Do acids cause all diseases? 10 ways to reduce acidity in the body

What is the essence of the problem

The smooth functioning of the digestive tract depends, first of all, on how much hydrochloric acid is produced in the stomach. Acid is necessary for the activity of digestive enzymes.

Fruits that lower pH

It is equally bad for the stomach when acidity is high and when it is low. If it is reduced, then enzymes cannot fully digest food, which is why it begins to ferment, rot and poison the body.

Remember! Long-term increased acidity of gastric juice is fraught with the occurrence of acute gastritis and ulcers. An untreated ulcer can deepen and expand. The most dangerous complication of peptic ulcer disease is a perforated ulcer. The disease can only be treated surgically, and doctors have only a few hours to save a person.

At the same time, increased acidity in the stomach causes the mucous membrane to begin to dissolve under the influence of an aggressive environment. A person experiences unpleasant symptoms associated with pathological conditions of the digestive tract.

This is why reducing acidity is an important task for maintaining human health.

Causes and symptoms of low stomach acidity

Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) occurs when the stomach is unable to produce enough hydrochloric acid.

This leads to the following problems:

• the inability to fully digest protein and absorb certain micronutrients, in particular calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, boron, vitamin B12, etc.;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to incomplete cleansing of the stomach from food debris;
• the development of infections (gastroenteritis, enterovirus infection) and the growth of yeast fungi, since the acid performs the function of sterilizing the stomach;
• fermentation of food by bacteria and yeast instead of digestion, resulting in bloating and toxins.

The causes of low acidity are most often stomach ulcers and chronic hypoacid gastritis. Additionally, the ability to produce stomach acid decreases with age.

Low acidity causes the following specific symptoms:

• pain in the stomach after eating;
• feeling of heaviness and quick satiety;
• constipation;
• gas formation
• rumbling in the stomach and bloating;
• bad breath (the result of rotting);
• rotten burp.

Implicit signs of hypochlorhydria may be a tendency to allergies, iron deficiency anemia, signs of vitamin B12 deficiency (itching and yellowing of the skin, goosebumps, numbness), dysbiosis (associated with the activity of yeast or bacteria).

What is harmful

There is a category of food products that can increase the property of gastric juice in question. If you have gastritis of the hyperacid type, they should not be consumed. Pay attention to this list (the table of prohibited foods includes foods that can be consumed every day).

Foods that raise pH

1. Sour, smoked, pickled foods.
2. Pickles.
3. Fried food.
4. Sweets.
5. Fast food.
6. Soda.
7. Citrus.
8. Strong coffee.
9. Dark chocolate.
10. Onions, garlic, radishes, radishes.
11. Tomatoes.
12. Plums.
13. Fatty sour cream and cottage cheese.

Interesting! What is the significance of hydrochloric acid in the composition of gastric juice?

All this must be abandoned or sharply reduced consumption, because an unhealthy diet with a predominance of these dishes increases the acidity of gastric juice.

What is better to include in the diet

What dishes and fruits are allowed with high acid content? This question is asked by almost every patient suffering from hyperacid gastritis. It should be remembered that with gastritis you can eat tasty and, most importantly, healthy food. There is no need to think that only bland food is good for the stomach.

Common products for reducing acidity are watermelons and melons. They reduce acidity well and reduce the manifestations of severe symptoms of gastritis. The most suitable fruits for the stomach are avocado, banana, mango.

There are delicious recipes for porridges that reduce acid content. You need to pay attention to oatmeal, rice, semolina. For meat dishes, you should opt for turkey and chicken: the delicious recipes are very simple and benefit the body.

Restore acidity level:

• cabbage;
• potatoes (in particular, potato juice has long been used to reduce stomach acidity);
• carrot;
• beet;
• cucumbers;
• zucchini;
• greenery.

What fruits can you eat to reduce the aggressiveness of gastric contents? Quinces, mangoes, bananas, and peaches will be desirable for the stomach. Of course, you shouldn’t overeat on them: in some cases, this can lead to the exact opposite effect and the development of allergies.

With low acidity, these dishes can be harmful. Food will stagnate in the stomach, which will lead to intestinal dysfunction.

How to eat properly with gastritis?

The list of dishes that can be taken for gastritis is quite extensive. However, each component of the diet must be carefully studied. The approach to one’s own diet is determined by the symptoms that are monitored by the patient and documented by the attending physician. For example, dishes should be selected:

1. According to the principle of culinary processing (it is necessary to exclude fried and dried foods).
2. By composition.
3. Based on the presence or absence of chemical treatment.
4. Based on the general diet.
5. Based on compatibility with other dishes.

Other methods of nutritional treatment are also used. For example, herbs with a variety of effects and principles of preparation (providing enveloping, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and other beneficial effects).

In folk medicine, many useful products are used to create and produce medicinal drugs. It can be immediately noted that for special methods in diet therapy, ancient folk approaches are widely used. Still, acid-reducing medications can be used incorrectly.

