By Deepali Singh

Are acidity and constipation causing you discomfort? Experts list a few self-help techniques to get respite

All that late-night bingewatching and midnight snacking has not only caused our sleeping patterns to go haywire, but its also one of the reasons for more and more people complaining about stomach-related ailments.

A sedentary lifestyle coupled with irregular eating hours and poor dietary patterns are reasons enough for the rise in several tummy issues such as bloating, acidity and constipation, says Dr Roy Patankar, gastroenterologist and director of Zen Multi Speciality Hospital, Chembur.

With limited physical activity, lesser access to fresh vegetables and fruits, increase in consumption of junk food, late-night snacking and anxiety related to Covid-19, peoples lifestyle has undergone a major change in these times, says Dr Patankar. If there are serious symptoms such as black coloured stool, weight loss, vomiting or unexplained pain that lasts for too long or the problem persists for more than 48 hours, then we suggest tele-consultations with the doctor. However, before you rush to the doctor, a few self-help techniques might come in handy to keep your digestive system in top order.

Eat right

Apart from keeping a whole lot of health problems at bay, a nutritious diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains are recommended to keep your stomach in order too. To combat acidity issues, Luke Coutinho, holistic lifestyle coach, Integrative Medicine suggests alkaline foods such as cucumber, fennel seeds, coriander seed tea and kokum infused water. He also suggests lukewarm water for constipation problems and adequate fibre, as that helps form the bulk of the stool. Certain spices such as asafoetida, cumin, and bishops weed are known to have carminative properties; they reduce the gas-forming ability of food, he adds. Abstaining from excess tea and coffee is a good idea as it makes our system acidic, he adds. While including raw food is good, overdoing it in the name of fibre isnt advised, as it can irritate the walls of our digestive system. Sugar and junk foods also alter the ratio of good and bad bacteria in the gut and feed the bad bacteria. They can also cause inflammation of the gut linings, he adds.

With the rainy weather being a good excuse to binge on fried snacks, a common scenario is to reheat the oil for cooking. But reheating the oil again and again can generate a lot of free radicals thereby leading to inflammation or exacerbating already existing inflammation, and therefore, should be avoided, says Coutinho.

At times, overdoing the good stuff may also lead to trouble. According to Dr Patankar, consuming large quantities of raw garlic and ginger which some people have been doing to strengthen their immune system can also play havoc with the digestive system.

Some basic rules

Drinking adequate amounts of water and focusing completely on meals without multi-tasking are also good habits to inculcate for a healthy digestive system. Coutinho also suggests smart fasting to reset your digestive system. It gives our digestion space and opportunity to heal, cleanse, and recover, he adds. By far, a lifestyle change of 12-hour gap between dinner and next days meal is one of the most effective lifestyle changes ever made for acidity, constipation, bloating and indigestion.

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