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Indigestion - 20 Tips for Sufferers

By Joy Healey

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Published: 15Apr2009
Word count: 436
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Indigestion is one of the most complaints these days, causing pain, discomfort and embarrassment.

Common symptoms include heartburn and belching. If stomach acid comes up into the throat, it can cause a burning sensation and great discomfort behind the breastbone.

Good digestion is essential for optimum health. If you do not digest your food correctly it cannot nourish you.

Acid reflux often occurs with hiatal hernia, a condition in which the stomach pushes upward through an opening in the diaphragm and into the thorax.

Be sure to check your symptoms out with your GP, but if he can find nothing sinister, following these dietary and lifestyle recommendations may eliminate your problem:

1. At the first sign of heartburn, drink one or two large glasses of water. This relieves heartburn by washing the acid out of the esophagus.

2. Even if you are not thirsty, drink a large glass of water every three hours during the day.

3. Eat several small meals daily.

4. Drink freshly squeezed juice made of equal parts of apples, carrots and beetroot.

5. Include extra fiber in the diet.

6. Do not consume spicy foods, and do not take enzyme supplements that contain hydrochloric acid (HCl).

7. Avoid foods that produce wind, such as peas and beans.

8. Avoid fats and fried food that delay digestion, prolonging the stomach's emptying time. Also avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, colas, and smoking.

9. Avoid cows milk products, red meat

10. Avoid refined carbohydrates ('white' products) - choose wholemeal instead.

11. Don't do any heavy lifting and bending. Give the stomach at least two hours to empty before exertion. Bend from the knees, not the waist, to avoid abdominal pressure.

12. Do not wear clothing that is tight around the waist.

13. Avoid becoming constipated and straining during bowel movements.

14. Do not eat within three hours of bedtime. If you are regularly bothered by indigestion during the night, try raising the head of your bed six to ten inches.

15. Do not lie down during the day if you are bothered by heartburn. Sitting or standing helps keep the stomach acids in the stomach.

16. Because heartburn causes symptoms similar to those of heart disease, see a physician if you have more than occasional bouts to rule out the possibility of heart problems.

17. Ginger tea is soothing.

18. Allergenic foods may magnify the symptoms and delay healing. Symptoms often clear up when allergenic foods are avoided. Check for food intolerances.

19. Acid reflux can also be caused by other factors. for instance, smoking or obesity.

20. Check for candida.

Instead of spending money on over-the-counter indigestion remedies, use the above tips, follow a healthy eating plan and watch the improvement in your indigestion symptoms.

Joy Healey qualified as a nutritionist in 2000, at the prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. Check out this eating plan to solve indigestion

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