Opinion: Health and Wellness
Gastritis, Heartburn, and Reflux
Leticia Trejo is a yoga teacher and personal trainer. Photo: File.
Leticia Trejo
During my adolescence, I experienced pretty severe gastritis and heartburn, and sometimes reflux, and I vividly remember the fear eating certain foods brought me. I went years without coffee, put sauces on my food (which I absolutely love), and ate bread, tortillas, cheese, and cream.. the list was long anyway, because even lettuce would make me feel in those days uncomfortable. . Fortunately, I don’t like to be dependent on drugs, so I didn’t even finish the antacids prescribed by my doctor; in recent years, I have discovered how dangerous it is to take these drugs to “relieve” the pain caused by gastrointestinal diseases.
pH is a measure that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of water, it is defined as the concentration of hydrogen ions in water, we are 75% liquid substrate. This means that acids should not be considered “bad” and bases should not be considered “good”, and that nutrition that’s right for you is critical to achieving an optimal balance. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, so 7 is considered a neutral pH.
The ideal pH in the blood should fluctuate between 7.35 and 7.45, but air pollution, poor diet or excessive stress can acidify and change the pH, and then serious imbalances can occur, such as gut microbiota getting out of control, or our inability to absorb B complex Vitamins, nor minerals, nor calcium, so the osteoporosis may have been caused by the person taking antacids over the years, causing a pH imbalance. Other symptoms of a high acidic pH include decreased immune system activity, loss of bone and muscle mass, chronic fatigue, cramping and muscle pain, hair loss, and skin inflammation.
A good balance depends on the right combination of foods that produce an alkaline reaction and those that produce an acidic reaction. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium form alkaline reactions and are found in fruits and vegetables. Foods that contain iron, sulfur, and phosphorus, such as meat, eggs, dairy products, and nuts, are acidity boosters.
According to some studies, the recommended diet consists of 20% to 25% acidic foods and 75% to 80% alkaline foods. So follow nutritionist advice and increase your fruit and vegetable intake, or a variety of colors on your plate, or spread out across our food plates as Harvard says:
Green, corresponding to vegetables.
Pink, corresponding to the fruit.
Brown, or brown, corresponds to whole grains.
Yellow, this is healthy protein.
Let’s get creative and eat 3 meals a day, I know it’s not always easy or achievable, but we can make it our goal to eat healthy five days a week until it becomes a consistent habit, except for a few unavoidable situation. Eat healthy, for example at a Christmas party or on vacation.