We’ve all suffered from it at some point or the other. We share tips to cure acidity. Acidity occurs when there is excess secretion of acids in the gastric glands of the stomach. When the secretion is more than usual, we feel, what is commonly known as heartburn, which is normally triggered off by consumption of spicy foods.
Modifying your diet is the easiest and most effective way to avoid acidity. Eating less acidic and more alkaline food helps reduce the backflow of acid into your gullet. Having more alkaline foods neutralizes the acidic contents of your stomach.
Here are some preparations to cure acidity…
- Include more green vegetables in your diet or cucumber, beetroot, carrot, broccoli, spinach, fenugreek, okra, , cabbage, coriander, cauliflower, sweet potato, eggplant, onion, peas, pumpkin and radish
- Most fruits, especially bananas, apples, watermelon, and pomegranate. Watermelon juice is great for curing acidity.
- Coconut water is known to soothe the system if you suffer from acidity.
- Unsweetened yogurt
- Beans, including green beans, navy beans, broad beans, moong bean sprouts, lima beans, pinto beans and lentils
- Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds
To incorporate more acid-reducing foods into your diet, bring colourful, nutritious green salads to work as a meal accompaniment or a stand-alone snack, and keep a small jar of seeds at your desk to eat in small doses. Swap your greasy dessert dish for a healthy cup of yogurt with fruit, especially in the summers. Add a pulse or legume dish, such as the conventional daal or contemporary sprouts salad, to your meal.
Stay Hydrated
You should drink water every day to stay hydrated. Keeping yourself hydrated is the best way to reduce acidity. Drinking enough water dilutes the acids in the stomach for symptom relief.
Avoid Acidity-Causing Foods
It’s important to identify reflux-causing foods in your diet and avoid them. Foods that are rich in fats tend to increase the perception of reflux. These include:
- Fat-rich sweets (laddoos, barfis, jalebi and sheera)
- Fried delicacies (puri, shakarpara, gujia and samosa)
- Oily side dishes (pickles and oil-based dressings)
Next in line are spicy foods that irritate your stomach wall and induce heartburn, such as:
- Sabji with added garam masala and tadka daal
- Chaat preparations, including pani puri, bhel puri, papdi chaat and aloo tikki
- Foods with a lot of chilli powder, such as spicy pickles and chutneys
Chocolates and coffee can also provoke acidity. Alcoholic and carbonated beverages tend to induce a reflux effect a couple hours after they’re consumed. Packaged foods are rich in sodium, which is known to cause acidity as well.
So if you ever happen to suffer from acidity, then bring these remedies to your rescue.