Acidity is also called Acid Reflux, it is characterized by heart burns that is felt around the lower chest area. The common cause are unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices.
Acidity or Acid Reflux Causes
1. Long gaps between the meals.
2. Over eating and eating just before sleeping.
3. Consumption of very spicy food and fried food.
4. Excessive consumption of tea/ coffee/ soda.
5. Excessive stress, lack of sleep and lack of physical exercise.
6. Certain medicines like painkillers.
Dietary Modifications to Reduce Acidity
The main cause is lifestyle and you can make following changes
1. Avoid long gaps between the meals, have small regular meals throughout the day.
2. Eat atleast 2 hours before the bedtime.
3. Avoid spicy and fried food like pickles, chutney, sour creams and sauces and salad dressings.
4. Avoid citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, pineapple, tomatoes.
5. Avoid foods that trigger acidity like raw onions, garlic, caffeinated and carbonated drinks.
Home Remedies to Reduce Acidity
1. Coconut Water - It soothes your stomach. It turns body acidic pH to alkaline.
2. Butter Milk/ Chaach - A glass of butter milk after spicy meal helps reduce acidity as it has lactic acid that normalizes acidity in stomach.
3. Curd - Calcium rich food soothes heart burns and improves digestion too.
4. Cold Milk - It is rich in calcium, it neutralizes acids in stomach and gives relief from acidity.
5. Basil Leaves - Munching on basil/ mint leaves, fennel seeds/ ajwain helps in reducing acidity.
6. Jaggery - It's high magnesium content makes it alkaline and suitable for reducing acidity.
7. Bananas - The low acid fruit can help with acid reflux by cooling an irritated esophageal lining and combat discomfort.
8. Oat Meals - They are very high in fiber. they absorb acid in stomach. Milk oats are excellent to reduce acidity.
9. Green Vegetables - They make pH alkaline, hence are good for stomach and digestive system. Green beans, green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkin, drumsticks, potatoes. Being naturally low in fat and sugar, vegetables lessen stomach acids.