For a thorough understanding of  how to deal with acidity, it is important to identify its causes and accommodate dietary changes accordingly.

Mona Jauhar (Practices Functional Medicine in New York, Registered Dietician, Certified Weight Management Specialist) explains that contrary to popular belief, acidity is caused when the stomach produces less acid – less than is required to digest the food. The undigested food then tries to come up and enters the lower esophageal sphincter. As your esophagus does not have a protective lining, the acid that is mixed with the food causes the burning sensation and other symptoms of acidity.

Consuming over-the-counter antacids is not a long-term solution because they are harmful to health. Evidence suggests that consuming antacids leads to vitamin B12 deficiency, anaemia, bacterial overgrowth, hip fractures, osteoporosis, depression, etc.

To manage acidity, Mona recommends certain dietary modification and lifestyle changes:-

• Eliminate fried and spicy foods, tomato-based products, and citrus fruits for three weeks. Then introduce them to your diet one-by-one so you can identify what food has triggered your symptoms.
• Reduce stress levels by taking five deep breaths before any meal is consumed
• Avoid eating processed and packaged foods because they have numerous additives and preservatives
• Don’t eat anything for three hours before bedtime. If you still experience the symptoms then add a few pillows under your head while lying down
• If you have fat around the stomach then then try to lose weight since intra-abdominal pressure pushes the food upwards

For quick-fixes to manage acidity Mona recommends using kitchen ingredients such as baking soda, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and salt for temporary relief.

For further details please watch this video