With all the summer festivities going on, we want to enjoy food shared with loved ones without suffering. However, too much rich food, alcohol and festive stress can trigger reflux symptoms, including heartburn, belching, bloating, an unpleasant acid taste, and nausea.
Here are 10 top tips for surviving the festivities.
1 . Know your food triggers
Avoid foods which you know cause symptoms – it’s often the same troublesome ones that are known to trigger heartburn or reflux. High-fat foods and acidic foods can stimulate reflux symptoms, so go easy on roast potatoes in goose fat or the cranberry sauce.
2. Eat smaller portions
Eating big meals can increase the time it takes to digest food leading to higher concentrations of both acid and pepsin in your stomach. The increased pressure caused by heavy meals is a common cause for reflux events.
3. Avoid after-meal naps or eating late
Stretching out for a snooze after a Christmas dinner is hard to resist but it’s best to be upright after eating. Lying flat makes it easier for stomach contents to backflow into your oesophagus and up into the airways. It can a take few hours for your stomach to empty after a meal, so void eating shortly before bedtime too.
4. Eat slower
Eating quickly means the body struggles to signal to the brain that you’re getting full – so people who eat too quickly tend to overeat. One study also found that those who ate faster had 12.5 episodes of reflux compared with 8.5 for the slower eaters.
5. Cut back on booze
Research has shown that the severity of reflux symptoms increases with increased alcohol intake. Drinking can also make your stomach produce more acid which can irritate its sensitive lining.
6. Avoid smoking
Studies have linked smoking to reflux symptoms. Nicotine is thought to relax the stomach valve in the lower oesophagus that prevents refluxing into the oesophagus. Tobacco smoke contains toxins and chemicals that can irritate the cells that make up the lining of the oesophagus.
7. Keep hydrated
Your body needs water to work properly, including for aiding digestion. Some say that alkaline water, which is water that has been treated to have a higher pH level than the 6.5-7.5 pH range of most tap and bottled water, can reduce their reflux symptoms.
8. Be prepared
The festive season is a special time for relaxation and indulging in a few treats. If you know you suffer from post-meal heartburn, you can relieve your symptoms with reflux medication, including antacids and alginates.
9. Maintain a good posture
Avoid slumping or bending – an upright and correctly seated posture during and after eating will reduce symptoms of reflux. Studies indicate that the positioning of the body during a meal can affect the parts of the body that aid in digestion.
10. Loosen your clothes
Tight fitting clothes, especially around the waist, can cause extra pressure on the stomach. Some experts also believe wearing tight clothes can make the stomach feel more gaseous. Perhaps it’s time to invest in a loose-fitting Christmas jumper!
About Peptest
Peptest is the world’s first non-invasive saliva test for reflux. Ask your doctor if they provide Peptest, and if not, you can book a test online at peptest.co.nz. All you need to do is produce saliva samples as instructed and send them back for us to analyse.
