Suffering Acid Reflux And Alkaline Diet Can Reduce Heartburn Symptoms

Diet is one of the main reasons many people suffer from acid indigestion or acid reflux. A good method to help treat the indigestion is to treat the pH level in your system through eating an alkaline diet. For most people a pH level of 7.4% is average in their saliva and spinal fluid.

One indication that you should start an alkaline diet is that there is too much acid in your system. Testing for acidity in saliva is actually quite simple. First wait two hours after eating and then let your mouth fill with saliva, swallowing two times. After you have allowed your mouth to fill with saliva the third time, you can spit onto a pH paper. There should be a chart on the box of pH strips that will tell you how much acid is in your saliva by a simple color comparison. Many are seeking to treat acid reflux and alkaline diet can reduce many symptoms.

Food can be used to stem acid reflux and alkaline diet food can balance out your pH. There are many foods that look as though they would cause more acid reflux, but instead they have a very high alkaline content, which can stave off acid reflux. Other types of food such as corn and olives should be avoided when you have acid reflux and alkaline diet foods should be substituted in their place. Some helpful foods that can neutralize acid are celery, green beans, and peas. These have a high alkaline content.

Lifestyle Change Needed To Reduce Acid Reflux

Dairy, red meat, and fats and oils are saturated with high levels of acid and should be removed from daily consumption to avoid acid reflux and alkaline diet foods should be consumed instead. Mustard, chili pepper and all herbs, contrary to popular belief, are very good for someone with acid reflux because they are very high in alkaline content.

Alcohol and tobacco should be avoided by someone with acid reflux as they have very low pH percentages. Many believe that milk will help with indigestion while it actually hurts because of the acid content is so high, so it should be avoided for those with acid reflux and alkaline diet. Citrus fruits actually have an alkalinity effect on the body, and should be consumed to help control acid reflux.

A simple scale was devised for acid/alkaline purposes. 0 is straight acid and 14 means no acid present, which would mean 7.0 is the neutral ground. Foods that have a high alkaline content, such as calcium, should be consumed in an acid reflux and alkaline diet.