With the mercury soaring high, summer 2018 seems to be getting brutal every day. High heat can cause a lot of problems for our health and well-being, particularly stomach related issues. This is the time when you should be very watchful of your diet, as some foods can heat up your body and cause discomfort such as acidity. What you eat can help you in numerous ways to beat the heat during the hot season and prevent you from acidity.
Acidity or hyper acidity symptomized by sour burps, burning sensation in the stomach, upper abdominal pain, heaviness and indigestion after a meal as well as frequent headaches. In some severe cases, it can even prompt chest pain or heartburn.
Our stomach produces acid to digest the food we eat. This is a regular and natural process. Whenever we eat, cells within the lining of the stomach pump acid to liquefy the food. Acidity or heartburn is caused due to the presence of excessive acid in the stomach. Following are the lifestyle and food remedies discuss to help you with acidity.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES:
- Avoid tight-fighting clothes after a meal or tightening trouser belts. It exerts pressure on the intestines
- Avoid vigorous activity soon after eating
- Avoid being on empty stomach or unhealthy snacking
- Avoid heavy meals & carbonated beverages.
- Opt for Dip Tea instead of having traditional masala chai
- Avoid overeating or eating quickly. Chew slowly and completely allowing the time for the saliva to get properly mixed with the food consumed.
- Avoid cigarettes and alcohol
- Try to maintain a gap of 3 hours between your dinner and the night sleep.
- If you must lie down after a meal than always lie on your left side
- Stay away from raw salad of vegetables like onion, cabbage, radish, and peppers
- Keep away from unripe high pectin fruits, such as unripe apple. But ripe apple such as delicious apple or Fuji apple may help out
You can also get rid of this ACIDIC feeling by following tips;
FOOD REMEDIES:
Oatmeal is just about the best breakfast and any-time-of-day. It’s filling and doesn’t cause ACID reflux.
Ginger: During summers use in small qty, ginger is one of the best foods for acid re flux. It has been used throughout history as an anti-inflammatory and as a treatment for gastrointestinal conditions. Ginger root can easily be peeled, sliced, diced, or shaved using a grater. You can use it while cooking or add it to smoothies. Ginger has been found to have a gastro protective effect by blocking acid and suppressing helicobacter pylori. Add two or three slices of fresh ginger root to two cups of water. Let steep for about half an hour. Drink about 20 minutes or so before your meal.
Before bed, try a cup of chamomile tea, which can help soothe stomach inflammation and help you sleep.
Raisins (manukkas) should be soaked in water overnight and to be had first thing in the morning. Raisins that are high in alkalinity can be consumed to help reduce the acid balance of the body.
Cinnamon is good for your digestive health. It works as a natural antacid and helps dispel stomach gas. Add half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder in a cup of water and bring it to a boil and then allow it to steep for a few minutes. Drink this cinnamon tea two to three times a day. You can also add cinnamon powder to your soup or salad.
After the meals, take one piece of Clove (Laung) and suck on it slowly. This not only gives instantaneous relief but also helps in reducing the onslaught of diseases arising out of acidity.
Buttermilk/Yogurt: It contains lactic acid that normalizes the acidity in the stomach. Grind half to one teaspoon of fenugreek seeds with a little water to make a paste. Mix it in a glass of plain buttermilk, also called chaas, and consume it to relieve stomach ache caused by acidity. Or, you can simply drink plain buttermilk several times a day until you get relief. Mix in a little black pepper or one teaspoon of ground coriander leaves for best results.
Bananas have protective action against the acidity and heart burn. Eat a banana daily post fest, avoidable to high sugar patients.
Snack on almonds: These tasty nuts do something to seemingly neutralize the juices in your stomach, relieving and preventing some instances of heartburn.
The following foods are particularly helpful in reducing acidity: Coconut water, raw cabbage, grapefruit (papnus), Juice or soup of carrot, bottle gourd, pumpkin and cabbage.
A common home-made antacid remedy is to consume a half glass of water with ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
There are also acidity-free or treat-acidity recipes that can be adopted in regular cooking e.g. cucumber plus curd rice.
NATURAL REMEDIES:
Aloe vera is famous as a natural healing agent. It can be used in recipes as a thickener and for congealing liquids.
A good naturopathy Remedy for Acidity is to chew up a few basil (Tulsi) leaves to obtain relief from blazing, nausea and gas
Obtain a mixture of 2 tsp of normal apple cider vinegar and 2 tsp raw honey in a glass of water earlier than meals. One of the well liked home remedy for acidity.
Boil one cup of water. To this add 1 tsp of Aniseed (Saunf). Cover and leave overnight. Strain the water in the morning, add 1 tsp of honey. When this is taken 3 times a day it prevents acidity.
These are some of the effective and easy methods to prevent stomach acidity during summer. Just try any of these and see the result for yourself.
Be Happy, Be Healthy always.