Fighting acidity
Kavita Devgan - Business Line Internet Edition
Eat all you want... and then suffer a bout of acidity? Not if you learn the art of balance, with work and rest, and with your diet too.
The elderly — people over 70, mostly — vouch for the taste and smell of the food of their times. And they say they didn't really hear of digestive problems related to acidity in their younger days.
This is understandable, because most of the food consumed then was simple, fresh and easily digestible. Besides, work and rest periods were balanced well, unlike the present, when in the pursuit of comforts, we wreck our health and take notice only when adverse symptoms start disturbing our lives. Acidity is one such symptom.
"After enjoying a massive meal and a big helping of sweets, it's only natural to feel uneasy. But if indigestion is a frequent problem and even eating regular meals brings a cycle of pain, it leads to loss of sleep, stress and serious discomfort," says Dr Ajay Bhalla, Gastro-entrologist at the Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.
Nupur Sharma, Radio DJ, has found an easy way out of constant heartburn (the main symptom of acidity): she takes an antacid every day. But what would she do when one antacid per day is not enough? Will she take one after every meal? Not if she mends her approach and works towards prevention rather than cure.
Acidity is quite a simple problem when it begins, but it can get out of hand easily. Doctors advise us not to take it lightly. Usually a result of physical, mental and spiritual imbalance, acidity can be brought under control if one works on achieving a balance, says Dr Adhikari, a noted naturopathy consultant. He provides a number of tips to keep the body acidity-free, the natural way.
Food watch
Try to maintain the acid and alkali balance of your food intake, the ideal ratio being 20:80. Avoid canned and junk food, artificially ripened fruits and vegetables or those kept in cold storage. For instance, cold storage potatoes get sweet and acidic. Stick to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Avoid a heavy intake of spices and aerated drinks that are highly acidic and strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones.
Cold beverages with or after meals should be particularly avoided. Our body needs a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for optimum digestive enzyme functioning. Cold drinks dilute the enzymes and stress the digestive system; the food gets fermented and produces gas and acidity.
Too much tea and coffee is bad, of course; and if you're a smoker, quit. Nicotine and caffeine are directly related to problems of acidity. Start taking coconut water, cucumber juice and thin-skinned lemons because these are alkaline. Bitter gourd is an excellent vehicle to dispel acidity; a teaspoon of amla (Indian gooseberry) powder diluted in water is also effective. Besides, intestinal toxins can be counteracted with benign and protective lactic acid — present in buttermilk, yoghurt and sour milk.
Weight reduction is essential to combat this problem. Those who are overweight put too much pressure on the oesophageal sphincter. This leads to reflux of the contents of the stomach into the oesophagus, and heartburn follows.
Alcohol is not advisable for those who suffer from acidity because it tends to aggravate the problem. Lots of water, on the other hand, aids digestion and helps flush out toxins. Eat only when hungry because digestive juices are released in the stomach only when one is hungry. Otherwise, undigested food in the stomach leads to fermentation. Green leafy vegetables and sprouts contain vitamins B and E, which aid digestion generally and also facilitate the elimination of acids from the body. Refined foods, however, lack both vitamins and fibre.
A sure-shot digestive from the old world is raita prepared with curd, grated cucumber, fresh coriander, turmeric powder and a teaspoon of ground mustard. While this is tried, tested and trusted in aiding digestion, it also quenches thirst.
The balancing act
Make sure you have enough of both physical labour and rest. Not enough physical activity means not enough sweat, which in turn results in uric acid getting deposited in the body.
Avoid stress — a disturbed nervous system is bound to affect your digestion negatively. Insomnia, too, disturbs the digestive system.
A few Yoga asanas, like kunjal kriya (stomach wash) and pranayam (breathing exercises) have a positive impact on stomach problems. Naturopathy recommends an abdominal mudpack; hot footbaths or hipbaths are also beneficial. Besides, acupressure and acupuncture both provide relief from problems related to acidity.
In the final analysis, antacids only provide symptomatic relief. The ones with sodium bicarbonate salts carry a risk of causing alkalosis if readily absorbed by the body. And those with calcium, aluminium and magnesium salts can lead to constipation or diarrhoea. According to Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine (the bible for students of dietetics and medicine), excessive use of these should be discouraged.
Advises Dr Bhalla, "The ideal way to fight acidity is to work towards a long-term solution rather than short-term relief, and to bring about a lifestyle change in food and habits that is conducive to overall good health."
