Acidic stomach is no fun to deal with, but whatever you do, don’t pop the antacids and call it a day. They can actually eat away at the gut lining over time, and worsen your condition, causing you to need more. If you ask me, this is merely a marketing ploy, am I right? So, to take care of yourself the best way possible, just eat your way to better gut health. After all, those antacids aren’t cheap, and let’s be honest, they sure don’t taste good! Eat foods that lower stomach acidity, and you can call it a day, and have a happy tummy while you do! Try some of these and let me know if they work for you too!
1. ELIMINATE THE BAD STUFF FIRST
The most important thing to do when trying new ways to reduce stomach acidity is to eliminate sugar, alcohol, caffeine, meat, and eggs for a short time. Though you can add back a little caffeine later from coffee or tea, and begin to eat eggs again if they sit with you well, it is important to remember that gluten, sugar, and alcohol should not be consumed at any point if you have digestive illnesses. Meat is a food that works for some, and not so well for others. I personally do not eat it, but some people handle it well after healing their acidic stomach.
2. FOCUS ON COOLING FOODS
When learning ways to treat an acidic stomach, you want to focus on foods that have a soothing, cooling effect. These will coat the stomach, provide nutrition, and offer a naturally soothing property, unlike those above that will do nothing but irritate your gut. The following foods are some of my favorite ways to coat your stomach and heal your stomach acidity naturally.
3. GREEN JUICE
Green juice is my favorite drink to lower stomach acidity of all, and my usual go-to method before anything else. Rich in chlorophyll, and properties that have a soothing effect, green juice is very calming, as well as rich in nutrients that require no digestion. This causes your cells to immediately absorb the nutrients in green juice, which will instantly go to work in your body, helping to heal your gut quickly. I was having chronic acidity and overall poor nutrient absorption three months ago. I started adding green juice into my diet, twice a day, in very small doses, and within a week, my digestive health was like new. I also had no signs of stomach acidity after that whatsoever. My top favorite green juice to lower stomach acidity is 1 cucumber, a 1 inch knob of ginger, 1 cup of spinach, ½ a lemon with the peel, and 1 large carrot. This tastes really good too! Try it and in just no time, you’ll see how wonderfully healing it can be. Green juice is high in enzymes, magnesium, iron, chlorophyll, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and promotes hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which helps your body fight off harmful acids, and helps digest your food better. I consume mine 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner.
4. GREEN SMOOTHIE
If you’re not sure about juicing, or you don’t own a juicer, then just make a green smoothie! I drink two green smoothies, sometimes three, every single day. Green smoothies are highly alkaline, high in enzymes like green juice, and they are rich in fiber. They are much easier to digest than a whole plate of veggies and salad for some people, so the nutrients are absorbed much more quickly, and much more efficiently since green smoothies are digested much quicker. The quicker your body can digest a food, the better the nutrient absorption rate, and the faster you feel the effects. Green smoothies can contain a number of ingredients, but to lower stomach acidity, it’s best to keep out too much fruit. Fruit is naturally acidic, though some varieties are okay. For a stomach healing green juice that’s delicious, try one of my favorite recipes, which is the Calming Lemon Ginger Smoothie. It tastes sort of like vanilla, lemon, and ginger all rolled into one creamy concoction that is rich in protein and healing nutrients.
5. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
I keep a container of Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar in my fridge at all times. I’m never without this powerful food. Some people say it helps you lose weight, but I don’t use it for that, nor have I seen it cause any weight loss. What I have seen it cause is a tremendous healing effect on my digestion. Apple cider is acidic by nature, but once it enters your body, it actually alkalizes your system and lowers stomach acidity. Anytime my digestion is off, or I eat an acidic meal like a delicious tomato soup or roasted veggies, I always follow my meal with a swig of apple cider vinegar. I only use raw organic apple cider vinegar, as it contains beneficial prebiotics and enzymes that aid in digestion and assimilation. Or, if I just have a funny feeling in my stomach and troubles with digestion, I drink it during these times as well. It always works! You can either drink 1 teaspoon straight, or dilute it in any beverage you choose. Another benefit of apple cider vinegar is you can use it on salads to lower your blood sugar, and it makes for a terrific salad dressing, might I add!
