Human contains hydrochloric acid. It is necessary for digesting solid food and neutralizing bacteria that enter the body with food. But sometimes too much acid begins to be produced, and it cannot all be neutralized during the digestion process. Then it corrodes the walls of the stomach and causes various digestive disorders and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Many people face this problem, so the question of how to reduce it is very relevant. Some people live with this problem for years, occasionally taking medications. But this can lead to serious stomach damage. Therefore, you need to be able to recognize the onset of the disease in time.
Symptoms of high acidity
Heartburn and sour belching.
Abdominal pain, which can occur immediately after eating or on an empty stomach.
Frequent constipation.
Nausea and indigestion.
If these symptoms increase after eating sour and bitter foods, pickled, spicy and fried foods, then you need to think about how to reduce stomach acidity. The most important thing for this is not taking medications, but changing your eating habits and lifestyle.
What Causes High Stomach Acidity?
Most often, this problem occurs in people who are addicted to fatty and fried foods, spicy and sour foods. Alcohol, coffee and chocolate, tea and cola, as well as excess consumption of sugar, confectionery and citrus fruits lead to increased acidity. Overeating, especially at night, also causes the release of hydrochloric acid. This problem affects people who are accustomed to snacking, irregular meals and fast food. Often such symptoms occur in people exposed to stress and constant worry.
How to reduce stomach acidity
If you are one of those people with such eating habits or notice symptoms of hyperacidity, you need to see a doctor and get tested. Based on its results, you will be diagnosed and treated. Various medications are used to reduce the production of hydrochloric acid.
You can reduce the acidity of the stomach by taking the drugs Maalox, Almagel or Gastal. The drugs "Zantac" or "Vicalin" are also used for this. You can alleviate your condition by taking medications that regulate digestion. Most of them are sold without a doctor's prescription, for example, Mezim, Festal or Pancreatin tablets. But you can completely get rid of high acidity only through diet.
How to eat healthy
To avoid problems caused by excessive release of hydrochloric acid and its effect on the walls of the stomach, you need to follow some rules in your diet:
You need to eat small meals, preferably little by little and 5-6 times a day, so that the stomach does not remain empty;
The temperature of the food should be close to the temperature of the human body; it is undesirable to eat too cold or hot dishes;
It is necessary to abandon low-fat diets that lead to gastritis;
It is better to steam or boil food, and the food should be finely chopped, you can even puree it;
Food should be chewed thoroughly and try not to overeat;
Diet for high acidity
A person suffering from excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid needs to monitor what food he eats. Only with the help of diet can you easily reduce stomach acidity. Products must be fresh, without added preservatives or seasonings. The basis of nutrition should be cereals and liquids that envelop the gastric mucosa and protect it. It is best to cook rice, oatmeal or semolina for this. Milk is beneficial as it reduces acidity well. You can also eat cheese, low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt.
Include more boiled or vegetable stew, potatoes are best, cauliflower and carrots. You shouldn’t give up fruit either, just choose non-acidic ones. It’s good to make puree, mousse or jelly from them. You need to choose lean meat, better chicken, veal or rabbit. It needs to be boiled, stewed or baked, for example, to cook meatballs or steam cutlets.
It is recommended to eat the bread slightly dried. You can eat an omelet, drink weak tea or still mineral water. This diet will help you reduce stomach acidity. Foods that lead to increased production of hydrochloric acid should be excluded from your diet, but otherwise, in the absence of symptoms of the disease, you can eat more variedly.
What is prohibited to eat
To prevent increased acidity from leading to gastritis, you need to completely avoid:
From rich, rich broths, especially mushroom and pork;
Coffee, alcohol and carbonated drinks;
Spicy and smoked products, seasonings and marinades;
Fried food;
Very acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes or sorrel.
Even at a time when there is no exacerbation, you need to limit the consumption of vegetables containing a lot of fiber, such as radishes or cabbage. It is not advisable to eat vegetables raw, especially onions and garlic. You need to reduce the amount of salt in your diet, eat less brown bread and baked goods, ice cream and canned food. But even if all these rules are followed, the disease can sometimes worsen. Medicine is not always at hand, but you can reduce the acidity of the stomach with folk remedies. Herbal decoctions, tinctures, vegetable juices, sea buckthorn, ginger and cinnamon will come to your aid.
