Hi
I would describe myself as having one of the typical American "pouch belly" I am maybe 15 lbs overweight and not bad shape for 50 years old, but my stomach has been a issue as long as I can remember and usually acidic feeling, I don't have to take tums anymore because for the last several years thanks to a couple of barley grass drinks but still get heartburn sometimes and I can take a 1/4 tsp of baking soda and that kills it, I have natural food enzymes supplements I have tried but they usually give me more heartburn, I eat a fair amount of salads (I love tomatoes) and my meat is usually Turkey...I love orange juice (funny how my body loves the acidic foods) and being in Florida finding them fresh is easy, lately I have been buying the fresh squeezed local juice and it has been making my stomach a little unsettled, I am also using MMS at about the 8 drop level and it doesn't settle easy either....any suggestions to help the stomach and should not fresh/live un-cooked juice be very good for you?
Thanks!
Or drink some water with apple cider vinegar added while you are eating. The acid will help with digestion.
IMO, you are making your situation so much worse with the barley grass and baking soda. Both are alkalizing agents. The stomach is the most acid part of your body. For a great reason. The acid destroys pathogens and is a major component to your digestion. Your food is just sitting in your system and fermenting instead of digesting. It is worse at we age. We do not produce so much stomach acid. This alkaline environment weakens the stomach sphincter and can cause reflux.
Don't be afraid of acids. We rely on amino acids, fatty acids, malic acid, citric acid, hyaluronic acid, glucoronic acid, bile acids, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, uric acid, etc.
Also IMO, the body has numerous mechanisms to keep itself pH balanced. Numerous. If you keep trying to take over that function, you can weaken the immune system and cause far more problems than you really want to deal with.
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- Jim
Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard
Or drink some water with apple cider vinegar added while you are eating. The acid will help with digestion.
IMO, you are making your situation so much worse with the barley grass and baking soda. Both are alkalizing agents. The stomach is the most acid part of your body. For a great reason. The acid destroys pathogens and is a major component to your digestion. Your food is just sitting in your system and fermenting instead of digesting. It is worse at we age. We do not produce so much stomach acid. This alkaline environment weakens the stomach sphincter and can cause reflux.
Don't be afraid of acids. We rely on amino acids, fatty acids, malic acid, citric acid, hyaluronic acid, glucoronic acid, bile acids, hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, uric acid, etc.
Also IMO, the body has numerous mechanisms to keep itself pH balanced. Numerous. If you keep trying to take over that function, you can weaken the immune system and cause far more problems than you really want to deal with.
I read the above and links and not sure how much really applies to my situation...I used to have a roll of tums in my pocket everyday for heartburn, after beginning the barley I don't have to take them anymore and when the occasional flare of heartburn I take the backing soda. I thought that tums and like were bad for you and that barley and such was good food, so I am confused.
I don't think food just sits on my stomach (could be wrong though) after eating a salad I can eat again in a couple of hours but after eating like a steak dinner it does take 3 hours plus usually for me to get real hungry again, I think my body over produces acid and I have plenty and I certainly don't need more apatite, I have plenty, when I was in my 20's and 30's I could eat ALL day and not gain weight, for 5'9" I was always 165-170.
Something has happened as I have been consuming more salad with lot's of tomatos and fresh orange juice and the MMS and one or some combo has been doing this I bet, I may have to quit the mms and cut back on the other to see if I go back to feeling fine.
I don't have to take tums anymore because for the last several years thanks to a couple of barley grass drinks but still get heartburn sometimes and I can take a 1/4 tsp of baking soda and that kills it...I love orange juice (funny how my body loves the acidic foods) and being in Florida finding them fresh is easy, lately I have been buying the fresh squeezed local juice and it has been making my stomach a little unsettled
Hi cyber-junkie,
Congratulations on not having to take Tums anymore, that's quite an accomplishment in itself! I still find myself taking at least 2 before bed, the extra-strength 750mg ones, and I know they're not good for you.
I find the whole acidic/alkaline pH thing confusing. The other day I tested a glass of filtered tap water alongside a glass of plain sodium/sugar/caffeine free seltzer water, which we drink all the time. The filtered tap was alkaline and the seltzer was very acidic on the pH. So my husband asked me which one was better to drink. I smiled and told him I didn't know, that the acidic drink may be better because it would change to alkaline in the body, but it also made sense to drink the tap water with the more alkaline pH, but then it would make the body more acidic?
Anyway, I can't see anything wrong with drinking the fresh orange juice, unless you're drinking too much of it, or drinking it on an empty stomach and the acid is getting to you. I don't know anything about MMS, but maybe it's a reaction to the Vitamin C?
__________________ "We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~Immanual Kant~
Could you possibly have a small haital hernia? This is not so uncommon, maybe 15 percent of the population has it and your symptoms seem to match. Some people are born with this and it doesn't give them problems until they are older, although some very young people do have issues with it. Others develop it when they get older.
