Stomach acid has long been blamed for acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease and other ailments. It is a watery, colorless fluid that is produced by your stomach’s lining. Its high acid(pH) level helps break down food and absorb nutrients but sometimes acid has a higher pH level than normal and can irritate your esophagus lining. This can cause heartburn, a symptom of acid reflux which is a chest pain caused by the backwash of stomach acid. But now some experts are beginning to think that the issues may lie not just in the acid backwash from the stomach but in the food going down as well.
Studies suggest that more than 15 million Americans experience heartburn symptoms each day.
But how do you know when your stomach acid is too acidic and can cause damage? Acid has varying levels of pH, the lower the pH the more acidic and the higher the pH the lower the level. To neutralize the acidity, you need to consume alkaline minerals. You can do this by eating foods with a high alkaline content including brown rice, root vegetables, and bananas. Avoid foods like oranges, chili powder, and fatty foods that have high acidity contents and low pH levels. If you suffer from acid reflux you can naturally improve your health by focusing on the balance of acid and alkaline by eating certain foods and avoiding others to manage your gut health.
Probiotics aid many painful problems including indigestion, nausea and heartburn. Probiotics aid in balancing the pH level in your gut and encourage good bacteria to keep growing and prevent bad bacteria build up. When your gut has a balanced pH level then your stomach acid will likely be more balanced, and the acid backsplash will be less painful. Eating foods like yogurt, miso soup, and sauerkraut, that are natural probiotics, enables you to balance your pH while also fighting off bad gut bacteria.
Tips for Low-Acid Eating
- Remember that one serving of meat, poultry, or fish is about the size of a deck of playing cards or around 3 ounces. Keep your acid low by not overconsuming meat and get your protein instead from nuts and legumes instead. It should only take up about one-fourth of your dinner plate while the other three should be grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Keep in mind that it takes three servings of fruits and veggies to neutralize the acid from one serving of animal meat, and two servings of fruits and veggies to neutralize one serving of grain. So, keep those portions to a minimum and add in more fruits, veggies and dairy, specifically root vegetables, yogurt and melon. Fruits and veggies should take up over 50% of your plate per meal and on average you need to eat 2-4 cups of vegetables a day and 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit a day. If you are trying to neutralize your consumption of meat and grains, then you will need even more produce.
- If you eat the recommended number (4-6 cups)of fruit and veggies every day, you can safely eat one serving of meat (or fish or chicken). It’s still wise to plan at least one day a week without any animal protein, substitutinglegumes or nuts instead. This could look like 14 walnut halves, 24 almonds, 16 cashews, 28 peanuts, or 45 pistachios. Using foods to control your reflux can prevent pain and damage to your body while preserving enough stomach acid to prevent bacterial growth.
A few foods to alleviate acid reflux naturally.
Bananas: Known for being high in potassium, bananas also have a low pH (acidity) and are recommended for an acid reflux diet. Bananas help neutralize acid in the body and fruit produces mucus that lines the stomach and helps with digestion. But make sure they are ripe bananas as ripe bananas have less acidity than unripe bananas.
Egg whites are a great, low-fat source of protein which may be useful for people with acid reflux trying to reduce their fat intake. But most of the vitamins, minerals, beneficial fats, and other nutrients are found in the egg yolk, so incorporate these in your diet some other way.
Non-dairy milk: Cow’s milk can trigger reflux as it is an animal product and full of protein and fat, so try alternatives such as soy milk, oat milk, and cashew milk. All of these are milks that contain less fat than cow’s milk therefore neutralizing the acid in your stomach.
Vinegar: Drinking apple cider vinegar before meals can help reduce reflux. For the best results and to help with taste, mix the vinegar with water or manuka honey. Drinking the yeast, mother, or bacteria that made the vinegar can also give your stomach a pro-biotic boost, helping to reduce harmful bacteria which thrive in a low-acid stomach.
Popcorn is made from a whole grain, is full of fiber, and can make a great snack. Be sure to eat the popcorn with nothing added such as salt, cheese or butter as those can cause irritation. Popcorn isn’t acidic and has a neutral pH of 7 so it has no positive or negative acidic impact on your stomach.
If you suffer from acid reflux, these diet tips can help minimize your pain and neutralize the pH level of your stomach acid. That said, if you have acid reflux two or more times a week and the changes to your diet or eating pattern have not helped, please consult a healthcare practitioner about gastroesophageal reflux disease.
