Quick – tell me everything you know about stomach acid!

…

I’m hearing a lot of crickets.

Yeah. That was me too until I finally broke down yesterday and asked the Google Doctor:

“What causes terrible bloating?”

If there was enough space in the search box, I would have written:

Dear Google Doctor,

I’ve been avoiding buttons these days. Pant buttons, that is. And belts. Belts too.

It’s all about the spandex and loose dresses for this kid these days!

Why?

I’m glad you asked, oh wise Google Doctor.

It’s because, though I wake up feeling completely normal, within 20 minutes of eating breakfast, my stomach is so distended that you would swear I was 6 months pregnant. Ok. Maybe not 6. But definitely 4 or 5. And I stay that way. All day. I get hunger pangs for lunch, but they can only be felt under the ginormous layer of the uncomfortable, basketball-like air bubble that used to be my stomach.

I wish I were exaggerating, but alas, I’m not.

It’s not cute.

And may I remind you, Google doctor, that pregnant bellies are only cute when there is actually a baby inside. I assure you, there is no baby growing inside this belly right now, unless you count the billions of babies the bad bacteria in my gut seem to be having every time I put a piece of food in my mouth. I’m footing the bill for their newborn celebrations and I’m not happy about it.

Please help.

Signed,

Distressed, swollen and perpetual wearer of spandex

The Google Doctor, in its mystical and fascinating Wizard-of-Oz-like ways, came back with an answer, or rather, an education about stomach acid.

Turns out, stomach acid isn’t our enemy. It’s our friend. And, for all of you heartburn sufferers out there: stomach acid doesn’t cause heart burn. The inability to produce enough stomach acid is what causes it. It’s a long explanation that has to do with bile, pancreatic enzymes, your liver and your pancreas. Think about your car engine when your oil is dirty. And you haven’t changed it in 2 years. Same thing. It’s fascinating stuff and I encourage you to read more about it. But for the purposes of this post, just take my word for it.

The point is, we need stomach acid. We need it to work properly. But when we eat foods that clog up our system, well, it’s clogs up our system! It throws everything out of whack, either causing heartburn, bloating, or any number of inflammatory related ailments (that includes everything from arthritis to headaches).

That was interesting in and of itself. Yet what I learned next hit a nerve:

Stress impacts our bodies through the intestinal tract.

What’s more is that 95% of serotonin is produced in our gut walls.

Um…what?

Yeah, that hormone responsible for balancing your mood so you don’t get depressed? It’s mostly created in your gut wall.

So guess what: if your gut health isn’t so healthy, you’re likely experiencing some significant ups and downs in your mood.

I can tell you without hesitation that I certainly am. I’m mostly happy, but I have to fight a lot harder lately to stay there. And I’m definitely stressed. I internalize 99% of it, so most people would never know I was stressed at all (except that now I’ve just told you, so…there’s that…). I’m likely experiencing stress on a subconscious level too since I have very high expectations for myself, and, try as I might, I don’t always meet them. Oh, and I happen to be a professional worryer. Yes, it’s a thing. And no, it does not pay well.

So naturally, it’s now clear that a big reason for my pregnant-but-not-really-pregnant belly is stress related. And when I’m stressed, I eat. And even though I eat healthy foods (mostly), according to the Google Doctor, if you eat when you’re feeling stressed, upset, or emotional, this can stop the production of stomach acid! So when that food hits your stomach, there is no acid with which to detoxify it, and problems begin.

This can only mean one thing:

No more eating coconut chocolate peanut butter ice cream – or even broccoli – in front of Sex and the City while I’m stressed. Damn it.

Yesterday, while I was busy lamenting my guilty pleasure, my body was busy thanking me for my efforts to reduce the bloat: it marked the first day in months that I didn’t have any bloating.

I mean, none.

Spandex, be gone! Somebody get me a button!

If you too are looking for that victorious moment, you know, the one where you can finally see your stomach again? Here are 16 things to incorporate today:

(Before I begin, it should go without saying that you shouldn’t be eating processed or refined foods, so I’m not going to put that on the list. But if you find yourself being surprised by this, I will say it now:

Cut out the fast food. Cut out the heavy, refined sugar-laden desserts. Cut out the refined white flour. That includes your morning bagel, english muffin, white toast. The only solid you’re doing your body by consuming these foods is the solid mass of poop that’s been stuck in your intestines for days and won’t come out. Can I get an amen?)

