Gastric reflux means you must commit to a healthy eating lifestyle change. Looking to food as a way to fix gastric reflux is a good idea. After all food is a major cause of this problem. Gastric reflux and other forms of heartburn can be dramatically altered by changes in diet. It should be noted that gastric reflux may be caused by the obvious reasons which we will examine in a minute. But it may also be a cumulative condition, brought on by ingredients in prepared foods that you don’t even think about. Let’s go through the possibilities for gastric reflux cure.
Start with a checklist. Some foods, like tomatoes, are loaded with acid that irritates the esophagus and lower sphincter, while others like oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes can do the same. If you suspect an acidic food be sure to include its derivatives in your checklist. Of course chili peppers and similar spices can also cause problems.
Meat – especially beef, can be a natural gastric heartburn trigger. It happens because meat is a dense protein that requires much more acid for the stomach to digest. The stomach has a simple job, basically producing acid and enzymes that break down food so that it can be passed on to the small intestine. This is where most of the nutrition is extracted. The hitch happens when the stomach has to wait for the acid level to subside before the transfer can take place. A string bean digests much easier than an equal amount of meat.
Other kinds of meat – they have the same effect but to a lesser degree. So too for dairy products. All are acidic and contain protein and fat to some degree.
Processed foods – can add to the problem. Manufactured foods usually contain additives. Some good, some bad. The overall problem with gastric reflux is too much acid. The most powerful is what the stomach produces. A lot of what we eat, especially processed foods is also acidic. Foods like lunch meat, corn and wheat products start out acidic. Then acids are usually added to preserve and enhance. Read the labels, you may be surprised.
Colas and bottled juices – often over looked, these deserve a second glance, especially if they are carbonated. They may contain acetic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and phosphoric acid. Some of these are concentrated enough to etch tooth enamel.
It’s not that you necessarily have to eliminate all these but you should be aware that so much of what makes up the American diet is acidic. Gastric reflux is just one indication of things that could go wrong. The good news is that by curing gastric reflux you will be reducing the chance of other illnesses.
Tumors and cancers have been shown to diminish in an alkaline environment. This is an important piece of information that deserves more attention than It is currently getting. But by knowing a little about body chemistry it’s easy to see that it just makes good sense to have a diet that is as alkaline as possible.
To sum up I have to say that what you eat plays a big part in everyday health. By reducing your intake of acidic foods and upping the veggies and fruit will go a long way towards having the benefits of a natural gastric reflux cure.