References:
How Strong Is Stomach Acid? Plus What to Do When Acid Levels Fluctuate (healthline.com)
Heartburn vs. Acid Reflux vs. GERD (healthline.com)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
Best and Worst Foods for Acid Reflux | Nexium (nexium24hr.com)
11 Probiotic Foods That Are Super Healthy (healthline.com)
What is a Serving? | American Heart Association
Serving Size for Nuts and Seeds | livestrong
Acidity in Banana: Does it Help with Acid reflux? (foodsforbetterhealth.com)
Is Oat Milk Good for Acid Reflux Sufferers? – UpThirst
The post 3 Ways to Transition to Low-Acid Eating appeared first on Alternative Medicine Magazine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distinction between holistic medicine, alternative medicine and holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine treats the whole person – mind, body, spirit, and soul. Holistic medicine considers all aspects of a person’s health. This includes the spiritual, psychological, and environmental factors that are often overlooked in conventional medicine. Alternative medicine can treat specific conditions like allergies, asthma, arthritis, and others.
What are alternative medicines?
Alternative medicine refers specifically to any treatment that is not used in mainstream medicine. These include traditional Chinese medicine.
Alternative medicine could also refer to any practice that has not been supported by scientific evidence but is used in clinical practice. You can use meditation, hypnosis and yoga to achieve this.
What does holistic refer to?
Holistic refers to being whole-based. Holistic is a way to look at the whole picture instead of just one aspect. This can be difficult because we have become accustomed to seeing things in their entirety.
Our default mentality is to see things in black and white. However, grey comes in a wide range of shades.
It is important to consider all angles when working on a project. Look at it from all sides.
Try to understand how it fits together as a whole. How do its various elements interact with each other?
If you find a problem in your situation, take the time to ask why. Don’t forget about the effects of any change that you make.
Why is holistic healing better?
Holistic health care treats the whole person instead of just specific symptoms. This means looking at how someone feels, what they eat, where they live, how much stress they are under etc…
Holistic medicine addresses all aspects of the patient’s life, and treats them as a whole. Although it may sound easy, in practice this is difficult because doctors tend to focus only on the physical aspect of patients.
What is alternative medicine called?
Alternative medicine can be described as any method of healing that is different from traditional medical practice. There are many types of alternative medicine. However, they all share the same premise: health care should be grounded in natural substances and practices, not chemical medicines.
Alternative medicine includes acupuncture.
Alternative practitioners claim their treatments have improved health outcomes. They also claim they are more cost-effective and provide better patient satisfaction. These claims can’t be supported scientifically, as mainstream medical authorities have mostly ignored the evidence-based advantages of alternative medicine.
Statistics
- The use of alternative medicine in the US has increased, with a 50 percent increase in expenditures and a 25 percent increase in the use of alternative therapies between 1990 and 1997 in America. (en.wikipedia.org)
- In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
- category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
- According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
- These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
doi.org
webmd.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING & TENSION-TYPE HEADADACHE – PubMed
- PubMed: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effects of Foot Reflexology on Depression and Hospital Anxiety in Older Females: A Randomized Controlled Study – PubMed
liebertpub.com
- Games for Health Journal, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine – A systematic review of randomized controlled trials involving acupuncture for insomnia treatment
How To
What should I look for when looking for a qualified holistic doctor
How to find a doctor who practices holistic medicine?
Specialists are the best doctors. We are referring to holistic medicine in this instance. Doctors must be able to treat patients holistically. This includes treating the whole person and not just the symptoms. They should understand holistic health and why you want to see a holistic doctor.
The doctor should be able to understand holistic health as well as complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), such chiropractic care, massage therapy, and acupuncture.
Holistic health professionals should be able diagnose your condition and present the various treatment options to help you make informed decisions about your treatment options.
It is also important to ask if the doctor is certified by professional organizations, such as the American Holistic Medical Association (NCBCTM) or the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). The NBOHMCA provides certification in many areas, including naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, herbalism, and aromatherapy.
Our directory can help you find holistic practitioners in your area. You may be able search online to find a holistic physician near you if there aren’t any listed.
Contact your local hospital or medical center to confirm whether they offer holistic healthcare.
You can also visit your local library for books and resources on holistic health.
–
——————————————————————————————————————————————
This blog is a source of general information and discussion on health and related topics. Information and materials on this blog, on the website, or in any of the connected materials are not intended to replace or used as a substitute for the advice of a medical professional, diagnosis, or treatment. This blog does not represent the application of any nursing, medical or other health professional advice or diagnosis. We are unable to diagnose health conditions, offer second opinions or provide specific treatment recommendations via this blog or on our website.
