All About Controlling Acidity

Acidity is usually manifested as a burning sensation in the digestive tract. The reason is that a high concentration of digestive enzymes and acids are forming in the tract. The main reason for this is irregular meal times. If the gap between meals is very long then the acid collects in the empty stomach and sometimes rises in the esophagus making a burning sensation come up towards the throat.

The first rule is not to keep the body empty of food or water early in the morning. When you wake up, drink two large glasses or one litre of warm water to clear the tract and then some warm milk or milky coffee/tea. The coffee and tea are best avoided if the acidity is severe. An hour later breakfast may be eaten. If breakfast is eaten at 8 am, follow it with fresh fruit and plenty of water by 11 am. This may be followed by lunch at 1 pm. The gap to dinner is another 7-8 hours so it’s best to have a 4 pm snack of a glass of milk and two Marie biscuits and a 6 pm snack of a fruit. Dinner should be between 7-9 pm and if you stay up late then you may have another fruit or a cup of warm milk so you don’t sleep on an empty stomach. Some food causes more irritation then others. Green chillies and other spices like chilly powder increases the burning sensation and must be strictly controlled. Very sour foods like citric fruit, lime juice and too much tamarind or tomato may also increase the irritation. It’s not just spicy foods that cause a problem but also very rich fatty foods, as fats take 6-8 hours to get digested and the enzymes and acids of this digestion are lying in the tract for such a long duration and this causes irritation.

Pickles and coconut chutney are bad for acidity so should be banned for a month or two till you get some relief. These two are not only spicy but also very high in fat. All deep-fried snacks and papads should also be avoided. Also oily non-veg dishes like fried mutton and beef are dangerous because of the fat in them.

You might suffer from acidity if you drink an inadequate quantity of water. All those who have an acidity problem must drink at least three litres of water daily. Buttermilk also has a soothing effect on the digestive tract. But cigarettes, tobacco and paan can increase acidity. Stress and tension also increase the production of acids, so if the stress is still severe then the acidity will continue. Untreated acidity could lead to the formation of peptic ulcers in the digestive tract. Walking helps relieve stress and this may help reduce acid formation. So combine walk and water in your life for the best results.