How to reduce stomach acidity quickly
The most common way to do this is to drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of soda dissolved in it. This solution quickly neutralizes the acid. An excellent remedy is chalk powder or white clay. You need to mix it in water and drink this suspension twice a day before meals. You can also eat chalk powder this way. Honey water helps reduce acidity. Dissolve a spoonful of honey in a glass of warm water and drink.
Common foods will also come to your aid: carrots and potatoes. The juice from these vegetables is very good for the stomach. But if carrot can be taken without restrictions, then potato is drunk a quarter glass 3-4 times a day. Include pumpkin and red beets in any form in your diet more often. It is best to boil or bake them.
Sea buckthorn is a very effective remedy against high stomach acidity. It is good to make a decoction of the berries and drink it with honey; taking sea buckthorn oil is also useful. Don't forget about mineral water. But to reduce acidity, you need to drink alkaline water without gas before meals.
Herbal medicine to help the patient
Instead of regular tea, it is recommended to drink mint or chamomile decoctions. From time to time it is necessary to carry out courses of treatment with various herbs that help reduce acidity. The most effective for this, in addition to chamomile, are nettle and yarrow. You can brew them separately or use them in a mixture with other plants. What fees are recommended to reduce acidity:
Mix cinquefoil erecta, calendula and yarrow;
Two parts chamomile, one part cumin seeds and oregano herb;
Mix two parts of linden flowers with one part of flax seeds and fennel fruits;
Mix valerian, chamomile flowers, immortelle and St. John's wort in equal parts.
But you should not get too carried away with such treatment, especially with drugs that reduce the production of hydrochloric acid. If there is not enough of it, then in addition to poisoning and digestive disorders, gastritis with low stomach acidity may appear. The symptoms of this disease are also unpleasant, and they cannot be immediately identified, mistaking heartburn, diarrhea and abdominal pain for manifestations of high acidity. Therefore, the most important thing is diet. But besides this, you need to know how to reduce increased acidity stomach to prevent complications.
Increased acidity of gastric juice causes a person great discomfort, so you should know how to deal with it correctly. Similar pathological condition gastrointestinal tract can lead to serious complications and diseases. If increased acidity occurs, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause of the pathology and begin appropriate treatment. There are several methods that together help. These include strict diet therapy, medications and folk remedies.
Etiology
Acidity is the specific level of hydrochloric acid that the gastric tract contains. The production of acid in the stomach is facilitated by special glands that are located on the mucous membrane of this digestive organ.
When disruptions occur in the activity of the glands, an increase or decrease in acidity levels is observed. Low acidity requires medications that can increase it. As for the increased level, we need appropriate drugs to reduce acidity, as well as folk remedies.
Treatment is selected depending on the cause of the pathology. As a rule, such symptoms are provoked by gastroenterological ailments. The reasons for increased acidity may be the following:
- peptic ulcer of the duodenum and stomach;
- gastritis, especially in acute form;
- reflux disease;
- failure in the endocrine system;
- stomach cancer;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- hernia in the thoracic region, namely in the esophagus;
- pathological processes in the liver, pancreatic gland;
- burn of the mucous membrane in the gastrointestinal tract;
- poisoning.
In addition to pathologies, other unfavorable factors can also influence the increase in acidity. This can occur due to overeating, improper and irrational nutrition. For operation digestive system Frequent snacking on the go, abuse of fast food, and dry food have a detrimental effect. Alcoholic drinks, strong tea and coffee, and smoking can also provoke an increase in acidity. Most often, the cause is stress, neurosis, vitamin deficiency, as well as long-term use of certain medications.
Clinical picture
With symptoms indicating high level acidity, every third person is familiar with it. Excess hydrochloric acid penetrating into the esophagus can severely irritate the mucous membrane, resulting in burning and heartburn. A characteristic sign of this condition is bitter, sour belching. Basically, such symptoms manifest themselves against the background of poor nutrition, regular overeating, and abuse of sweet, spicy, and fatty foods.
Acid entering the duodenum provokes aching, intense painful sensations. Patients with high acidity experience problems with proper bowel movements. There is bloating, nausea, an unpleasant taste in the mouth and heaviness in the abdomen.
If acid disorder occurs rarely, it is likely not a sign of pathology and does not require treatment. If the syndrome is regular and has a permanent basis, it is important to take measures to reduce acidity. Otherwise, gastrointestinal diseases such as gastritis and ulcers may appear.
