Diet taboos for hyperacidity

The dietary taboos for hyperacidity can be summarized into three points. First, avoid high-sugar, high-fat, high-caffeine, and alcoholic foods that will directly stimulate the secretion of large amounts of gastric acid.； Second, eat less foods that are too hot, too sour, too salty, and too rough, which can damage the gastric mucosa and aggravate the burning sensation in the esophagus. ； The third is to eliminate the habits of overeating, lying down immediately after a meal, and eating before going to bed, which can increase abdominal pressure and induce reflux. The rest of the precautions can actually be adjusted flexibly. There is no food that you absolutely cannot eat, only the amount and way of eating that are not suitable for you.

Xiao Zhou, a 26-year-old programmer I treated a while ago, was a typical trap of high caffeine and high sugar: two cups of ice cream a day when working on a project, and eating chocolate energy bars when he was hungry. After a week in a row, he always felt a burning sensation in his chest. He thought it was a heart problem. An electrocardiogram was performed and everything was normal. After a gastroscopy, it was discovered that he had reflux esophagitis, and the lower end of the esophagus was burned red by acid reflux. This type of highly stimulating food will directly "over-excit" the cells responsible for controlling gastric acid secretion. For people with relaxed cardiac sphincter, it is normal for acid reflux to occur half an hour after drinking.

When it comes to ways to relieve acid reflux, many people's first reaction is to drink soda and eat soda crackers. In fact, there are different opinions in the industry: some believe that temporarily eating alkaline foods to neutralize stomach acid can quickly relieve the burning sensation, and it is perfectly fine for emergency use.； However, more gastroenterologists do not recommend relying on this for long-term relief. Firstly, most sodas on the market add a lot of sugar and bubbles. Drinking too much will aggravate gastric bloating, increase abdominal pressure and induce more serious reflux. Secondly, long-term intake of too much sodium will burden blood pressure and kidneys, which is not worth the gain. I have seen many patients drink soda water every day. The acid reflux is not cured, but the bloated stomach makes them even more uncomfortable.

Many people think that as long as they don't eat spicy food or junk food, there will be no problem. In fact, there are many pitfalls hidden in "healthy food". For example, the winter jujubes that everyone loves to eat have hard and brittle skins, which can easily scratch the damaged gastric mucosa. In addition, the sugar content of winter jujubes can reach more than 20%. Eating too much of them will still stimulate the secretion of gastric acid. ； There are also hawthorn and lemon, which are touted as "health tools". Their acidity is too high. If eaten on an empty stomach, they will not only directly irritate the gastric mucosa, but may also combine with gastric acid to form gastric stones. There was an aunt in her 60s who heard that hawthorn can lower blood lipids. She ate three or four raw hawthorns on an empty stomach every day for half a month. After eating it for half a month, she suffered from acid reflux and heartburn to the point where she couldn't eat. When she did a gastroscopy, she actually found a stomach stone the size of a quail egg, which was eventually shattered under the endoscope.

As for the most frequently asked question, "Is spicy, sweet, milk tea and coffee completely off limits?" In fact, current clinical views are much more flexible than before: previous guidelines would recommend that reflux patients completely avoid these irritating foods, but now more and more doctors believe that if it is not an acute attack of acid reflux and you don't feel any discomfort after eating something, then there is no need to completely avoid the food. After all, many people dare not eat this or touch that because of acid reflux. They drink plain porridge and clear soup noodles every day, which leads to malnutrition and emotional anxiety. You must know that high emotional stress itself will promote the secretion of gastric acid, and instead fall into an endless cycle of more taboos and more serious problems. I once had a patient who didn't dare to drink milk tea for a whole year because of acid reflux. Later, he couldn't help but drink half a cup of 3-sugar tea. Nothing happened. He even laughed and said that he had been hungry for so long.

Rather than what you eat, the way you eat is sometimes more important. Many people slump on the sofa after eating, or take a nap on their stomachs. Some people like to eat barbecue and drink beer in the middle of the night, and then fall asleep after eating. At this time, the stomach is like a soda bottle that has not been tightly closed and has been shaken. Gastric acid mixed with undigested food can easily rise up. I myself made this mistake before when I was rushing to write a manuscript. I ate spicy hot pot with iced Coke for three days in a row, and then sat in front of the computer to revise the manuscript after eating. As a result, my throat became sore from acid reflux in the middle of the night, and I choked and coughed. After that, I stood and walked for ten minutes after every meal, even if I just stood and checked my phone for a while, the acid reflux condition improved a lot.

In fact, after all is said and done, the dietary taboos for hyperacidity have never been a cold "no-no list." Everyone's stomach tolerance is different. Some people can eat ten hot peppers without any problems, while others can get acid reflux after drinking a cup of honey water. Instead of copying the list of taboos on the Internet, it is better to spend half a month keeping a food diary, write down the foods that will make you feel uncomfortable after eating them, and just avoid them slowly. After all, eating is a happy thing, so don’t worry about eating because of this little problem, right?