Tips to avoid acid reflux and have a better digestion
Most of us know that the food we eat is directly linked to the health of our digestive health and our immune system's ability to protect us. As a medical doctor I didn’t learn the relation between having a healthy gut and wellness in general, it's my job to help my patients find balance while optimizing their health.
I want to share some tips to help you to take care of your gut and prevent digestive distress.
1. Moderation
This is always key in healthy digestion, it is very important not only to avoid over eating but also to chew many times your food and eat slow, when you eat slow you eat less because you give time to your brain to release leptin, the hormone that inhibit appetite. Chinese people believe a lot in the power of healing foods but mainly they believe in the power of eating very slow and chew carefully the food.
2. Enzymes
I am a big promoter of taking digestive enzymes before eating, they will help to break down and absorb nutrients more efficiently, and digestive enzymes are key to optimize health specially if most of the food you get is cooked.
3. Probiotics
They are beneficial bacteria that act as the first defenders in our gut and immune system. These good bacteria also help break food down into small particles so our body can utilize the nutrients; also probiotics protect us from harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi. I have been talking in my lectures about microbiome and probiotics and the importance to keep them healthy.
4. Stay Hydrated
The more water you drink, the healthier your gut will be and also more fat is burned—what could be better motivation to drink more water? Drinking plenty of water helps to heal the lining of the gut, helps to heal reflux, and if you drink it warm will help to reduce bloating, and improve your metabolism. A hydrated body is a healthy body!
5. Eat the healthy food first
Eat the healthiest food on your plate first. That way you'll fill up on the good stuff and you won't have room left for the junk. And if you do, you'll eat less of it!
6. Avoid eating before bed
Don't eat anything at least four hours before going to sleep. This will help with digestion and acid reflux.
7. Apple cider vinegar
Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar is great to take with your first bite of food, as it will give your stomach some extra acid to help break down your food. Most people actually start producing lower levels of stomach acid as they begin to age, so the apple cider vinegar helps increase acid and will stimulate the closing of the lower esophageal sphincter so it can help prevent stomach acid from back flowing into our esophagus, which is the primary cause of acid reflux.
After trying these tips let me know how you feel!
With Love, Health and Life
Dr. Sandra Rangel