Drug therapy
Pick up special means and tablets that reduce stomach acidity, your doctor will help. You should not self-medicate, as this can be detrimental to the gastrointestinal tract. Drugs that reduce stomach acidity must be safe and effective.
You can take the following medicines, reducing acidity in the stomach:
Antihistamines
Tablets such as Ranitidine, Kvamatel, and Famotidine do an excellent job. They quickly reduce stomach acidity. However, they cannot be taken for a long time, otherwise hormonal imbalance will occur.
Antacids
Antacids, namely Phosphalugel, Maalox, Almagel, can reduce acidity. The drugs neutralize the effects of hydrochloric acid. These medications can be replaced with kaolin, chalk and even baking soda due to the similar composition.
Get rid of discomfort, abdominal discomfort will be helped by such remedies as Omeprazole, Omez. You can take Motilium, as it actively fights high acidity. Motilium promotes the rapid passage of food into the intestines, relieves pain and eliminates discomfort.
As for enzyme agents, the best of them are Mezim, Pancreatin and Festal. Such drugs neutralize heartburn, pain and heaviness in the stomach, and help restore damaged mucous membranes. Do not forget about such useful and effective means, like Smecta. It envelops the gastrointestinal mucosa, thereby preventing harmful effects.
Features of traditional therapy
Herbal preparations are very effective in combating high acidity. In order to achieve desired effect, they should be combined with medication and diet therapy. Basically, herbal teas, tinctures and decoctions are used for treatment.
Method 1
In moments of exacerbation, it is recommended to drink chamomile and peppermint tea, adding a little ginger juice and one teaspoon natural honey. This composition can normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and speed up the process of food digestion.
Method 2
A paste of currants, apples, and cabbage has medicinal properties. To obtain a healing mixture, grind the following ingredients in a blender, observing the proportions: 500 grams of currants, 2 kg of white cabbage, 500 grams of apples. The finished pulp must be transferred to a glass container and stored in dark place. When the fermentation process begins, squeeze out the juice. Take the resulting pulp 3 times a day, one hundred grams, fifteen minutes before meals.
Method 3
Provides good treatment results olive oil. It is drunk on an empty stomach half an hour before meals. To begin with, ½ teaspoon is enough, then increase the portion to 1 tablespoon.
Method 4
You can take potato juice. Peel two potatoes and grate them on a fine grater. Squeeze out the juice using gauze. Take for two weeks in the morning on an empty stomach.
Method 5
To eliminate discomfort, you can prepare a special remedy. Rinse the eggshells under running water, then grind them, adding two drops of vitamin D. Instead of shells, you can use chalk.
Increased acidity of gastric juice is an important signal from the gastrointestinal tract that should be heeded. If you experience unpleasant symptoms such as discomfort, flatulence, heartburn and heaviness, consult a doctor. Do not self-medicate so as not to worsen the situation.
The HCl concentration does not always correspond to normal levels. Therefore, every person needs to know how to reduce stomach acidity at home.
Nowadays, excessive secretory activity of the organ mucosa is becoming more common. First of all, the imbalance is associated with a violation of the diet of many people. Those who constantly consume spicy foods, alcoholic beverages, and eat a lot of sweets are at risk. Such nutrition helps to increase the total concentration of hydrochloric acid. Snacks on the run, non-compliance with the daily routine and nervous tension also lead to problems.
Normally, the endocrine glands produce a sufficient amount of HCl, which is required for healthy digestion and creating an insurmountable barrier to infection entering the gastrointestinal tract.
However, it happens that the synthesis of gastric juice becomes excessive. Then long-term irritation of the internal cavity of the organ develops, leading to inflammatory processes.
In the absence of timely treatment, hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid can lead to:
- gastritis;
- duodenitis;
- mucosal erosion;
- peptic ulcer.
If there are the first signs of an increase in HCl concentration, it is advisable to immediately consult a doctor. The problem needs to be corrected.
The acidity of gastric juice should be quickly reduced to stabilize the patient’s general well-being. By bringing the organ's functioning indicators back to normal, the functioning of the entire digestive system as a whole improves. Treatment must be comprehensive. It usually involves combating the cause of increased production of hydrochloric acid and getting rid of the symptoms of the pathological condition.
Various drugs, a special diet, home recipes, exercise therapy and preventive measures are used to avoid relapses.