Lemon combined with black tea has a positive effect on the stomach

What foods are undesirable? For example, lemon, which is poorly tolerated with high acidity and provokes it, has a good effect on the stomach when combined with tea. Black tea generally neutralizes the effect of lemon, but green tea is just the opposite - it can have a bad effect on the stomach when combined with citrus fruits. Such remarks, rather, relate to general nutritional rules. Food that has been subjected to rough heat treatment, such as fried or dried, is completely undesirable. It is advisable to eliminate spicy foods immediately. If you have an irresistible desire to eat your favorite meat or poultry dish, steam it.

Products that reduce the acidity of the stomach are generally quite typical for modern cuisine - you don’t have to look for them for long. Almost all dietary products consumed for gastritis allow you to properly “tune” the stomach, if you do not eat too much.

For various forms of stomach diseases, immediately exclude:

1. Dishes of molecular and so-called “haute cuisine”.
2. Fast food, chips, salted nuts and crackers (except large crackers without additional processing).
3. Coffee drinks (especially those with a high caffeine content, such as espresso).
4. Animal by-products.
5. Excessive amount of flour.

Diet rules

From the list of more or less recommended products for consumption, several can be identified. Here are the types of foods that reduce stomach acidity:

1. Some types of bakery products. Bread dried in a toaster, biscuits and crackers, noodles, as well as pasta - they should not contain any by-products, such as sauces and dressings.
2. Fruits. Except soft and sour ones. Pear, banana, peeled apples, and avocado.
3. Some meat products. Basically, the diet should contain lean meat. For example, chicken breast, veal, turkey, rabbit.
4. Milk products. Fresh kefir, fresh milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and mild cheese.
5. Beverages:

• tea, especially weak tea;
• herbal teas;
• compote made from dried fruits of varying degrees of acidity;
• tea with milk (not to be confused with tea with cream!).

1. Some types of desserts. Soufflé, marshmallows and marshmallows, dry cookies, honey, jam, preserves.
2. Oils and cheeses. Butter and vegetable oil in small quantities and small doses.

Dairy products can be safely consumed for gastritis.
Salads for gastritis with high acidity should be completely removed from the diet. Their composition is more difficult to monitor and regulate for patients. An exception may be very light dietary compositions of vegetables with natural olive oil (certainly not with mayonnaise!).

Nutrition for chronic gastritis with high acidity plays a primary role in the healing process. As important rules for anyone who wants to recover, it is worth highlighting a couple of basic ones:

• It is worth excluding heavy flour products and fried foods, as well as fruits and some types of desserts;
• Some types of dairy products should be avoided.

Consultations with a nutritionist and gastroenterologist are great, but you yourself must understand the importance of maintaining a proper diet. Only this approach creates a strong belief that the disease can be defeated in the most difficult stage.

The importance of dietary nutrition is not only a strict diet and simple nutrition, but also the importance of many decisions made about preserving one’s health and bringing it to the proper quality. So, our conclusion: eat simple food!

Antacid products

Some foods are natural antacids. Among the foods that reduce stomach acidity are the following:

1. Milk (especially goat's milk). Drinking milk regularly will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms. It is good for the stomach to consume only natural dairy products.

Note! If a person has an intolerance to whole cow's milk, then he should not drink it. It is also prohibited to consume dairy products with preservatives for gastritis.

1. Buttermilk. It is obtained during the preparation of butter. Can everyone drink it? It has been proven that it has virtually no contraindications.
2. Potato juice. It can quickly reduce the acid content.
3. Ginger root (it is advisable to start using it in small quantities, gradually increasing the dose).
4. Juice obtained from celery.
5. Dried fruits.

Interesting! Function, composition and properties of gastric juice - how it is formed

Among the foods with low acidity there are many rich in vitamins. They are very useful for gastritis. They quickly reduce stomach acidity.

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 of the 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 there is pain 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.

Aloe and gastritis

Among the remedies that are used to reduce the acidity of gastric juice, aloe vera occupies a special place. Aloe juice has beneficial healing properties. First of all, it helps create an acidic environment in the stomach. Recipes for preparing medicine from agave are very simple. It is necessary to dissolve half a teaspoon of agave juice in half a glass of water. It is necessary that the plant is not old.

Aloe is also taken to prevent peptic ulcers. To do this, it must be mixed with honey and butter. This tasty medicine helps boost the body's defenses.

Recipes for preparing medicines with aloe are simple and accessible to everyone.

Treatment of the stomach with honey

Honey has the unique medicinal property of lowering high acid levels. Among the recipes that can reduce acidity are the following:

1. Honey water. Dissolve a small amount of honey in warm water. You need to drink it 4 times a day (with the last dose half an hour before going to bed). Take a teaspoon of honey per glass of water.
2. A mixture of vodka, aloe juice and honey helps to get rid of hypersecretion of the stomach for a long time. Honey consumed in this way helps to heal ulcers when the stomach is acidic. The medicine should be taken on an empty stomach, one tablespoon at a time.
3. Honey with cinnamon is good at normalizing the pH level of gastric juice.
4. Infusions of medicinal herbs and honey normalize the secretory function of the stomach.

It must be remembered that if honey is taken incorrectly, it can increase acidity. Before starting treatment, you should consult a doctor.

So, what can you eat if you have high acidity? There is a large amount of tasty and healthy food that helps normalize secretory function. Allowed food is rich in vitamins and microelements, which improves the body's defenses. Healing with food is an excellent alternative to taking medications.