Now let’s get down to business:

1. Meditate. Twice a day.

Listen. I’m a busy body. My mind goes faster than I could ever act on, and the last thing I ever think about doing is relaxing. No wonder I’m so stressed! I don’t take any time to just be. Yesterday, I meditated for 20 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes at night. All I did was sit down in a comfortable position, close my eyes, set my timer, and imagined myself in the middle of a lush green forest with a giant waterfall behind me (advice I got from a sweet friend). Did ex boyfriends, lions, tigers, bears, and countless other thoughts creep in? You bet your bananas, they did! But I just told them to go away, and back I went to blissful peace for another 5 seconds until the next thought came along.

The point is this: you’re not always going to be able to slow your mind down, but if you can do yourself the service of sitting still and letting your mind roam free, something happens in your brain that calms you down. If 10 minutes scares you, try 5 instead. If 5 is too much, try 3. Whatever you do, do yourself a solid (stool) and just try any number you’re comfortable with. You can work your way up from there.

2. Drink a big glass of room temperature or hot water 15 minutes before a meal.

This stimulates the stomach acid, getting it ready to receive and properly process food. And no, do not make it a cold glass of water as this actual impedes digestion (think about a fridge or freezer: they stop the growth of harmful bacteria vs. leaving your food on the counter. So too does ice cold water stop the digestion process in your gut).

3. Drink ginger tea before, with, or after consuming a meal.

Ginger stimulates the enzyme production that is necessary for digestion. And remember: we need these enzymes to properly digest food, extract the nutrients we need, and discard the rest.

On a more personal note, yesterday, I drank ginger tea after each of my meals, and I never got bloated. Keep in mind, this is the first time I haven’t been bloated after a meal in months. So I’m a believer!

4. Start your morning with hot or warm water and lemon to wake up your digestive system.

Yes, before you do anything else, squeeze half a lemon into a cup or two of hot or warm water, and drink up. Why? Because it stimulates your digestive system by encouraging the production of stomach acid, which you need to properly digest food. It also stimulates gallbladder contractions, which is important for the healthy production of the bile needed to move things through your intestines. As if that wasn’t enough, lemon water also cleanses both your gallbladder and your liver, two detoxifying organs that benefit from good digestion. And finally, it wakes up your intestinal system, allowing for stools to easily move out of your body.

5. Don’t eat when you’re stressed.

Oh boy. That one just sucks for me. But tis true. As mentioned above, if you eat when you’re feeling stressed, upset, or emotional, this can stop the production of stomach acid. And we both now know that will cause problems for us almost immediately.

6. Eat alkaline forming foods.

Maintaining a healthy pH in your body is the source of good health. If we are too acidic or too alkaline, that is when disease can form. In general, on a scale of 1 to 14, a pH below 7 is too acidic. Our ideal pH is about 7.4, which is slightly alkaline. Without getting into too much detail, know that many foods are highly acidic, but so is stress in all forms, including environmental toxins and emotional stress. So most of us are already more acidic than alkaline.

To combat this, besides meditation and reducing stress, choose foods that are alkaline forming. In fact, you should aim to make your diet fully 80% alkaline forming foods. Not sure what that means? Any green vegetable will be alkaline forming because of it’s chlorophyll content. But so will pretty much any vegetable or fruit, as well as some nuts, seeds, and gluten free grains. For guidance, visit this site.

7. Avoid inflammation causing foods for a few weeks.

I hate to tell you this, but chocolate, dairy, gluten, coffee, meat, eggs, alcohol, fried foods, and all of those other delicious treats are wreaking havoc in your gut. They are acid forming, the very enemy of gut health. As much as this sucks, if you are having gut issues, do yourself a favor and try cutting them out of your diet for a few weeks – just long enough to restore gut health. Then you can add them back into your diet. But try your darndest not let your diet consist of more than 20% of these foods in any given week.

8. Try consuming 75% raw foods for a few weeks.

Now that you understand the difference between alkaline and acid forming foods, it will be easier to understand that since raw fruits and veggies are alkaline forming, eating them raw can help heal your gut.

9. Take those probiotics!

Probiotics are good bacteria that your gut needs to be healthy. When you start to feel bloated, it’s generally because the bad bacteria in your gut are overtaking the good ones. So crowd those bad boys out with a healthy dose of probiotics! Ask your doctor or local health food store for help in picking the right brand and strength for you. They can be pricey, but trust me – they are worth it. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that I wasn’t on probiotics during the last few months, which happens to be the time frame of my excessive bloating.