Signs of high acidity
Most often, hypersecretion of gastric juice manifests itself in a special clinical picture.
The most common symptoms of excess hydrochloric acid are a constant feeling of heartburn, belching, stool disorders, and an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
Often the patient feels pain in the epigastrium and a burning sensation in the esophagus. As the pathology progresses, discomfort shifts to the right side abdominal cavity due to the entry of excessively acidic gastric contents into the duodenum, where severe irritation of the mucous membrane occurs.
Typically, symptoms intensify after eating fatty, sour, spicy, or overly salty foods.
Often noted painful sensations in the chest and rapid filling of the stomach. The patient often complains of constipation, nausea, cramps and rumbling in the abdominal cavity, and hiccups.
Therefore, a sharp deterioration in health forces him to look for ways to quickly reduce stomach acidity at home.
Products that help eliminate the problem
Hypersecretion of HCl is provoked by a certain diet. Changing it allows you to correct the problem in many ways. It is important to monitor the quality of food consumed, avoid overloading the digestive system and try not to stimulate excess acidity and pepsin.
People suffering from excess production of gastric juice should give preference to:
According to patient reviews, non-acidic fruits, low-fat sour cream, mashed potatoes, and salads from boiled vegetables can bring great benefits.
It is better to wash down your food with cherry or raspberry juice, as well as alkaline juice. mineral water, reducing the concentration of HCl.
These products reduce acidity, eliminate irritation of the gastric mucosa, suppress the hyperfunction of the endocrine glands of the organ, create an enveloping effect, improve the functioning of the digestive system, and increase resistance.
Proper nutrition
In order to reduce the acidity of gastric juice, it is important to follow the correct diet.
To reduce inflammation of the internal cavity of the organ, a number of rules must be followed:
It is very important to keep in mind that a number of foods can significantly increase the acidity of gastric juice. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid fatty broths, meat or fish.
Do not fry food or eat vegetables raw. You need to completely give up pickled, canned, and fresh bread.
Do not season dishes with onions, hot sauces, or spices. You should give up cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, lemons. You should not get carried away with coffee, lemonades, or juices from concentrates.
Salt should be included in food to a minimum.
Drug therapy
Excess acidity is treated with certain medications.
Usually the doctor prescribes:
- proton pump blockers ( Omez, Omeprazole);
- substances that reduce the concentration of hydrochloric acid ( Almagel, Maalox, Phosphalugel);
- enveloping medications ( Smecta);
- enzymes ( Mezim, Festal);
- medications that improve stomach activity ( Motilium);
- antihistamines ( Kvamatel, Ranitidine, Famotidine) etc.
However, treatment of high acidity is usually not limited to drugs alone. Therapy can be complex, also involving the application of diet principles and the use of folk recipes. It is also important to refuse bad habits and strictly follow the daily routine.
Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor with regular examinations of the patient and collection of biomaterial for laboratory tests.
Herbal infusions
Homemade recipes are of great benefit in increasing stomach acidity. The use of herbal medicine is especially recommended.
To stabilize the concentration of hydrochloric acid, eliminate spasms, reduce the intensity of inflammation and normalize the activity of the nervous system, you need to take one tablespoon of mint, marigold, chamomile and licorice. The plants are boiled, ten grams of honey and a pinch of ginger are added. Drink twice a day.
Tincture of flax seeds or dill stabilizes the functioning of the digestive system, has an enveloping and laxative effect. Take half a glass once a day.
To reduce intensity inflammatory process To reduce pain, eliminate nausea, stabilize stool, normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, take a tablespoon of a mixture of calamus, wild rosemary, calendula, linden, mint, flax seeds, licorice, thyme, fennel per two hundred milliliters of boiling water. Infuse for ten hours, and then drink half a glass three times a day.
To eliminate spasms, reduce the frequency of attacks of nausea, and improve digestive processes, take a tablespoon of mint, marigold, yarrow and dill. Brew and take two hundred milliliters twice a day.
A mixture consisting of St. John's wort, fireweed, chamomile, marsh grass, yarrow, dill, celandine, and sage helps reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process, wound healing, and normalize stomach function. Take one tablespoon of the mixture per glass of boiling water. Leave for twenty minutes. Drink one hundred milliliters three times a day before meals.
