Keep the bad out
How to improve stomach acid without supplements (2/4)
What do tuberculosis, thyphoid, SARS, yellow fever and measles have in common?
They are all caused by ‘bad’ bacteria.
Today, ‘bad’ bacteria are linked with constipation, diarrhea, bloating and acidity.
That’s why rule #1 of better gut health: keep the bad out.
Before you get started, if you haven’t part 1 (better gut health without probiotics), I recommend you start there 👇
Your stomach helps do this by washing everything you eat in acid.
Most pathogens cannot survive for more than 15 minutes in your stomach acid.
However, if your stomach doesn’t make enough acid…
…or that acid has a high pH (more than 3)…
…then pathogens do not get filtered out and can cause a nuisance.
How to test for stomach acid?
Approach 1: Ferritin and Zinc levels in blood report
Stomach acid is required to absorb ferritin and zinc.
If your blood report shows low ferritin and zinc, it is an indication that your stomach acid may be low.
Note: You also need stomach acid to absorb B12 (through Intrinsic Factor). If you eat fish regularly, and your B12 levels are low, it is an indication that your stomach acid may be low.
Validation 2: Body Mass
Do you work out and eat a lot of protein, but aren’t being able to gain muscle?
You remain thin and look a little weak?
It’s probably low stomach acid.
You need stomach acid to break down protein.
Low stomach acid. Poor breakdown. Improper absorption. Less muscle.
Vicious cycle.
Validation 3: The Baking Soda Test
Take 1/4th teaspoon of baking soda and mix it in some water.
Then, drink it.
When baking soda (alkaline) reaches stomach acid (acidic), it should create gas.
i.e. you should burp within a minute.
If you don’t, it’s an indication that your stomach acid is low.
This is what happens when you have low stomach acid:
Why is the stomach making less acid?
There are five common culprits:
Drugs
Stress
Infections
Aging
Nutrition
Drugs
Some antacids literally shut the stomach down.
Imagine taking one of these a day for weeks on end.
Result: very low stomach acid.
Some iron supplements, and pain-relief medicine (like ibuprofen) also reduce stomach acid.
Stress
Your vagus nerve is responsible for nearly 50% of the acid made in your stomach!
This is the nerve that connects your gut to your brain.
If the nerve is damaged, or overactive, your stomach doesn’t get the green light…
…and continues to make less acid.
Infections
H.Pylori is a notorious bacteria that forces the stomach to make less acid.
It’s a survival mechanism for H. Pylori.
Less acid. More H. Pylori.
Check out what Dr. Priti says about treating H.Pylori.
Aging
As you grow older, you start to make less stomach acid.
Unfortunately, there’s no fix for this yet.
Nutrition
Your body needs zinc and a range of B vitamin to make stomach acid.
Without enough raw material, your body cannot make enough acid.
This is one reason why supplements like Zinc Carnosine are incredible for stomach acid.
See what Nutritionist Janvi Chitalia says on the subject.
How to restore stomach acid?
There are three phases of digestion:
Cephalic phase (before eating)
Gastric phase (when food is in the stomach)
Intestinal phase (when food is in the intestine)
The cephalic phase is response for up to 30% of stomach acid release.
The gastric phase handles the other 70%.
Here are 4 ways to improve stomach acid these phases:
Find your points of natural hunger
Whenever you feel hungry, your stomach makes more acid in anticipation of food.
I’m referring to genuine hunger - not psychological hunger (i.e. you think you are hungry') and not boredom hunger (i.e. you eat because you are bored).
Personally, my dinner and breakfast have a 14 hour gap.
Why? I naturally feel hungry after 14 hours of fasting. Find your sweet spot, and don’t overeat.
2. Fix your meal time.
Your body is very smart.
If you eat at the same time daily, it increases stomach acid around that time in anticipation of food!
This is the anticipatory response of ghrelin, and it is very powerful.
Tip #2 for stomach acid: fix your meal times.
Convert thought into action
Simply discussing, smelling or even thinking about tasty food can increase stomach acid by 3-14mmol/h!
All the senses tell the body that food is coming, so the body gets prepared to release acid.
So for your next meal today, don’t just start gorging.
See your food. Smell your food. Eat mindfully.
In my opinion, this > any supplement you can buy.
10 abdominal breaths
Your vagus nerve is responsible for nearly 50% of your stomach acid.
It operates in two states:
Stress
Rest & digest
If you are watching a movie or thinking about work while you eat, you’ll be in state #1.
Result: bloating, gas and improper digestion.
The simplest way to go from state 1→ state 2: abdominal breathing.
Take a deep breath.
When you inhale, make sure your stomach comes out but your chest remains in place.
Do this 10 times before each meal.
Then, smile before your first bite.
So powerful. Yet underrated.
You can learn a few more tips about vagus nerve management from Nutritionist Janvi Chitalia herself.
Wake up your stomach
One nutrient wakes your stomach up like none other.
Protein.
When you eat protein, the stomach almost immediately increases acid to activate protease, an enzyme needed to break down the protein.
Try to start every meal with something that has a little protein.
A spoonful of sprouts.
Some dal-based chilla.
A spoon of dal.
A cube of tofu or paneer.
Then, proceed to your carbs or fats.
See how it makes you feel.
A taste that wakes up your stomach: bitter.
Bitter food stimulates stomach acid in as little as 15 minutes.
That’s why most testimonials with Kalmegh Bitters include ‘better digestion.’
A small note
It might sound like we are programming the body.
On the contrary, this is how our parents ate.
Small meals.
Fixed meal times.
Little to no snacking.
Praying before eating.
Starting meals with farsan (usually made of dal).
The little stuff is surprisingly powerful.
Don’t overlook it.
Next week, I talk about step 2 of gut health: how to feed your bacteria.
We discuss:
The bacterial make-up of a north Indian vs. south Indian gut
The 6 types of prebiotics and how you can eat them
My personal daily prebiotic ritual
That’s all! If you liked this edition, please hit the❤️button and share this with at least one friend.
It will mean a lot to me.
A very well written article. I have one question, what is the normal ferritin level and if the ferritin level is 89 is it normal or low. Thanks
Great article! What does the research say on consuming bitters via capsules vs being able to taste it?
Does the benefit solely come from the bitter taste that directly stimulates our taste buds, or is it possible to benefit from bitter foods even if we can't taste the bitterness (i.e through capsules, masking the bitterness in cooking etc)?