At a point in one’s pregnancy, indigestion, reflux, heartburn, whatever you want to call it, becomes inevitable! As the weeks go on, and your tiny baby grows, your organs end up in place that most of don’t even know! Like…. my stomach USE to be here!
Now, there are A LOT of factors when it comes to reducing indigestion (as I typically call it)
Food,
Size of meals,
The acidity of meals its self etc.
A very common misconception with acid in the stomach, typically when you are burping “stomach acid” it’s actually your body crying out for help, that it needs more acid!
Contrary to popular belief (and what many pharmaceutical companies say in advertisements), acid reflux symptoms are not caused by too much acid in the stomach. In fact, it is now believed by many that low stomach acid often causes symptoms. -Dr Josh Axe .
Crazy right?!
Personally, I only experience acid indigestion towards the later part of the evening. Why?! Well between breakfast and lunch my body has used up most of my stomach acid. Even between a good dose of probiotics, digestive enzymes, low acid diet, I still need a little help from my friend ACV. Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar before a meal helps to digest food and brings your stomach acid to a lower level. (Remember acid to alkaline chart, lower acidity actually means MORE acid.)
Foods that are higher in acidity such as meat, cheese, etc require MORE stomach acid to digest. Mind blowing right?! Your stomach actually thrives in an acidic state.
So you might be wondering, why not take a TUMS and call it a day?! My OBGYN says that’s okay…
The major problem here is the insistence that excessive stomach acidity is the problem. Your stomach functions optimally when it is between 1.5 and 3.5 pH (an extremely acidic environment), and acid-blocking drugs can raise that pH somewhere around two points (a higher pH means a lower acid level). What’s the problem with that?
Well, for one, they don’t address the root problem and provide only temporary relief. When antacids make the stomach less acidic, more acid is automatically produced to bring the stomach back to its intended pH level. The body will continue this process every time a medicinal measure is taken to reduce acidity. -Dr. Josh Axe
While TUMS will help with heartburn (I actually had to take a few of a “natural” TUMS the other day, guess why… I FORGOT TO DRINK ACV BEFORE DINNER.)
PS Are you surprised, that I was surprised they worked?! I was truly skeptical about an anti-acid working BECAUSE of what I know about gut health.
A few other ways to prevent/combat indigestion:
Drink ACV before a meal (I’m talking 1 tbs diluted in 8oz of water)
If you forget to drink ACV before a meal, or end up needing more, you can definitely drink during or after. It’s better than nothing!
Probiotics
Digestive Enzymes
HCL tablets
Avoiding water while eating (If you have hydrated enough through out the day you should be able to go a whole meal with out more than a sip or two of water. Drinking too much water while eating will dilute stomach acid.)
Peppermint Essential Oil, Digestzen, Digestzen Tablet (these actually contain a little bit of calcium which is found in TUMS.)
Spacing out meals
Eating more alkaline foods
Laying on your left side when you sleep
Sleeping with an extra pillow.
THEN if allllllll of these things don’t work for you, I would find a dye free “TUMS” to have on hand. But I would really be shocked if you needed them after adhering to the recommendations above!
**Please remember my disclaimer, that I am not a doctor, or medical professional. My posts are not to be interpreted as medical advice and you should not rely on or follow techniques on this site without consulting a medical professional. Also, the opinions, views, and experiences expressed here are entirely my own and provided for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for advice from your doctor or health care professional.
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