11 Abstinence from stomach acid that must be obeyed

In order to prevent recurrence of symptoms, people who have ulcers are required not to be careless when consuming food and drinks. Especially if you don't want the symptoms of stomach acid to rise again, which then triggers an ulcer. Well, in addition to paying attention to food and drink choices that can be consumed, there are also some restrictions that need to be avoided to avoid the severity of stomach acid. Anything, huh?

What are the taboos for people with stomach acid?

Identical ulcer problems experienced by people who like to delay eating. As a result, usually the stomach will feel pain due to increased stomach acid. However, keep in mind that ulcers are not actually a specific disease, but rather a collection of symptoms that lead to a disease.

One of the factors that can trigger an increase in stomach acid comes from the daily consumption of food and drinks. Therefore, if you have problems with ulcers and stomach acid, you should avoid various restrictions to prevent recurrence of symptoms.

Here are some list of dietary and beverage restrictions for those of you who have ulcers:

1. Foods and drinks high in fat

Fat is needed by the body in a certain amount. However, eating foods and drinks high in fat in portions that are too much and often can trigger ulcer symptoms.

This is because high-fat foods and drinks can weaken the muscles in the lower esophageal valve. This condition will certainly make the esophageal valve open easily, thus triggering the rise of stomach acid into the esophagus.

As a result, you will usually experience symptoms in the form of chest pain like burning (heartburn). In addition, high fat foods can also stimulate the release of the cholecystokinin hormone.

This hormone can trigger loosening of the esophageal valve, causing stomach acid to rise. Foods with high fat content also usually take longer to digest.

This can result in slower gastric emptying, which then triggers the production of excess stomach acid. That's why the high-fat food and drink group is on the list of no-nonsense for people who want to control acid reflux.

Examples of foods and drinks with a high fat content include:

High fat milk and processed products.
Red meat such as beef, goat, lamb.
Fried or other fried foods.
Desserts such as cakes, ice cream, etc. with high fat content.

2. Fried foods

It's hard to deny, all fried foods are generally delicious and addictive to eat constantly. Unfortunately, fried foods are one of the taboos for those of you who want to prevent acid reflux.

The reasons are similar to previous high-fat foods. Fried, which incidentally is soaked in hot oil and quite a lot, contains a lot of trans fats.

Again, eating foods that are high in fat is certainly at risk of making ulcer symptoms recur due to increased stomach acid. The reason is, fried foods with high fat content can stimulate the weakening of the muscles in the esophageal valve.

As a result, stomach acid can easily rise and spread to the gut, chest and esophagus.

3. Chocolate

For those of you who don't really like chocolate and have ulcer disease, of course there is no problem avoiding this one food. However, if you are a chocolate fan, this could be bad news.

Chocolate is one of the few taboos that must be followed to prevent acid reflux. This is due to the content in the chocolate.

Chocolate usually contains caffeine and another stimulant, theobromine, which can cause acid reflux. Not only that, the methylxanthine ingredient contained in chocolate is also believed to weaken the muscle strength in the esophageal valve.

The high fat content in chocolate can also trigger the recurrence of ulcer symptoms.

4. Coffee

Maybe you have or often heard that people who have ulcers are not recommended to drink large amounts of coffee. In fact, as much as possible you should avoid drinking coffee, or at least limit your intake to prevent ulcer symptoms from getting worse.

This is because coffee contains caffeine in it which is proven to weaken the muscles in the lower esophageal valve. As a result, stomach acid can freely back up into the esophagus, causing discomfort.

5. Soda

Apart from making the stomach feel bloated, soda and carbonated drinks can trigger an increase in stomach acid which is a symptom of an ulcer. The reason is, this drink can weaken the muscles in the lower esophageal valve, which then makes stomach acid rise.

In fact, soda and carbonated drinks can also contain caffeine which will make it easier for ulcer symptoms to appear. On this basis, this drink is one of the taboos for people who have ulcers, if you don't want the symptoms to recur.

6. Alcohol

Just like coffee and soda, beer, wine, or other types of alcohol or liquor can contribute to causing ulcers. There are various ways that alcohol can trigger this condition.

First, alcoholic drinks, especially beer and wine, can increase the amount of stomach acid production. Second, research published by the Journal of Zhejiang University Science B, also adds to it.

