31 Mar How To Increase Stomach Acid
Learn how to increase stomach acid naturally, so you can get your gut health in a better place! We hear so much about high stomach acid, but not even about low stomach acid. It affects the body tremendously. Do you have the typical low stomach acid symptoms? Make sure to read this article to learn about the top symptoms of low stomach acid.
How To Increase Stomach Acid
Avoid Antacids/Acid Blocking Medications
DO THIS WITH YOUR PRACTITIONER. Please don’t change medications based on a blog, as this is for educational purposes only! Work with your practitioner to slowly wean off acid blocking medications. All of the rest of these steps really won’t matter because if you constantly have an acid block, you won’t be able to stimulate stomach acid naturally.
This is a pretty “duh” recommendation, but we sometimes forget the power that medications hold.
Bitter Foods
Bitter foods + supplements are some of our favorite ways to increase stomach acid naturally. These foods stimulate your bitter receptors, which helps get your digestive fluid flowin’! Some of our favorite bitter foods and drinks are:
- Coffee
- Dark Chocolate
- Artichoke
- Dandelion Greens
- Radishes
- Arugula
- Citrus Rinds
And some diluted apple cider vinegar before meals too! There are bitter supplements that can be taken too, but they are very strong. If you can stimulate it via food first, that would always be the best place to start!
Digestive Enzymes + Betaine HCL
Digestive enzymes and Betaine HCL shouldn’t be the end of your journey. They are incredibly helpful while you figure out root causes of gut imbalances. Digestive enzymes are exactly what is sounds like – it helps digest your food. Betaine HCL releases H+ into the stomach, which helps produce stomach acid.
Dosing of these digestive enzymes are different for each individual, but the one below is one of our favorites that we use in our practice. You can make a free account and order practitioner-grade supplements.
Reduce Stress + Get Into “Rest + Digest”
Time to reduce stress + get out of fight or flight and turn on rest + digest! When our parasympathetic nervous system is activated, our blood will shift toward the gastrointestinal tract to digest foods and start producing the enzymes and stomach acid needed for digestion. This rest + digest phase will also help you feel good after a meal. That means less bloating and gas.
Optimize Zinc Levels
Zinc is a nutrient that is necessary for the production of stomach acid. Focus on zinc-rich foods first, such as oysters, red meat, and animal proteins. These will be the most bioavailable sources of these nutrients. Plant sources of zinc can be like pumpkin seeds + sesame seeds.
Don’t run out and grab supplements, because too much zinc in supplements can throw off your copper balance. Nutrients tend to come with besties with another, so too much of one can throw off the other.
Salt, Salt, Salt!
To produce stomach acid, salt is needed. If you’re eating a wholesome diet, we need to be sure that we’re adding high quality salt into our diet. Don’t be scared!! Plus, it makes food taste good, so that’s a huge win! If you don’t have the precursors to make stomach acid, then you’ll run into a low stomach acid problem.
Chew Your Food
Remember that ‘reduce your stress’ recommendation? Slowing down and chewing your food is the best way to stimulate parasympathetic nervous system and allow your brain to catch up with your stomach. Chewing your food will make it easier to digest, but will connect the rest of your digestive system to get ready to receive food!
Increase Your Stomach Acid Naturally
One more thing before I let you go, make sure that you don’t have an H. Pylori infection that could be reducing the acidity of your stomach. H. Pylori makes urease that reduces stomach acid to help this bacteria thrive. A stool test with our team can help determine if this is an issue.
If you are ready to take back your gut health by working with a practitioner to get that 1:1 approach, make sure to book a free 15 minute call with our team, so we can help you out!
