People with stomach acid are advised to avoid foods or drinks that are prohibited for stomach acid. This is important to do to prevent recurrence of symptoms and worsening of the condition. Know what foods and drinks people with stomach acid need to avoid.
Heartburn due to increased stomach acid can be triggered by poor eating patterns, excessive stress, or certain habits such as frequent smoking. To avoid this condition, you should start paying attention to things that are taboo for stomach acid, including staying away from certain types of food and drinks.
Foods and Drinks Avoid Stomach Acid
There are several types of food and drinks that you should avoid or limit to prevent stomach acid from rising, namely:
1. Spicy food
Spicy foods can cause irritation and heartburn. This is supported by several studies which show that spicy foods contain capsaicin which can trigger symptoms of acid reflux and stomach irritation.
Therefore, for those of you who often experience acid reflux or stomach ulcer symptoms, you should avoid all kinds of spicy food.
2. Fatty foods
Apart from spicy foods, fatty foods can also trigger an increase in stomach acid. To prevent this, limit or reduce your intake of foods that contain a lot of fat such as fried foods, cheese, offal, processed meat, and high-fat red meat, for example sirloin and ribs.
3. Certain fruits and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. However, there are several types of fruit and vegetables that are taboo for stomach acid sufferers so their consumption needs to be limited, such as:
- Pineapple
- Citrus fruits, including grapefruit and lemon
- Lime
- Tomatoes, including tomato-based foods
Garlic and onion
Apart from that, to prevent stomach bloating and discomfort due to increased stomach acid, you also need to reduce your intake of foods that can produce gas, such as cabbage, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, beans and celery.
4. Chocolate
Chocolate is known to be good for health. However, excessive consumption of these foods can cause stomach acid symptoms to recur, and even worsen the symptoms that appear.
This is because the effect of chocolate can relax the muscles in the esophageal valve, which can trigger food and stomach contents to rise again, which can make people with stomach acid feel a stinging or hot sensation in the chest and neck.
5. Alcoholic drinks
Alcoholic drinks are also taboo that must be avoided by stomach acid sufferers. The reason is, this drink can cause stomach irritation and weaken the muscles in the esophagus. This can make stomach acid symptoms recur or become worse.
Therefore, to prevent symptoms of acid reflux, you should avoid consuming alcoholic drinks, such as winewine, beer, or cocktail.
6. Caffeinated and fizzy drinks
Some people can experience symptoms of increased stomach acid after consuming caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, tea or energy drinks. This is because caffeinated and fizzy drinks can stimulate excess stomach acid production, especially if the amount consumed is too large.
Apart from limiting or staying away from various foods and drinks that are prohibited from stomach acid above, it is also important for you to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent stomach acid from increasing, such as:
- Stop the smoking habit.
- Avoid the habit of exercising after eating.
- Consume food in small portions, but more often.
- Try to always maintain an ideal body weight.
- Avoid eating before bed.
- Control stress by relaxing, meditating, or doing activities you enjoy.
The reason is that irregular eating patterns and living habits can worsen stomach acid disease and cause chronic inflammation in the esophagus.
Symptoms of stomach acid that occasionally recur are usually nothing to worry about. However, if the symptoms of acid reflux are interfering with your daily activities and do not improve even though you have avoided various stomach acid restrictions, consult a doctor to get the right treatment.