10. Move your body.

No, you don’t have to go all out and pump some major iron. In fact, did you know that exercise in and of itself causes stress on the body? It’s supposed to. But this tidbit of information is not meant to get you to stop exercising. Because we do need to get our heart rates up, and this kind of exercise does the trick. But while you’re experiencing any tummy trouble, I would suggest not doing any high intensity workouts, especially if you’ve been bloated for a long time. Think long walks around the neighborhood, hikes, leisurely swims, yoga. Essentially, anything that gets you moving but that doesn’t stress your system in any way.

11. Mind your portions.

This goes without saying. Start putting less on your plate. Your problem could simply be that you’re overeating (and if you’re stress eating like I have been, this is definitely true for you).

12. Chew, chew, and chew some more.

Yes. Chew your food. I don’t mean a few times. I mean 50 times. No, that is not a typo. Aim to chew your food at least 50 times before swallowing. Why?

Well, for starters, your stomach doesn’t have teeth. So anything that goes down your esophagus whole is going to have to be processed that way. That’s not only going to make your intestines very angry with you (and rightfully so, don’t you think?), but it also will make it difficult for your system to extract the nutrients from the food because the pieces are so big. Secondly, when you chew, the saliva releases digestive enzymes which stimulate the digestion process. These enzymes start to break down your food, taking some of the burden away from the stomach to do this. And the more saliva you produce, the more it lubricates your food, and the easier it will be on your tummy to digest.

13. Stop eating 3-4 hours before bed.

Food is energy. When we consume breakfast, it gives us energy to get through the day. Then we eat lunch, which gives us more energy. But the truth is that by dinner time, we don’t really need much more energy, because we’re just going to wind down (some of us) and then go to bed. We certainly don’t need that much energy to sleep. So not only should your dinner be the smallest meal of your day, it should also be light, not as calorie dense, and consumed 3-4 hours before bed. Additionally, digestion takes a lot of work. So if we are asking our bodies to digest food right before bed, it’s going to interrupt our sleep because our body is working hard while we want it to rest. It’s very confusing. Stop confusing your body! No more late night dining.

14. Try dining in this week, or for the next few weeks.

Dining out is great, especially if you are low on time, or have a craving for something you are simply not willing to make. But when you eat out, you are subject to the food additives and ingredients that are inevitably added to your foods. Corn starch, table salt, butter, etc. Many of these can cause bloating, as they are almost all acid forming. So unless you know of a place where you are guaranteed to get food that won’t hurt your stomach, try dining in instead. There are plenty of recipes on this site to help you through months and months of good-for-your-gut meals.

15. Avoid juicing.

Though juicing is great (I love my apple, ginger, lemon juice), most of us juice with a lot of fruit, and only a few veggies. As a result, we end up getting high concentrations of sugar, which in turn, causes inflammation. So unless you are juicing mostly veggies, it’s probably best to put the juicer away for a little while.

16. Eat good fats.

Avoiding fat is just about the worst thing you can do for your system (unless you have a health condition that prevents you from eating it). It’s the bad fats that you want to avoid: heavy dairy, canola oil, trans fats, etc. But good fats like avocados, extra virgin olive oil, coconut, nuts, and seeds are needed not only for good brain function, but also for good gallbladder function! If you don’t eat enough fats, everything dries out, and then you find yourself bunged up for days. So go ahead – eat those good fats!

 

Alright, if you’re anything like me, you might be thinking, “So what you’re saying is that my bloating means that I can eat pretty much nothing. Awesome. Isn’t that just magical. You suck.”

Trust me. I hear you. I’ve been there. I am there! I understand your frustration, because quite frankly, your stomach should be able to process these kinds of foods, at least in moderation. And it would if it were functioning properly.

And one day soon, it will. But first, you have to heal your gut. And if you’ve been bloated like I have for months, you’d be willing to try anything.

So let’s heal it first and then commit to taking care of it so that we can eat the foods we adore from time to time.

My advice (as if I haven’t given enough already)?

Be patient – this may take a few months depending on how long this has been affecting you. If you see no changes in 2 months, it might be time to get some tests done, doctor’s orders.

Ready to reclaim your stomach?

Me too.

May the good gut flora be with you! And the force too…

Lauren
xxx