How to treat Indigestion Issue
Indigestion is defined as pain or discomfort in the stomach which is associated with difficulty in digesting food. It is a very common problem that we face in our everyday lives and it can happen due to various reasons including unhygienic food, hands or utensils, unsanitary surroundings, improperly handled foods, overeating, consuming over seasoned foods, etc.
Some common symptoms associated with Indigestion include heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and vomiting, blenching and gas, acidic taste in the mouth and burning sensation in the stomach.
As per the best nutritionist in Delhi, some reasons due to which indigestion can aggravate include:
- Alcohol and soda consumption excessively
- Some medications like aspirin and pain-relieving drugs
- Abnormalities in the digestive tract (e.g.: GERD, IBS, Pancreatitis)
- An emotional state like anxiety or depression
- Stress
- Smoking
- Eating very fast without chewing properly
- Consuming very spicy and oily foods
Indigestion does not require any specific diagnosis unless the person is suffering from any major underlying causes mentioned above. In such cases, an Endoscopy is performed on the patient which helps the doctor locate the problem site and begin treatment.
Indigestion Treatment:
Treating an ailment is a challenging part of the process of healing. Whether the problem is big or small, conscious efforts to manage it will help get rid of the problem faster and with effective results.
Indigestion is one ailment that does not have a specific treatment plan. It is something that usually happens and heals all by itself. But control is our main target here. Controlling foods and lifestyle habits that reduce the re-occurrence of indigestion will decrease the incidence of indigestion.
What to do?
Small changes in food choices and little lifestyle modification will help achieve the goal. A few things that we can take care of include:
- First, the most important rule to take care of is to chew the food properly before swallowing. Chewing helps in breaking down most food particles in the mouth itself which becomes easy for the stomach to digest. According to the best nutritionist in Delhi, semi-chewed food or un-chewed food needs more gastric juices to first break them down and then digest them. This causes additional accumulation of acid in the body which can cause reflux.
- Avoid eating heavy meals. Heavy meals put a lot of pressure on the stomach and it becomes very difficult for the stomach to digest unwanted amounts of food. It requires extra energy and extra gastric juices to digest food.
- Avoid fried/ refried foods. Refried foods contain a lot of fat in them. Also, refried foods contain oils that have been reused which not easily digestible and are absolutely unhealthy for our body.
- Avoid excessive intake of alcohol or acidic drinks. They disrupt the function of the natural gastric juice present in the stomach and can cause acid reflux in the esophagus which can lead to heartburn and an acidic taste in the mouth.
- Avoid eating over-seasoned food. Spices contain a lot of phenolic compounds in them that cause additional heat in the body. This heat when is ingested by our stomach leads to a burning sensation in our chest and stomach (heartburn).
- Monitor the medications you eat. If you find some medication causing any irritation to your digestive system, it should be immediately spoken about to the doctor and changed. Usually, in such cases, doctors prescribe antacids which help control the acidity levels in the stomach.
- Stress and anxiety are the biggest cause of indigestion. Taking care of it or trying to keep ourselves calm while eating will help reduce the stress on the digestive system and reduce the risk of Indigestion.
- Don’t lie down immediately after eating; it causes the stomach acids to flow backward into the oesophagus. Instead, walk for some time. It helps food to move down towards the intestines and helps to digest food better.
- Try to eat at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Some remedies one can try to keep from having frequent bouts of indigestion include:
- Eat small frequent meals
- Chewing on fennel seeds (Sauf) helps reduce indigestion
- Drinking a glass of water with a small teaspoon of apple cider vinegar also helps reducing heartburn/ acidity due to the indigestion state’s best nutritionist in Mumbai.
- Drink a glass of half milk half water. It helps reduce acidity.
- When eating outside food, prefer to eat simple and not so spicy foods. Also, be sure of sanitary conditions where you dine.
- When you have indigestion, it is better to let the stomach rest. Eat foods that do not cause any irritation to the stomach or cause excessive workload on it.
Here were some pointers which can help in treating indigestion issue. If we keep a proper check on what and how we eat, we can reduce the chances of encountering indigestion.