If you or another person is suffering from a medical issue and you are concerned, consult your doctor or seek out other medical professional treatment as soon as possible. Do not disregard medical advice from a professional or delay seeking it due to information you seen on the blog or website or in any of the linked materials. If you’re experiencing an emergency medical situation, dial 911 or seek emergency medical assistance on the closest phone immediately.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
By: Dick Benson
Title: 3 Ways to Transition to Low-Acid Eating
Sourced From: alternativemedicine.com/conditions/gut-health/3-ways-to-transition-to-low-acid-eating/
Published Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2023 16:08:47 +0000
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the distinction between holistic medicine, alternative medicine and holistic medicine?
Holistic medicine treats the whole person – mind, body, spirit, and soul. Holistic medicine considers all aspects of a person’s health. This includes the spiritual, psychological, and environmental factors that are often overlooked in conventional medicine. Alternative medicine can treat specific conditions like allergies, asthma, arthritis, and others.
What are alternative medicines?
Alternative medicine refers specifically to any treatment that is not used in mainstream medicine. These include traditional Chinese medicine.
Alternative medicine could also refer to any practice that has not been supported by scientific evidence but is used in clinical practice. You can use meditation, hypnosis and yoga to achieve this.
What does holistic refer to?
Holistic refers to being whole-based. Holistic is a way to look at the whole picture instead of just one aspect. This can be difficult because we have become accustomed to seeing things in their entirety.
Our default mentality is to see things in black and white. However, grey comes in a wide range of shades.
It is important to consider all angles when working on a project. Look at it from all sides.
Try to understand how it fits together as a whole. How do its various elements interact with each other?
If you find a problem in your situation, take the time to ask why. Don’t forget about the effects of any change that you make.
Why is holistic healing better?
Holistic health care treats the whole person instead of just specific symptoms. This means looking at how someone feels, what they eat, where they live, how much stress they are under etc…
Holistic medicine addresses all aspects of the patient’s life, and treats them as a whole. Although it may sound easy, in practice this is difficult because doctors tend to focus only on the physical aspect of patients.
What is alternative medicine called?
Alternative medicine can be described as any method of healing that is different from traditional medical practice. There are many types of alternative medicine. However, they all share the same premise: health care should be grounded in natural substances and practices, not chemical medicines.
Alternative medicine includes acupuncture.
Alternative practitioners claim their treatments have improved health outcomes. They also claim they are more cost-effective and provide better patient satisfaction. These claims can’t be supported scientifically, as mainstream medical authorities have mostly ignored the evidence-based advantages of alternative medicine.
Statistics
- The use of alternative medicine in the US has increased, with a 50 percent increase in expenditures and a 25 percent increase in the use of alternative therapies between 1990 and 1997 in America. (en.wikipedia.org)
- In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
- category.[111]Edzard Ernst characterized the evidence for many alternative techniques as weak, nonexistent, or negative and in 2011, published his estimate that about 7.4% were based on “sound evidence.” However, he believes that may be an overestimate. (en.wikipedia.org)
- According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
- These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
doi.org
webmd.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING & TENSION-TYPE HEADADACHE – PubMed
- PubMed: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effects of Foot Reflexology on Depression and Hospital Anxiety in Older Females: A Randomized Controlled Study – PubMed
liebertpub.com
- Games for Health Journal, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine – A systematic review of randomized controlled trials involving acupuncture for insomnia treatment
How To
What should I look for when looking for a qualified holistic doctor
How to find a doctor who practices holistic medicine?
Specialists are the best doctors. We are referring to holistic medicine in this instance. Doctors must be able to treat patients holistically. This includes treating the whole person and not just the symptoms. They should understand holistic health and why you want to see a holistic doctor.
The doctor should be able to understand holistic health as well as complementary and alternative therapies (CAM), such chiropractic care, massage therapy, and acupuncture.
Holistic health professionals should be able diagnose your condition and present the various treatment options to help you make informed decisions about your treatment options.
It is also important to ask if the doctor is certified by professional organizations, such as the American Holistic Medical Association (NCBCTM) or the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). The NBOHMCA provides certification in many areas, including naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, herbalism, and aromatherapy.
Our directory can help you find holistic practitioners in your area. You may be able search online to find a holistic physician near you if there aren’t any listed.
Contact your local hospital or medical center to confirm whether they offer holistic healthcare.
You can also visit your local library for books and resources on holistic health.
Leave a Reply