The study revealed that alcohol can make the muscles in the esophageal valve weak. Both of these things are what ultimately triggers a burning feeling in the chest (heartburn), due to increased stomach acid.

Finally, besides being able to cause various diseases in the future, drinking alcohol too often can irritate the lining of the esophagus slowly. Over time, this condition can make the esophagus more sensitive to stomach acid.

8. Spicy food

It is common knowledge that eating spicy food can lead to stomach upset, heartburn, and diarrhea. However, did you know that spicy food is also one of the taboos for people with stomach acid?

Yes, this is because spicy food, which is usually processed from chilies, contains a substance called capsaicin in it. Capsaicin is an alkaloid extract that gives chilies its distinctive spicy taste.

Apparently, capsaicin can slow down the work of the digestive system, where in people who are experiencing ulcers it will worsen the condition. You see, when the rate of the digestive system slows down, the process of digesting food automatically takes longer.

Even though when the symptoms of an ulcer are attacking, the food you eat should not stay in the digestive system for too long. The longer food stays in the stomach, the risk of developing stomach acid will increase.

As a result, it took longer to recover the symptoms of the ulcer. It doesn't stop there, eating too much spicy food can also irritate the lining of the esophagus.

The esophagus eventually becomes inflamed, which worsens the symptoms of an ulcer. That is why, important taboos that must be obeyed are avoiding all forms of spicy food. Either when an ulcer is recurring, or to prevent symptoms from appearing.

9. Salty food

Not much different from spicy food, eating too often and eating a lot of salty food can also trigger ulcer symptoms in the form of an increase in stomach acid.

However, it is not entirely known how this process could have occurred. Chances are, the combination of salty foods eaten with fried foods and fatty foods can trigger acid reflux.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with adhering to the prohibition of eating salty foods for the sake of stabilizing stomach acid levels.

9. Citrus fruit

Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are various fruits that belong to the citrus group. Maybe, we often hear that consuming lime can reduce coughs. But on the other hand, consuming citrus fruits can trigger an increase in stomach acid.

This is evidenced by research published in The Korean Journal of Gastroenterology. Of the approximately 382 people who complained of burning in the chest as a symptom of heartburn, 67 percent of them experienced symptom severity after consuming oranges.

Most likely, the amount of acid contained in citrus fruits is the main responsible for the increase in stomach acid.

10. Tomatoes

Apart from citrus fruits, tomatoes are also included in the list of taboos to prevent acid reflux.

The reason is, tomatoes contain citric acid and malic acid which can trigger an increase in stomach acid, causing ulcers.

When you eat too many tomatoes, the acid content can affect the digestive system. Furthermore, it will go up into the esophagus, causing complaints of discomfort.

11. Onions

Any form of onion, whether onion, white, or onion, can weaken the muscles in the lower esophagus. As a result, stomach acid can easily rise back up into the esophagus, causing ulcer symptoms.

Even when the acid reflux is recurring suddenly, onions are one food taboo to avoid. The substances present in onions can trigger various digestive problems, which can easily lead to belching.

Burping is indeed a symptom of an ulcer. If you do this frequently, burping can worsen the symptoms of acid reflux.

Abstinence from eating habits for people with stomach acid

In addition to paying attention to various restrictions to prevent stomach acid from rising, as well as worsening ulcer symptoms, there are other things that must also be known. The following are eating habits that should be avoided for people with ulcers:

1. Eat too many servings

Eating large portions is indeed filling. However, you better be careful. Because the increase in stomach acid can sometimes easily appear after eating too much.

The stomach, which is filled with food, will become inflamed. This stretch then puts considerable pressure on the muscles in the valve of the lower esophagus.

When it should be closed, the esophageal valve may open suddenly. Without taking long, conditions like this that later trigger stomach acid to rise, leading to ulcer symptoms. Therefore, it is advisable for people with ulcers to eat small amounts of food but often.

2. Eating too close to bedtime

In fact, the advice not to eat too close to bedtime does prove true. When you go to sleep right after eating, your body doesn't have enough time to digest food properly.

Instead of filling you up, the food you have eaten actually goes back up into the esophagus with acid from the stomach. This is what then causes ulcer symptoms accompanied by an increase in stomach acid.

So, try to give a gap of about 2-3 hours if you want to sleep after eating. That way, the body has enough time to process these foods in the digestive system.

The same is true for those of you who like to lie down immediately or lie down after eating.