Erratic work hours, irregular eating patterns, “Deadly” deadlines, lack of sleep (or excess of it!), lesser time being devoted to re-creation activities etc… doesn’t just leave u stressed out and fatigued… it calls for your uninvited guests : Acidity and/or Ulcers…. Who… (don’t mind!) will be living with you for a few days!!
There could be many other causes for those two, apart from our lifestyles and eating patterns (eg: ulcers in the gut may also be caused by a bacteria called Helicobater pylori) but count on your fingers and tell me, how often did our grandparents or their ancestors fall victim to these symptoms huh?
Surely there would be some truth when your grandma (or your mum/dad!) alleges that your ulcer/acidity is a result of skipping meals or eating excess fried and spicy stuff outside or working overtime and not taking enough rest etc
Acidity and ulcers are caused when the acid secreted within the gut, begins to damage the gut lining itself resulting in a burning sensation, flatulence and erosion of the mucosal lining.
I won’t go on and on about why acidity or ulcers occurs, by now you probably have an idea. I can’t tell you to reduce your workload….in this competitive world, it’s difficult (although a break once in a while, seems a good option)….what I can tell u though, is that changing your dietary and other habits like regular sleep patterns, abstaining from smoking, alcohol etc can help reduce the severity and occurrence of it!So here goes…. a few tips and remedies which will help to prevent and cure acidity and ulcers
- Keep a clove on your tongue and keep sucking on it slowly to relieve yourself of acidity and related symptoms.
- Have a banana, rich in potassium, it will neutralise the acids of the gut. Also, banana contains serotonin which affects the acid secretion in the stomach.
- Have small frequent meals, so that the stomach is not empty at any particular time and contact of gut mucosa with acid is less. For the same reason, don’t skip meals and don’t overeat either.
- To cure acidity, boil cumin seeds/fennel seeds/mint leaves in water and drink it with and after meals.
- Tender coconut water is a good acidity-buster!
- Herbal tea with mint and liquorice.
- Cabbage juice has been acclaimed to fight ulcers and acidity. If you are unable to extract juice, eat a piece of cabbage a few times in the day.
- Having cold milk and dahi/yoghurt also helps
- Be happy and stop getting stressed out. Relax.
Other than that, a few alkaline vegetables that you could eat will be cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant(brinjal), broccoli, garlic, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peas etc and alkaline fruits include papaya, melons, cherries, apricots, grapes, peaches, pears, apples etc
Avoid:
- Spicy, fatty and processed foods which tax the GI system. Stop overeating and maintain a regular meal pattern.
- Consuming foods which stimulate more of gastric juice and acid secretion in the gut, like coffee, tea, chocolates, meat and non vegetarian foods, alcohol etc
- Rushing through your meals.
- Drinking excess water during meals.
- Lying down soon after you’ve had your meals.
- Using aspirin, disprin etc frequently.
- Stressing out!
It is said that avoid acidic foods like lemons, tomatoes etc but here I’d like to say that the pH of stomach acid is lower than that of natural foods so the latter won’t really contribute to acidity.
With all this, I’m sure you accept the fact that your body is like an automobile while u are the driver who maintains it…. If you don’t keep servicing it and taking care, don’t expect it to give you too many kilometres!
Dear anushree-a very well-written article.
However somehow I have find that bananas tend to give me a feeling of fullness &acidity(although I love bananas)-is there some alternative way to combat this effect?Also some people say that cabbage causes gas-is it true?