An infusion of birch buds and valerian brings great benefits. It reduces the acidity of gastric juice, eliminates pain and calms the nervous system. Take two spoons of plant material per glass of vodka. Leave for a week and a half. Drink ten grams three times a day before meals.
Useful video
You can learn how to reduce stomach acidity from this video.
How to deal with illness during pregnancy
The fight against high acidity becomes especially important during pregnancy, when hormonal changes provoke increased synthesis of gastric juice. While pregnant, women are prohibited from using most pharmacological agents. Therefore, therapeutic nutrition comes first.
Should be completely excluded from the diet;
It is advisable to base your diet on lean meat, game or poultry. Food should only be served at room temperature.
An increase in the production of hydrochloric acid is always an unfavorable sign. It causes a lot of discomfort, disrupts the digestive system and worsens a person’s overall well-being.
At the first symptoms of increased acidity, you should consult a doctor to avoid the development of severe, difficult-to-treat diseases. When correcting the condition, you must strictly adhere to the doctor’s instructions and use medications, folk remedies and special diet. With timely application of measures, it is possible to quickly normalize the production of hydrochloric acid at home.
Nowadays, fast food products, pickled products or processed foods are in fashion, rather than foods that can reduce acidity levels. Due to this, the acidity level increases.
Additional symptoms appear, such as heartburn, belching, very frequent pain in the stomach at night and, as a result, gastritis occurs.
Modern people are increasingly asking the question, what foods reduce acidity?
Most people live with acidity and sometimes take acid-reducing medications.
But if you do nothing, you can acquire a number of serious diseases.
Introduction
It is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and take measures to eliminate this disease.
When acidity increases and a person experiences certain symptoms, it needs to be reduced.
Each organism is individual, but there are general symptoms. For example, a person experiences symptoms such as constipation, nausea, heaviness, heartburn, belching and frequent stomach pain after eating.
It is necessary not only to eliminate the symptoms, but to solve and determine the causes.
How to solve the problem
Foods that increase acidity in the table will help eliminate this problem. It is with the help of food that you can reduce the level of stomach acidity.
For this, it is important to take alkaline foods and completely abandon acidic ones.
What fruits and vegetables can reduce the acidity of gastric juice?
What alkaline foods should be in every person's diet?
Fried and fatty foods, as well as sour and spicy foods, increase acidity. It is necessary to avoid consuming large amounts of sugar, chocolate, coffee, tea, confectionery and citrus fruits.
Frequent snacking, irregular meals, and fast foods gradually lead to an increase in stomach acidity. When a person eats a lot before going to bed, it also negatively affects his health.
People who constantly experience stress are also at risk.
If a person consumes foods that contain alkali for two weeks, the functioning of internal organs improved in approximately 80 percent of the people participating in this experiment.
First of all, the functioning of internal organs improves, flatulence and heartburn are eliminated.
Even for a completely healthy person, for every three foods with high acidity, there should be two foods that contain alkali.
But you should not forget that each organism is individual and its reaction to foods can also be individual. There is another option.
It lies in the fact that a person should consume as many alkaline foods as possible.
Alkaline diet
If you have increased stomach acidity, you should consult a doctor so that he can establish a diagnosis and determine drug treatment.
You can reduce the level of stomach acidity with the help of drugs such as Gastal, Almagel, Maalox.
But problems with high acidity can be solved with diet.
Stomach acidity with gastritis requires following a few simple rules:
- The temperature of the food consumed must be exactly the same as human body. You cannot eat hot or cold foods.
- You can't overeat.
- It is very important to chew your food thoroughly.
- If you have high stomach acidity, you need to take foods and dishes fresh, without adding preservatives or various seasonings.
- In order to reduce the effect of hydrochloric acid during gastritis, it is necessary to take mucous soups and cereals. This is necessary in order to envelop the walls of the stomach. It is ideal to eat oatmeal, semolina and rice porridge.
- Milk helps reduce the acidity of milk. You can eat low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese.
- Suitable for drinks green tea or plain water. It is necessary to drink water without gas.
You need to know what foods you should avoid in order to normalize the level of stomach acidity. You should avoid fried foods, spicy marinades, and rich broths.
Vegetables and fruits that contain large amounts of fiber are not suitable. You can drink green tea, herbal tinctures, sea buckthorn oil and cinnamon.
The easiest way to reduce acidity
The best helpers in this case can be potatoes and carrots. Dessert might include red beets and pumpkins. They can be boiled, cooked in the oven or in a slow cooker. Thus, they retain the necessary vitamins.
