Heartburn and Indigestion
Do fatty, rich foods give you indigestion? Here’s how fermented foods and drinks can heal your heartburn and keep you healthier in the long run!
There it is again…burning, belching, acid reflux.
It used to come only after a rich meal, but now it seems like you can hardly eat anything without getting heartburn and indigestion. You may have moved from over-the-counter to prescription antacids and are wondering if you’ll have to take them for life.
Surely there must be a solution to painful heartburn and indigestion… Thankfully, there is!
Understand the Causes To Understand the Cure
Indigestion and heart burn occur after you eat when the stomach acid, bile, and partially digested food flow up from your stomach and into your esophagus. This in itself is painful, but over time the up flow of acid can errode the tissue of your esophagus and leave you with open sores.
Bear in mind that there are two types of acid reflux: acute and chronic.
Acute acid reflux occurs occasionally and is typically caused by food sensitivities, eating too much, or pathogenic bacteria in your food. If you suffer from acute acid reflux from time to time, follow the guidelines below to establish a foundation for digestive health that will heal your body and prevent acid reflux.
If you experience acid reflux on a regular basis, you may have chronic acid reflux, or gastoesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD.
No matter which you have, healthy digestion is the key to treatment and prevention.
Some of the causes of acid reflux can include:
- A weak lower esophageal sphincter high pressure zone
- Low stomach acid
- Food allergies
- Constipation
- Abdominal fat
- Stress
- Eating too quickly
When you experience acid reflux, it is tempting to reach for over-the-counter and prescription drugs. But those often make the problem worse! These drugs can:
- Decrease your stomach acid
- Create an environment in your stomach that encourages the growth of pathogenic bacteria and yeast
- Inhibit your body’s absorption of essential vitamins and minerals
If, however, your esophagus is damaged from chronic acid reflux, taking acid-blocking and other drugs can be helpful because they give your esophagus a chance to heal.
For the long-term, it’s far better to take a preventative approach to healing, using natural measures that focus on wellness.
4 Steps to Natural Heartburn Prevention
Here are the easiest ways to treat and prevent heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux:
- Eat a Healthy, Eat the Body Ecology WayTo learn more about the healing foods to eat, read: The Quick and Easy Guide to Improving Your Health Part 1: The First 7 Steps to Great Health.These foods exacerbate GERD and are best avoided: coffee, sugar, caffeine, chocolate and alcohol.
- Reduce StressStress can be a major contributor to indigestion and heartburn. Consider stress relievers that also enhance your digestion and elimination like:
- Eating in a relaxed environment
- Aerobic exercise
- Acupuncture
- Stress relievers like The LifeLine Technique
- Add Healing Fermented Foods and Drinks
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- Cultured vegetables build your digestive system and populate your gut with probiotics, the good bacteria and yeast that help break down food. Eat them with your meals to enhance digestion.
- Fermented drinks like Young Coconut Kefir and CocoBiotic are an ideal way to protect your body from the pathogens that can cause heartburn symptoms.
- Assist Your DigestionWhile many people think heartburn is from too much stomach acid, it can actually be caused by too little stomach acid (HCl)!Additionally, as we age, not only does stomach acid decrease, but our enzymes that help us digest food decrease.Body Ecology’s Assist Dairy and Protein digestive enzymes maximize your digestion and absorption of proteins and give you the stomach acid you need to improve digestion.
Assist Dairy and Protein can help with heartburn by giving you the stomach acid and enzymes you need to digest your food effectively. At your next meal,assist your digestion with Assist Dairy and Protein!
Banish Heartburn and Indigestion
While prescription drugs may be helpful for a time, it’s good to know that natural diet and lifestyle solutions can be an effective way to beat health conditions like heartburn.
Natural health may not feel as easy as taking a pill, but the only side effect of natural health is feeling great from the inside out!