The only fix is surgery and if you are taking tums 3 x week you might consider it while you are still young and a good surgical candidate.
IT seems like you already fixed an acid problem in your stomach for the most part. If you keep requiring tums perhaps this type of hernia is causing the reflux issue. Just to check, leave the tums behind and take some betaine HCL with each meal. Start with two tablets. You want to take enough so that your stomach feels a little warm just minutes before you start eating and continue with your regular enzymes also. If you still have acid reflux problems I would seriously consider getting checked out for this kind of hernia. Do a search on it there is tons of info on the net
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Is this hernia life threatening? I have no desire to have surgery!
PH strips show me to be acidic, I believe that and drinking the green tea/barley drink only 1-2 times daily really helps and very seldom have to use tums anymore, usually when bad heartburn comes on a 1/4 tsp. of baking soda will take care of it and that's not often and there are plenty of days that I have no heartburn and the stomach feels fine. I drink a couple cups of coffee each day and have for the last 30 years, love the taste and the little pick me up, and as mentioned before my body seems to kinda crave acidic stuff, is this coincidence? Is a symptom that my body is acidic and it just wants more? But I also like sweets....nothing wrong with the apatite.
I have tried food enzymes and they just seem to make more acid...isn't that what they are? When I have taken them about 1/3 of the time I end up with heartburn, maybe if I took them with every meal I get used to them and maybe they would help, I don't know.
I think the whole thing is from the body wanting the nourishment it needs and wants and not getting it so it keeps the hunger thing going and I think many suffer from this and the foods we eat all help to create this problem and we overeat, I know...no english major here.
So just trying to find how to "balance" the stomach, I believe when in balance, the body can heal it's self.
A haital hernia is not life threatening but can develop some pretty bad symptoms over time. As we get older these things tend to get worse.
Do your enxymes have HCL with them? or Pepsin? If you continue to reflux with the enzymes a few times a week and the other days your digestion seems ok, then you could have a hernia. You will test more acid cause with this type of hernia acid can come up easy. Over all this is not a good situation for your esophagus with the repeated burning.
So it may not be an issue of the quality of your digestion. This is strictly a structural problem. It would be best to know what is going on and a visit to a GI doc will get you the answer you need and if you have insurance it probably would be the thing to do. At least you can rule it in or out and have a better idea on how to proceed.
Taking tums and sodium bicarb all the time will be detrimental to your health.
Here's a forwarded message about food combinations that may help.
Quote:
Food Combinations: Eating To Feel Better
The purpose of food combining is a simple, scientifically based
system of selecting foods, from among different types, which are
compatible. This facilitates easy and efficient digestion and ensures
after-meal comfort.
The digestive system is responsible for receiving food, breaking it
down into nutrients, absorbing the nutrients into the bloodstream,
and eliminating the undigestible parts of food from the body. The
chemical part of digestion is accomplished by a series of
juices and their enzymes. The juices alternate between alkalis and
acids, and their character is determined by the requirement of the
enzymes they contain. These enzymes remain active in suitable media
of well defined acid-alkaline ranges and are destroyed in unsuitable
media.
For instance, the salivary amylase (ptyalin) or starch-splitting
enzyme of the mouth is active only in an alkaline media and is
destroyed by a mild acid. The gastric enzyme, pepsin, which initiates
protein digestion, is active only in the acid medium and is destroyed
by alkalis.
A noteworthy feature of the digestive secretions is that the body
suits its fluid and enzymes to the character of the food eaten. There
are, however, severe limitations in this process. It is possible to
suit the juices to a particular food, however, complex it may be, but
not to a variety of foodstaken together. It is the combining of many
varieties and incompatible foods at a meal that causes 90 per cent of
digestive disorders.
The goal is in eating similar foods at one time in order to
accomplish the most complete digestion.
The most important rule for combining foods is to avoid mixing
protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods.
Although every food contains some protein, those regarded as protein
concentrated foods demand the longest digestive time. They are held
in the stomach for some hours until the gastric juices has performed
its task.
This may vary from two-and-a-half to six hours, depending upon the
complexity of the protein in the food. If a protein food is mixed
with starch-concentrated or sugar-concentrated foods, it will usually
result in fermentation. This may lead to indigestion and gas in the
stomach.
Animal-food proteins, such as meats, fish and cheese, require very
high concentration of hydrochloric acid. Their gastric digestion will
be greatly inhibited by carbohydrate fermentation in the stomach.
This will produce more gas and increased discomfort.
Eating meat, potatoes, bread and sweets should, therefore, be
especially avoided.
BEST SUGGESTIONS
#1. Protein foods are best digested when eaten with fresh vegetables
(different vegetables can be eaten together).
