Can Changing Your Lifestyle Help You Get Rid of Acidity?
Blogs07 Aug 2024
IN THIS ARTICLE
Characterised as a burning sensation in your throat and chest, acidity can leave a sour taste in the mouth and bring indigestion as well. It’s a common ailment that people of all ages face, but it may get more severe with age and impact the quality of life. However, making some active changes in your lifestyle can help prevent or manage this issue.
In this article, we’ll discuss acidity and how to prevent acidity through lifestyle changes.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes after eating a heavy or spicy meal, you feel a burning feeling in your chest and throat? This is called acidity or acid reflux. We all know that our stomachs contain acid to break food down and help absorb their nutrients better. Sometimes, this acid can make its way up our oesophagus and reach our throats, which is what causes acidity. Older individuals commonly face acidity and GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease which can greatly impact the quality of life, causing unease and sleep issues in older adults.
Lifestyle Factors Contributing to Acidity
Acidity is often linked with lifestyle choices, and several factors contribute to its occurrence:
- Poor diet: Having a diet made up of fatty or fried foods can cause acidity. Fatty foods cause the body to release certain hormones like cholecystokinin that delay digestion and may cause acid reflux. And slow digestion can cause stomach acid to back up to your oesophagus.
- Lack of exercise: Regular physical activity helps in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Inactivity can slow down digestion, causing acid reflux.
- High-stress levels: Chronic stress is linked to causing frequent acidity in older adults. Stress may trigger increased stomach acid production which can lead to acidity.
- Overeating: Consuming large meals can stretch your stomach and make it easier for stomach acid to flow up, causing acid reflux.
- Eating too fast: Rushing through your meals means that you might not be chewing your food very well. When food is not chewed enough, our digestive system works harder to digest it. This means more stomach acid and possibly, acidity.
- Eating too many acidic foods: Consuming excessive citrus fruits, tomatoes, vinegar, etc., can increase stomach acid levels and cause heartburn.
How to Prevent Acidity?
If you want to learn how to lessen acid reflux or prevent it with age, here are a few things to try:
1. Maintaining a healthy and nutritious diet
Pick ingredients that are rich in dietary fibre, such as oats, brown rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, ragi, green beans etc. Having more fibre can make you feel full for longer which can in turn stop you from overeating and facing acidity. Choose alkaline foods that are low on the pH scale to reduce your acidic intake. Some foods you can add are bananas, melons, nuts, etc. You can also include watery ingredients like watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, broths etc. These may reduce the total acidic content in the stomach and prevent acidity.
2. Changing your eating habits
Are you always in a hurry and therefore eat very quickly? Well, if you want to avoid acidity, you should try to eat slowly and in small portions. This way your digestive system is not overworked with producing more stomach acid and keeps it at bay.
3. Weight management
Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce pressure on the abdomen and prevent acid reflux. Eating a healthy range of foods and exercising could also help in aiding weight management and preventing acidity.
4. Stress management
Using techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can be a great way to help manage stress levels, thus controlling acidity. Studies have found that stress can increase the chances of acidity in older adults. So the best way to prevent it is through mindful practices and being as stress-free as you can!
Conclusion
Acidity can be a discomforting condition, but knowing how to prevent acid reflux through lifestyle changes, makes it manageable. A balanced diet, regular exercise, and better eating habits can help prevent acidity. If you haven’t started on these yet, don’t worry. Remember, there is always time to change and adopt new and healthy habits with ageing.
As you journey towards healthy ageing, let RightShift be your companion, helping you prevent common age-related issues and recharge your midlife. Read up on more such health-related articles on our website to expand your knowledge and try our free health tools to make new healthy habits today. Our free health score calculator is great for understanding your current health status and you can use this information to generate a free meal plan from our website too! We have specific plans for digestive health, muscle health and more, so explore now and make the right shift today!
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FAQs
Foods that can cause acidity include spicy foods, high-fat foods, onion, garlic, tomatoes, chocolate, mint, caffeinated beverages like coffee, and carbonated drinks.
Yes, regular exercise may help reduce acidity. It can aid digestion and help maintain a healthy weight, both of which can reduce your risk of acid reflux. However, avoid exercising immediately after eating and opt for low-impact exercises like walking or cycling if high-intensity workouts trigger your symptoms.
Stress can aggravate the symptoms of GERD, causing acidity. Moreover, stress can lead to habits such as overeating or eating unhealthy foods, which can also contribute to acidity.
Overeating can contribute to acidity by putting pressure on the lower oesophageal sphincter (the ring of muscle that prevents stomach acid from rising back up into the oesophagus), causing it to open and let acid leak out. To avoid this, it is advisable to eat smaller, more frequent meals instead of three large meals a day.
