I Didn't Know That - Acidic Foods

Another problem I seem to have with my stomach is heartburn after eating acidic foods.  So, what do I do when I want that slice of orange or glass of juice?  Here is what I found.

Even if you have the best intentions, many healthful fruits and vegetables, like oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and tomatoes, may increase your risk for acid reflux and GERD due to their acidity.  The best way to prevent this is to remove acidic foods from your diet but if that just isn’t going to happen and you still want to eat these fruits and vegetables once and awhile, don’t do it on an empty stomach.  Other foods, especially carbs, will absorb some of the acids and help prevent some of the heartburn.  But don’t overeat them no matter what you’ve already eaten.  

I may not give up my favorite foods completely but at least I know I can eat them in moderation and along with something some of my favorite carbs.  

I Didn't Know That - Coffee

How it affects you:  This energy hero can quickly become your GI tract’s worst enemy.  In fact, according to the American Chemical Society, nearly 40 million people in the United States refrain from drinking coffee – or as much coffee as they would like – due to stomach irritation.

Coffee doesn’t just wake up our mind, it also stimulates acid production in the stomach, which can cause inflammation and result in heartburn and GERD.  What’s more, caffeine acts like a diuretic, which can cause dehydration and, ultimately, constipation.

If you’re like me, I don’t want to give up my morning coffee, so what can we do?  This is what I found – limit caffeinated coffee to one cup.  If that isn’t possible, limit to one caffeinated cup every two hours to allow your body time to process the caffeine.  It’s important not to drink coffee on an empty stomach, which can increase indigestion.  It’s recommended that we add something that’s easily digestible, like a banana or bran cereal at breakfast, to reduce the symptoms. 

This answers why my stomach has a bit of irritation in the mornings but can I manage make myself actually eat something before or at least with my morning coffee?  Not sure but I’ll try.

I Didn't Know That - Heartburn

For years we have listened to our parents, grandparents and friends as they give us remedies using items we normally keep in our kitchen to solve many of our annoying problems such as heartburn.  I've been told all my life to drink milk when I have heartburn.  And all my life I've drank milk with no relief.  Guess what.  That is the wrong thing to do.  Check out this remedy.

Heartburn Remedy—Best

Beat the burn with apple cider vinegar. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if we have too little acid in the stomach, the food digests too slowly, according to Kathy Gruver, PhD, LMT, and Reiki Master. “It sits in the stomach. Then we lay down to go to sleep or bend over, and the food gets burped up. By adding acid in the form of vinegar, we can help the digestive process,” she said.

Heartburn Remedy—Worst

While drinking milk soothes the stomach and temporarily combats heartburn, milk fat may actually stimulate acid production and cause a rebound effect later, according to the University of Nevada School of Medicine.