6. LEMONS
I am never without my lemons, let me tell you! I adore them so much for the health benefits they offer. Lemons are rich in Vitamin C, and powerful sources of enzymes. They are also a top nutrient to prevent and treat inflammation, as well as a top food for alkalizing your blood. Your stomach can often become inflamed due to stress, whether physical or mental, creating inflammation. It’s no wonder when you’re stressed, your stomach can feel acidic or off balance. Lemons are one of the best and least expensive foods you can consume that will help lower stomach acidity and aid in gut healing. They also promote hydrochloric acid production in the stomach, which is necessary for fighting off harmful acids and aiding in digestion. Use them in water, add them to tea, or squeeze some onto a salad or roasted veggies. They’re delicious, and a great way to alkalize any acidic meal you eat.
7. PLAIN ORGANIC YOGURT
Dairy gets a lot of bad rap when it comes to health, and I’m certainly not jumping on the dairy train, by any means. Yet, there is always an exception to every rule out there, and dairy deserves a break every now and then too, especially when it involves organic yogurt. Organic plain yogurt, along with organic plain kefir, are rich sources of enzymes, probiotics, and protein, along with vitamins and minerals. Yogurt coats your stomach, and can help relieve gas, indigestion, bloating, constipation, and most importantly in this case, an acidic stomach. For awhile, I was vegan, and ate a very alkalizing diet, high in raw foods that contained no sugar whatsoever. I did very well with this diet for quite awhile, but later suffered some effects I wasn’t happy with. Stomach acid became a daily struggle for me, and unfortunately, no matter what I tried, my body rejected everything. I decided to try yogurt again, since it had worked for me in the past and I had great results. My stomach acidity was gone, along with poor digestion. I realize some people do not believe in dairy, nor do they tolerate it, and I understand that, but if you have an acidic stomach and tolerate yogurt, please do try it. Just be sure you stick with plain, organic varieties. It’s very important to avoid added sugars, even in yogurt, if you have an acidic stomach. Read the label and make sure the only ingredient is cultured milk and probiotic cultures. No added sugar should appear in the ingredients list. It’s also important to buy organic since conventional dairy is harmful to animals, contains pesticides and toxins, is inflammatory, contains antibiotics that kill your good gut bacteria, and comes from dairy given GMO corn and soy, which are inflammatory by nature.
8. BANANAS
Bananas are also a food that gets a lot of bad rap without reason or rhyme, if you ask me. Bananas are a top food you should be eating if you have an acidic stomach. Like yogurt, they naturally coat the stomach, which is important if you have an acidic stomach. If you choose slightly ripe bananas, they are also more alkaline in nature than starchier, slightly green, or bright yellow bananas are. The riper they are, the easier they are to digest as well. Bananas do contain a lot of natural sugars, but overall, they’re pretty low in carbohydrates, and high in fiber. Eat one medium banana a day, or whenever your stomach isn’t tolerating other foods well. As a bonus, they’re rich in potassium, which is another fabulous ingredient for your stomach too. Potassium helps digestion, prevents inflammation, and flushes the entire body of wastes.
9. LEAFY GREENS
Leafy greens should be in every single person’s fridge, in my opinion. Leafy greens like spinach, chard, kale, arugula, and romaine are some of the best leafy greens you can consume. They also help to naturally aid the gut lining because they are one of the most alkaline foods you can eat. Leafy greens are rich in chlorophyll, which is basically acid’s archenemy! The more alkaline a food, the less acidic your stomach will be. If you have trouble digesting raw veggies, then leafy greens are a great way to still get in your nutrition, without having problems with digestion. If you aren’t fond of salads, you can use them in soups, smoothies, or stir them into baked entrees any way you choose. You can juice with them too!
