Over the last few years, clients who hire me for nutrition coaching have increasingly had issues with heartburn and acid reflux.
Why?
Because you are not producing enough stomach acid to break your food down properly.
I see this issue, time, and time again, with my nutrition coaching clients. Their gut health intake forms are littered with red flags we need to fix.
The first thing you need to know is drugs like Prilosec are making your problem worse.
What? Yep. You read that right. They are making your problem worse!
Acid reflux and heartburn plague a lot of people. These issues are caused by NOT ENOUGH acid being created.
A scary by-product of taking a product like Prilosec, you are at an increased risk of dementia by 44%! - https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-heartburn-medication-cause-cognitive-problems-201603219369
You want hydrochloric acid to be created to help break down your food, namely protein, and help kill bacteria—especially protein.
If protein is not broken down correctly, there can be a few things that can happen as a consequence:
Lower neurotransmitters due to not enough available amino acids to create them.
There might also be a loss of muscle mass as well from your body, not having enough protein available to recover adequately.
Proper acid levels will help you feel better, break down food better, and ultimately lead to better health and longevity.
So you might be asking, ok, what can I do to help my heartburn and acid reflux out?
There are a few tools I add to the toolbox with my clients to help them restore balance and health in their gut.
First on my list is arming my clients with a solid probiotic. I use FloraProtect by @nuethix. Absent having SIBO or some wicked gut dysbiosis, my clients' first call to action is microbiome support with a blend of probiotics to help with gut health.
Next, I often will add digestive enzymes to meals to help facilitate the breakdown of protein, carbs, and fat.
Good gut bacteria also help with the production of digestive enzymes. This means your gut environment needs to be improving fuel the good guys and not the bad guys.
Finally, I will add some apple cider vinegar (I take pill form 450mg per capsule) with each protein-heavy meals to help create more acid to properly break everything down for maximum utilization. Remember, more acid is what your stomach needs, not less, which is why you have heartburn and acid reflux.
This is just one combo of some things I utilize with clients who have digestion issues or acid reflux/heartburn issues. Depending on how their gut health intake forms are, they might need more support on top of this.
If you have these issues, it more than likely is your stomach is not producing enough acid, instead of reaching for Prevacid or Prilosec, which lower acid levels reach for things that aid your digestion process.
About Jeff Black
Jeff is a nationally recognized health and fitness coach, public speaker, podcast host for The Excellence Cartel, owner of Iron House Strength & Conditioning, bodybuilder, and Osteogenesis Imperfecta Advocate. He is also a roundtable expert on IntenseMuscle.com.
Today, Jeff works collectively with some of the top coaches in the health and fitness space presenting to other coaches and individuals on health and fitness. He has a passion for leadership and serving others to help them be their own hero. He is recognized for his results, but above all else, the passion he has for the coach’s heart he holds dear.
Jeff is available for in-person or online coaching and speaking engagements. Send him a message. You can follow Jeff on Instagram, YouTube, and on his website RelentlessForever.com.