Here are the best ways to avoid acidity, altogether!

Easy lifestyle habit swaps to say goodbye to those uncomfortable acidity issues
Acidity can be managed by lifestyle changes
Acidity can be managed by lifestyle changes

Of late, many people are facing acidity issues due to their bad lifestyle, improper eating habits, lack of sleep at night, not enough movement etc. But what is acidity? It actually is a set of symptoms caused by excess production of stomach acid by our gastric glands. Hydrochloric acid is processed by our stomach to digest and break down the food that we eat. Acidity issues arise when there is excess production of this stomach acid which could be triggered due to several situations like: eating acidic foods, skipping meals, late night dinners, long gaps between meals, frequent food intake, stress, dehydration and so on.

Since the reason for your acidity can be anything, it should be treated with a sense of seriousness. Nowadays, instead of fixing the root cause we focus on popping pills immediately to get instant results and that’s why antacids are popped today like candy.

Regular use of antacids will make your gut health worse in the long run. Many studies that are coming out are linking every possible disease to an acidic body — right from metabolic disorders, cancers, blood pressure to kidney issues, brain function etc. That’s why we need to understand that ‘excess acidity’ is not normal for our body and we should not be okay with it. Certain functions in the body performed by some organs require acids. For example, the stomach requires an acidic medium to digest food, kill bacteria etc. But when the acid levels increase or even decrease that can lead to series of problems. Like how an increased amount of acid affects our body, even too little acid may create issues and allow some bacteria to thrive in the system — for example, H Pylori and the breakdown as well as absorption of protein too is hampered which can lead to further digestive issues.

The body has its own mechanism to balance the pH naturally, we just have to follow the basics of providing good nutrition, adequate activity and quality sleep to enhance its effect.  Let’s learn about the easiest lifestyle changes that you can make to deal with acidity:

● Avoid skipping meals as it creates an acidic environment in the body and affects overall digestion.
● Set a proper body clock and align your eating timings accordingly. Long gaps between meals in an irregular pattern leads to acidity, so eat at same time on a daily basis to avoid these issues.
● Our digestive system is designed to rest and digest at night but due to social commitments or odd working hours, we end up eating late and that’s when the body can’t break down food at night which creates acidity. Try and have an early dinner at least five out of seven days to set a proper routine for the body.
● Overeating or under eating, both aren’t good for your body. The more you eat more than is needed, the more acid is produced by the body or the less you eat your body stays under nourished with high stomach acids.
● Due to hectic schedules, we tend to eat our food without chewing it well and these larger chunks of food are passed on to stomach. To digest these larger chunks, more stomach acid is released to break it down properly which can lead to acidity. So slow down and take your time to finish a meal.
● Too much of tea or coffee, and that too on an empty stomach can create more acidity. So it is better to avoid tea or coffee first thing in the morning. It should be had two hours after waking up.
● Not enough time between a meal and sleep time can affect digestion and create acid reflux. Keep a gap of at least two to three hours between your dinner and bedtime.
● Activity is very important, move around throughout the day to improve blood circulation and your overall digestion to control acidity.

indulge@newindianexpress.com
@indulgexpress

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