Increased acidity
Products that reduce stomach acidity: the table is given so that a person understands what needs to be taken.
- Avocado and bananas. These citrus fruits help regulate stomach acidity levels.
- Melon and watermelon. They contain a very large amount of microelements and help normalize acidity. They also help eliminate heartburn attacks.
- Oatmeal. Ideal for breakfast. It envelops the walls of the stomach and helps cleanse the intestines. As for porridges, it is also recommended to eat semolina or rice porridge.
- Helps eliminate high acidity in lean meats. Rabbit, turkey and chicken will do.
- Suitable fish include cod, bream, hake or pike perch.
- There is also an escape option for those with a sweet tooth. This Bee Honey, cane sugar, chicory root coffee or stevia tea.
- Greenery. If the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, it is necessary to take fennel, it will eliminate flatulence. Also eating dill, celery and parsley is necessary to eliminate high stomach acidity.
This diet contains foods that promote moderately alkaline juice production. It includes different products, and prepared in different ways.
These can be steamed, stewed, boiled or cooked in a slow cooker. But there is one significant nuance: there should be no breading, so as not to harm the functioning of the stomach.
Foods that contain large amounts of fiber must be taken in puree form. For example, it could be carrots.
You can eat cereals that are easily digestible. It can be buckwheat, wheat, oatmeal, rice or semolina porridge.
They can be prepared with either water or milk, depending on individual tolerance. You can also eat pasta.
It is advisable to eat bread, but only yesterday’s bread. You cannot eat warm baked goods unless they have cooled down. Moreover, eating hot dough is prohibited for everyone, including absolutely healthy people.
Eggs can also be eaten, but there are significant restrictions: no more than one.
You can increase the level of acidity in the stomach with carrots, green peas, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The only product that needs to be consumed with caution is cabbage.
The pancreas may react incorrectly and cause flatulence and colic. Vegetables can be consumed raw only in the form of juices.
Tomato, cabbage and carrot juices can increase acidity levels. Pumpkin and potato juices have the opposite effect and lead to a decrease in acidity levels.
With increased acidity, in most cases a problem such as individual intolerance to milk arises. It may be accompanied by flatulence and diarrhea.
It is advisable to give preference to fermented milk products. For example, kefir, hard cheeses, cottage cheese dishes.
Moreover, fermented milk products have such a feature that they help prevent dysbacteriosis.
Depending on the human body, fresh milk, sour cream and cream can be gradually added to dishes that have already been prepared or completely excluded from consumption.
For dessert, you can eat any fruit that does not cause allergic reactions.
But there are nuances: fruits must be peeled from their thick skins and they must be consumed crushed using a blender.
Apples with low-fat cottage cheese baked in the oven. Meringue, marshmallow, marmalade, milk toffee and cream frame are suitable for confectionery products.
Honey can also be consumed, but in limited quantities and only in the first half of the day. You can stir a tablespoon of honey into half a glass of warm water.
Useful video
Sometimes you wonder: why does our body need hydrochloric acid? The answer is simple! She is simply an indispensable participant in the entire process of food digestion. Hydrochloric acid creates necessary conditions for the normal functioning of stomach enzymes, putrefactive and pathogenic microbes are also destroyed, the secretory activity of the stomach glands increases, and the movement of food from the stomach to the duodenum improves.
What harms does high acidity cause?
All indicators should be normal. If there is a lot of acid, then food cannot completely neutralize its effect - excess remains. It is these residues of hydrochloric acid that begin to act on the unprotected mucous membrane - inflammation occurs.
Suspicions arise only when significant pain occurs in the hypochondrium, bloating, a feeling of heaviness, constant heartburn, sour belching and nausea. Pain can appear either 20-30 minutes after eating or after 2-3 hours. To find out what causes this pain, you need to visit a gastroenterologist, undergo an X-ray examination and ultrasound. As an additional diagnosis, your doctor may refer you for esophagogastroduodenoscopy, examination and biopsy of the mucous membrane.
Most often, increased acidity in the stomach is caused by a disease such as gastritis. Reducing acidity is the main goal of treatment. If there are no abnormalities in the stomach, the doctor will prescribe medications to reduce acidity levels.
What medications can help?