Primary protein foods such as nuts, seeds and soybeans also combine
very well with acid fruits like oranges, pineapples, grapefruit and
lemons, and fairly well with sub-acid fruits, like grapes, pears,
apples, berries, apricots and peaches. These vegetables and fruits
are rich natural sources of vitamin C which helps protein digestion.
#2. Avoid mixing proteins and fats at the same meal.
Fat in foods inhibits the secretion of gastric juice through the
small wall. When fat-concentrated foods are taken with protein foods,
gastric catabolism will decrease by the degree of liquid
concentration in the stomach. Fat will remain undigested in the
stomach until gastric juices complete their work on the complex
protein molecule.
Although all primary protein foods contain high concentration of fat,
such lipids will be held in suspension, awaiting catabolism in the
intestine, without impeding gastric action. Free fats like oil,
butter, and milk tend to coat the gastric mucosa, thereby inhibiting
its effort to secrete gastric juice. Fat surrounding fried foods is
also regarded as free fat and it interferes with gastric catabolism.
#3. Avoid mixing carbohydrates and acid fruits in the same meal.
The starch-splitting enzyme ptyalin in the saliva plays an important
role as the food is chewed. It converts the complex starch molecules
into simple sugars. Ptyalin requires a neutral or slightly alkaline
medium for proper functioning and this is the normal condition of the
saliva in the mouth. However, when acid foods are taken, theaction of
ptyalin is halted. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid acid fruits
in the same meal as sweet fruits or starches. Tomatoes should not be
eaten with starches especially potatoes or bread.
Refined sugar products are also acidic, both in the mouth and in the
blood stream. The acidifying of the saliva by sucrose is one of the
main causes of tooth decay. It can also cause severe damage to the
digestion. Food combining is designed to facilitate easier digestion.
MEALS
An important point to remember about meals is that the smaller the
number of courses they consist of, the better it will be. They should
approximate to a one-course meal as much as possible. Simple meals in
every way are more conducive to health, than more elaborate ones, no
matter how well they may be combined.
A meal consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and fats may remain in
the stomach for six to seven hours before the stomach is emptied. If
carbohydrates are eaten without proteins, they remain in the stomach
for a relatively short period. A fruit meal remains in the stomach
for even shorter time.
It is advisable to eat these different foods at different meals -- a
fruit meal, a starch meal and a protein meal. The ideal practice is a
fruit meal for breakfast, a starch meal with salad and non-starchy
vegetables for lunch, and a protein meal with a salad and non-starchy
vegetables for dinner.
I just can't buy not mixing protien and fats in the same meal.
What are you going to do with a steak or a hunk of cheddar cheese or a glass of milk, or a hand full of almonds or hazel nuts?
Fats and protiens go together in nature and come premixed by the creator. If your added fats in combination with protien are in moderation there should not be a problem.
I always thought all this food combining stuff was for ill stomachs.
My only rules are not to drink fluids when you eat unless its a small glass of red wine and keep most, but not all, fruits separte from protien. Protien can be eaten at the same meal as heavy carbs, just eat the protien first. Sorry, potatoes come after steak but if you eat slowly its likely not to be much of a problem
But if you have no symptoms from eating things mixed up then toss all the rules except the drinking while eating. If it is bad for you you will have gas or a bloated feeling, sluggish after eathing or putrid stools.
Do your enxymes have HCL with them? or Pepsin? If you continue to reflux with the enzymes a few times a week and the other days your digestion seems ok, then you could have a hernia. You will test more acid cause with this type of hernia acid can come up easy. Over all this is not a good situation for your esophagus with the repeated burning.
My foster daughter has been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia... the only recommendation was for her to sleep with the head of the bed in the up position... Maybe try and sleep in a recliner or with the head of your bed in the up position and see if that helps.
I would also be curious to know how much orange juice do you drink a day.. I think eating an orange or two is good for you, but Im not a firm believer that a big glass of orange juice is too healthy... Imagining eating the amount of oranges that it takes to make a glass of orange juice.. Could your body handle that??? If I were you, I would stop the oj for awhile and maybe just eat an orange or two a day and see if it makes a difference...Think of all the sugar in that amount of orange juice!
(she says as she retypes this, because the 2 yrold grandson deleted everything else she has just finished typing!)
__________________ God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~
In macrobiotics, the things for stomach issues are ume plum paste (you just need 1/8 teaspoon a day for a few days) and radishes.
Hi
I did a search and found the macrobiotic diet, is this what you are talking about?
Tell me a little about this plum paste, how do you take it, what does it do and is it something you can take for extended period of time, wouldn't want to buy several ounces just to let it sit after using for a few days.
Some digestive enzymes have these added to their formula and some don't. If you need more acid in your gut you have to have these in your product. Or add another product with it. So if you don't have it it would be worth a try to add them. Betain HCL is pretty important if you need more acid.
Stomach issues
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