treatments and your condition still does not improve, do not lose hope. You may just need to take medicine. Talk to your doctor about treatments to reduce stomach acid.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: What to eat
Making changes to your diet can help reduce stomach acid and prevent or alleviate heartburn symptoms. This does not mean that you cannot enjoy the rich and delicious food! Try to incorporate these foods into your diet to avoid acid-induced stomach upset.
Eat lean meat. Red, dark, or processed meats are often high in saturated fat, which can make heartburn worse. Instead, choose sources of animal protein from lean meats like chicken, turkey, and fish. These foods are much easier to digest and will not cause irritation.
- If you eat poultry, you should remove the skin to reduce the amount of saturated fat.
- The fried method reduces the health benefits of lean meat. For example, fried chicken has a much greater risk of heartburn than grilled chicken.
Avoid overeating by eating foods rich in fiber. Overeating is a common heartburn trigger, as stomach acid is pushed back into the esophagus. The fiber helps you feel full faster, making it difficult to overeat. Good sources of fiber include beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, oats and nuts.- Getting enough fiber is also important for general digestive health, so try to eat 25-30 grams of fiber per day.
Incorporate alkaline foods like bananas to neutralize acids. Alkaline foods have a higher pH, which means they can de-acidify the stomach. Some alkaline foods include bananas, nuts, dill, broccoli, and melons.
Eat foods with a lot of water to dilute stomach acids. Foods with a high water content can thin stomach acids, relieve pain or burning. Good choices include melon, celery, cucumber, lettuce, soup or broth. You can use them as side dishes or as snacks in addition to meals.
Add fresh herbs and spices instead of dried or seasoning powder. Spicy or herbal powders are usually more concentrated, and a strong flavor can trigger heartburn. Choose fresh spices to reduce the risk of heartburn.
- Fresh parsley, basil and oregano are usually milder on the stomach than other spiced vegetables.
Cook with baking to add flavor to your food. Since you have to avoid spicy foods, you may be wondering how to keep your dishes from being bland. Grilled dishes would be a good choice. The baking method helps the food taste better and lessens the natural sugars in the ingredients. Try this recipe if you want more flavorful meals.
- You can bake food on the grill at over 204 degrees C instead of baking in the oven.
Eat raw vegetables if cooked vegetables are making your stomach upset. There are some people who find that raw vegetables help calm the stomach more than cooked vegetables. You can try eating raw vegetables to see if this helps.
- Be sure to wash the vegetables carefully, as the bacteria won't die without cooking the vegetables.
- If you have irritable bowel syndrome, raw vegetables can make the symptoms worse. In this case, you should probably cook the vegetables before you eat them.
Drink plenty of water to dilute stomach acid. Water is the best drink to eat with meals, as it naturally dilutes stomach acids, which in turn helps prevent heartburn as well.
- Some people believe that bottled alkaline water, which has a higher pH than tap water, will help neutralize stomach acids better. However, there is not much evidence that this water is more effective than filtered water.
Method 2 of 4: Foods to avoid
Certain foods can cause symptoms of excess stomach acid. These foods can vary from person to person, but there are a few common culprits that often cause heartburn or acid reflux. Try to limit these foods in your diet to avoid causing symptoms.
Avoid fatty, fried and processed foods. These foods are digested more slowly and stimulate more acid secretion. Cut back on fried or processed foods as well as foods high in saturated fat like red meat.
- Try cooking with other methods instead of frying. Grilling, overheating or baking are all ways to reduce the saturated fat content of food.
Cut back on acidic fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits and tomatoes, in particular, can increase stomach acid. Try to limit these foods in your diet.
- Products that use these ingredients, such as ketchup or orange juice, can also be unpleasant, so you should also avoid them.
- Some people tolerate raw tomatoes better than processed tomatoes. You can try eating raw tomatoes to see if it gets better.
Cut back on chocolate and mint. Chocolate, peppermint and peppermint often irritate stomach pain due to excess acidity. Avoid these if they bothers you.
Add mild spices to dishes. Spicy foods are a common heartburn trigger, especially cayenne or red peppers. Instead, add flavor to your dishes with milder spices like chili powder or black pepper.
- You can tolerate a small amount of seasonings. Add little by little to your food if you like. This way, you will know how much your tolerance threshold is.
Use less garlic when cooking. Garlic is a common heartburn stimulant, including fresh garlic and garlic powder. If you have heartburn after eating garlic dishes, reduce the amount of garlic in your food or abstain from it completely.
- When you go to a restaurant, you can tell the waiter that you are sensitive to garlic so they tell the chef to use some garlic when preparing the dish.
Avoid carbonated beverages. Even unsweetened carbonated drinks can stimulate acid reflux into the esophagus. It is best to avoid drinking all kinds of carbonated drinks while you eat to help digest food smoothly.
