In fact, heartburn has been proven to be rarely associated with too much stomach acid, as documented in the book Why Stomach Acid is Good for You by doctors Wright and Lenard. As we get older, the most common issue with the stomach is a loss of acid-producing cells which is accompanied by a decline in acid production. On average, the stomach acid secretion of a 65-year-old is one-third that of a 25-year-old. When stomach acid is weak, food digestion and the absorption of minerals are seriously compromised, which can lead to nutrient deficiencies and disease conditions such as osteoporosis.

Symptoms of low stomach acid include: indigestion after meals, abdominal bloating, full feeling after a heavy meat meal, excessive gas, or burping after meals, burning sensation in the stomach, tired feeling after eating, constipation, poorly formed stools, undigested food particles in food, ridges on fingernails and/or slow growing nails.

Proper food combining is the first thing to follow. This means not eating meat with starchy vegetables like potatoes and eating fruit alone. Taking digestive enzymes with meals will also help with the breakdown of food in the stomach. There are several ways of increasing hydrochloric acid in the stomach. These include taking hydrochloric acid and pepsin with meals, taking organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in a little water before meals, taking a homeopathic formula which stimulates the stomach to produce more HCL or taking zinc which is required for HCL production.

The reason the stomach produces too little acid is because the body lacks the vitamins and minerals to produce it. Increasing the natural production of stomach acid seems to be related to the intake of raw green vegetables, which is typically insufficient in most people’s diet. An easy and tasty way to increase raw greens in the diet is by drinking green smoothies daily. Simply blend green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, carrot tops, chard, romaine, bok choy greens, etc. with water and fruit such as banana or mango. This is best drunk in the morning and afternoon and is a great way to help keep the body alkaline, increase minerals and stimulate more stomach acid production.

Written by Dr. Terrie Van Alstyne