Basic medications, which help reduce elevated acidity levels:
- Histamine blockers: ranitidine, nizatidine, famotidine.
- Proton pump blockers: lansoprazole, omeprozole (Such drugs are the most effective).
- Antacids (have an anti-inflammatory effect): malaox, almagel.
- Anticholinergics: gastrocepin (a fairly strong drug, so its use should be under the strict supervision of a doctor).
- Baking soda and herbs are enough strong products, which reduce acidity levels. Remember one thing: you shouldn’t get carried away with soda: once it enters the stomach, it begins to be absorbed by the walls of blood vessels - and enters the blood. Due to the high content of soda in internal fluids, alkalosis occurs.
You should take medications that can reduce the acidity of your stomach for more than 8 days. The process of reducing acidity levels itself involves following a special diet.
The main treatment options are medications and diet. To treat gastritis, drugs are prescribed that bind hydrochloric acid and also reduce its production. During treatment, it is necessary to stabilize its production and restore mucosal cells that have suffered from excess. This is handled well by drugs that envelop the walls of our stomach and improve the digestion process. Treatment usually lasts from several weeks if gastritis is acute, to a year if it is chronic. Be sure to watch your diet, it must be correct, and most importantly, do not contribute to the production of excess hydrochloric acid.
What is better to eat
If you have increased acidity in your stomach, you are recommended to use enveloping products: puree soups, jelly, various healing herbs, as well as dairy products, which reduce secretion. You should not go on low-carb diets if you experience symptoms of gastritis. In the event that the body feels a lack of fat, mainly plant origin, then food will pass through the digestive tract very quickly, thereby leaving the stomach walls unprotected. Thus, the mucous membrane is exposed to hydrochloric acid. However, this “minus” can easily be turned into a “plus”. With such a diet, people who suffer from increased acid secretion may not limit themselves to high-fat dairy products.
Eat stewed, boiled and baked vegetables, porridges, but only except millet, pasta of group “A”, lean meat, fish and poultry. Do not deny yourself sweet varieties of apples, bananas and pears. You can please yourself meat and fish dishes, which are pre-scrolled through a meat grinder. Puree of vegetables and other root vegetables it could get weird delicious dish for you. It is not forbidden to eat boiled eggs, preferably soft-boiled, omelettes, cottage cheese, white bread (but not soft - yesterday's bread is best), various mousses and jellies, mineral waters. Such products that reduce stomach acidity also affect the general condition of the body.
What foods are undesirable to eat?
You will have to give up such products as: cooked meat products, fatty pork, as they greatly irritate the lining of the stomach. It is forbidden to eat fatty and rich soups (especially mushroom soup), pickles, raw vegetables, spicy dishes (which is why all spicy seasonings are prohibited), garlic, onions, sour juices, baked goods, brown bread, unripe and sour vegetables and fruits, fried eggs, meat and fish that were stewed in their own juice. Be sure to refuse all carbonated drinks and fast food! These products affect acidity too much.
It is not advisable to eat pea and millet porridges, unnatural juices, sorrel soup, mushrooms, turnips, radishes, and pineapple juice. Quit cigarettes completely and alcoholic drinks– they provoke a concentration of acid in the gastric juice.
How can traditional medicine help?
Traditional medicine says that herbs such as St. John's wort, mint, nettle, calendula and centaury help reduce acidity in the stomach. Carrot and potato juices also do an excellent job with this.
Need to eat A little, but very often - 4-6 times a day. Due to the fact that excess hydrochloric acid is harmful precisely when food is not in the stomach, it should always be there. Never leave your stomach empty. Don't chew gum on an empty stomach. By chewing movements you produce saliva, which stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid. The stomach is empty, there is acid - so it turns out that all the harmful effects are transferred to the mucous membrane.
- Eat only warm foods: the food temperature should be 40-45 degrees.
- Don't deny yourself consumption mineral water, but it should also be warm. You need to drink it in the amount of 200-300 ml 1-1.5 hours before meals, try to chew your food thoroughly.
- Make sure that your main meal is for lunch and your last meal before 19:00.
- Do not ignore the inscriptions “take before”, “during” or “after”. Accept it as it is written.
With proper nutrition and timely treatment, the acidity level returns to normal very quickly. However, even the slightest disruption: one smoked cigarette or glass of wine or a little fatty food will nullify all your efforts. Remember proper nutrition and an active lifestyle is the key to good health.
