7 Simple Habits to Combat Acid Reflux and Heartburn
Heartburn is horrible. That burning feeling of acid reflux in the throat, the throbbing pain. But as a long term sufferer I have learnt that there are some simple things you can do to keep the acid at bay.
I’ve taken the ubiquitous prescription antacid Omeprazole for years. When my acid reflux really flared up a few years ago I was taking a big whack of it every day, along with several other prescription meds in order to keep my acid down.
Along the way, and after much research and experimentation on myself, I developed some strategies to limit my reflux (or as a gastro nurse once delightfully called it “regurge”) which I follow and which are definitely critical to me keeping my heartburn under control.
By adjusting what I eat and the way I eat it I eventually made it off all those meds - except for a small daily dose of Omeprazole that is.
Acid reflux is a complex complaint and can have many causes - for example you are more likely to suffer if you smoke or are overweight - but I have found that doing the basics right has helped me enormously.
So here are my 7 Simple Habits to keep acid reflux at bay, and to tackle it when it does strike.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or a dietician. These techniques are based on my personal experience. If acid reflux is affecting you seriously you should seek medical advice.
1. Stay hydrated
This is the most important thing of all. Drink enough water!
Simple enough, and really a golden rule for life - I think many of us are at least a bit dehydrated much of the time.
I can be terrible at keeping up my fluid intake, but I find if I force myself to drink a big glass of water as soon as I get up in the morning I am off to a great start. I just down it in one to get it out of the way then refill my pint glass with good old London water and sip away at it.
My dad, a surgeon, always talked about this. He would say “drink water until your pee is clear”. That has become my acid (ahem) test as to whether or not I am sufficiently hydrated.
And for sure, acid reflux is less likely to strike when I stay hydrated throughout the day.
2. Chew properly
Growing up in Mumbai, my old man was taught to chew everything 33 times before swallowing. It was drummed into him.
Now, that is a lot of chewing and he basically destroyed his teeth in the end. However, digestion begins in the mouth and your teeth are crucial to the whole process.
As soon as we start breaking down food by chewing it, enzymes in our saliva also go to work on whatever we are consuming.
I try to remember to chew everything 25 times rather than just swallowing it down after a few chews and, as well as slowing down the speed at which I eat, that seems to really help with reflux.
I know if I’m super hungry and catch myself not chewing enough, the dreaded burn is much more likely to strike.
3. Eat slowly
Eating slowly used to be my nemesis. I have always been a wolfer. And to this day I just want to gobble through an amazing plate of food at breakneck speed.
But I know when I eat too quickly I am inevitably going to have problems: either acid reflux or horrible burping that can go on and on. Both are painful.
By force of will, I am much better nowadays at pausing during a meal, putting down whatever utensils I’m using, sipping some water (or other still beverage) and trying to appreciate the food I’m eating.
I made a rule with myself a few years ago that I would never be the first one at the table to finish, and that has really helped to slow me down. Even though I sometimes find myself having to wait with the last mouthful loaded up on the fork desperate to apply it to my face!
This may be the single thing that has made the most difference to me. Take your time!
4. Sit up to eat
It may seem obvious but you should always be as upright as possible when you’re applying nosh to your face. Let gravity do its thing and let it all slide down the tubes gently and in the right direction.
If you’re slouching or reclining in any way, you are not maximising the effect of gravity on the food you’re eating and something coming back up is way more likely.
That also applies just after eating - stay upright and let your stomach get to work on digesting what you’ve just consumed.
5. Sip water
When I do get acid, I have found that sipping some still water really helps. Having something neutral going down the right way helps to counteract acid coming up. I just keep taking small sips.
Whether I’m at home, on public transport, in the car or out and about anywhere, I have always got my ubiquitous water bottle nearby. It’s absolutely vital to me.
6. Don’t eat before bed
This was a game changer for me. I started waking up at night choking, completely unable to breathe. Which turned out to be a throat spasm caused by stomach acid escaping into the wrong place.
I immediately took the medical advice I was getting and made sure to eat well before going to bed and never to lie down on the sofa after eating (see number 5).
You need to give your stomach time to work through the food you’ve eaten and pass it on through to the rest of your digestive system. Allowing this process to get as far as possible before you lie down in bed will help to ensure acid doesn’t leak back up from your stomach and cause the sort of problems I was having.
7. Find your trigger foods and avoid them
There are some common trigger foods that are more likely to bring on acid reflux. This is different for everyone and you need to identify your own so that you can avoid them.
The most common triggers seem to be alcohol, fruit juice, very spicy or very rich food, mint.
Pay close attention to your symptoms and what you have eaten and you will soon work this out - you probably have a good idea already.
When my really bad acid reflux started I immediately gave up fruit juice (which I had always found heavy in my stomach) and have never really gone back to it. I stopped eating anything with tomatoes in it for quite a while too, as well as citrus fruit and any sort of sparkling wine. I also had to give up mint tea which I have always loved.
I can eat tomatoes quite happily now and even enjoy the occasional glass of bubbly, but the low-FODMAP diet process helped focus me on other triggers for my symptoms. These include wheat, which I have to be very careful with, onions (I do cook with them again now but in moderation) and dairy, which in any but the tiniest quantity is pretty much guaranteed to set off a reaction in my stomach.
It’s important to try to figure out what is increasing your reflux so that you can avoid it completely, or at least be very careful with how much of it you consume.
Conclusion
If you experience reflux on a regular basis you know how painful and debilitating it can be. Implementing some or all of these 7 simple habits can massively improve the chances of keeping your stomach acid where it should be - in your stomach!