- You can drink carbonated water in addition to meals, as the amount of acid in your stomach will be less when you are not eating.
Reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake. Both caffeine and alcohol can trigger acid reflux, so it's important to control your intake. Limit caffeine intake to 2-3 cups per day, and do not exceed 1-2 drinks a day.
- If caffeine and alcohol are causing your symptoms, you may need to abstain from them altogether.
Keep track of foods that cause symptoms. Although some foods trigger acid reflux, everyone's condition is different. Some foods can make you uncomfortable, some not. It is best to make a list of foods that make symptoms worse to avoid. advertisement
Method 3 of 4: Lifestyle adjustment
Besides controlling your diet, you can make some lifestyle changes to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach. Eating and moving too much after you eat are common causes of heartburn, so pay attention to feeling full while you eat. With these control methods, you can prevent heartburn after you eat.
Eat slowly to avoid overeating. Eating too fast is often the cause of overeating, so slow down throughout the meal. Eat pieces and chew them thoroughly before swallowing. Do not pick up another piece before swallowing the previous one.
- A commonly used tip for eating slowly is to count the number of chewing pieces. Try this trick if slowing down is difficult for you.
Stop eating when you feel full. Don't force yourself to continue eating once you start to feel full. Otherwise, you may overeat and trigger heartburn symptoms.
- If you eat at a restaurant, you can ask the server to take out a box to take away food. This way, you will avoid overeating, and then have snacks at home.
Eat several small meals instead of a few full meals. Full meals put more pressure on the stomach and may trigger heartburn. Instead of eating 3 large meals a day, you should eat 5 small meals. This will keep you from getting too full during meals.
- An ideal meal has 400-500 calories. This way, you will keep your daily calorie intake at 2,000-2,500 calories.
Stand or sit upright for 2 hours after eating. The lying position pushes the acid back up into the esophagus and can stimulate heartburn. Instead of lying down, stand or sit upright to let gravity pull the acid down.
Wait 2-3 hours after eating to exercise. Exercising too soon after eating can cause stomach upset. Wait a few hours to give the food enough time to digest before exercising.
- The exact waiting time will depend on the exercise. Aerobic exercises like jogging require an empty stomach, but if you do lift weights without having to move up and down too much, then you don't need to wait that long.
Wear loose fitting clothes so you don't put pressure on your stomach. Tight clothing can press on your stomach or stomach and fill your esophagus with acid. Wear un-tight clothing to avoid pain.
Lie high while sleeping to prevent acid reflux during the night. Horizontal position can also cause acid to flow backwards. If you suffer from frequent night-time heartburn, try placing an extra pillow under your shoulders to lie in a steep position.
- You can also purchase a headrest bed to make it easier to adjust.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight puts a lot of pressure on your stomach, so talk to your doctor about whether you need to lose weight. If so, you should make adjustments to your diet and exercise to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.
Quit smoking or not practice smoking. Smoking cigarettes significantly increases the risk of acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux. It's best to quit smoking as soon as possible or don't smoke in the first place.
- Secondhand smoke can also cause many of these problems, so don't let anyone smoke in your home.
Method 4 of 4: Natural remedies
There are many documented home remedies for heartburn. Although many of these therapies are not very effective, there are a few that are based on scientific evidence. If you have tried to manage it and still have heartburn, these therapies may help. Try it to see if it works. If not, you can take an antacid.
Drink ginger tea when you feel your heartburn is coming. Ginger has a natural soothing effect on the stomach, so a little ginger tea can help reduce gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Make a cup of ginger tea and take sips if you feel you are about to experience acid reflux.
- Ginger tea is available as a packet, or you can make your own by boiling a piece of fresh ginger in water and filtering it to drink.
Drink a water solution mixed with baking soda to neutralize the acid. Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is an alkaline substance and can neutralize stomach acids. That's why baking soda is used in many antacids. You can stir ½ teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water and drink it all. Repeat 3-4 times per day as needed.
- You should check with your doctor before using this therapy to be sure it is safe.
Try honey and lemon juice to soothe your stomach. This drink also helps neutralize stomach acid. Squeeze 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice into a glass of water and mix with a teaspoon of honey. Take a sip of lemon juice mixed with honey to see if the symptoms subside.
- You can also mix honey and lemon in ginger tea to combine the two treatments.
Medical treatment
It is possible to control the amount of acid in your stomach with a number of changes in your diet and lifestyle. Many people just need it to control heartburn. However, if you have made changes and the disease still does not go away, you should see your doctor to see your doctor. You may need prescription medications to inhibit stomach acid production. Regardless of whether home remedies are effective or need extra medication, you will manage your heartburn symptoms, and it won't be a nuisance for you.
