Upper gut is not something we daily talk about but we can feel if we have heartburn.
We tend to oversimplify body symptoms of the gut when we’re trying to fix the upper gut. Some upper gut symptoms are easily fixable within a few days of diet changes, and that’s what this blog post article is about.
The lower gut has different symptoms and needs…
Such as bloating symptoms that are usually a discomfort-pain in the lower gut or abdomen.
Similar to a headache, bloating can have many causes including diet with disagreeable foods or food sensitivities, chronic inflammation, and diseases.
Eating less food while increasing more fiber, can help for simple bloating stomach fixes.
An even simpler fix is if you aren’t drinking enough water… and as soon as you fill up, you start feeling better.
For upper gut diet-related cause issues, you can change your symptoms from your eating habits in a few days. Some people call this an elimination diet.
…And moving toward more alkalizing foods may be what you need to do (and eat more of) to restore balance in the gut.
One type of upper gut issue already mentioned is heartburn that’s usually coming from a Pitta imbalance and a relatively easy-fix.
Many hard-charging personalities have this symptom often. And that can be exacerbated by stress and the wrong foods. If acid is coming back up the esophagus, then that’s referred to as GERD.
So then, changing diet is a good habit, challenge, and a healthier fix over popping daily antacid pills that look like candy.
Below I’ll give you some better food diet ideas.
But just to be more clear on this (as parts of the body can get confusing)…
Basically, if you have a dull or discomfort in the upper abdominal area where your esophagus meets your stomach, or you burp often, then heartburn-gas symptoms is more likely what you’re dealing with.
Gas gets trapped anywhere in the stomach that comes from air that we intake when we eat foods. And many foods we eat are acidic and stimulate stomach acid.
And…
Two things that are commonly missed in our daily diets:
❌ Often, we’re eating the wrong foods for our situations. We’re eating too many acidic foods that make the heartburn worse. We hear that a food is healthy and we order that when we need to shift gears to alkaline foods such as more veggies (plant-forward).
❌We’ve eaten and because certain food don’t agree with us, we may misdiagnose the feelings as a food allergy or sensitivity when it’s not the food itself… it’s the combination order we are eating the foods.
Our bodies look at digested food differently than we do with our eyes. If we set a reminder to think “our eyes are bigger than our stomachs” (as the saying goes), then we can do ourselves a favor.
Our bodies process what lands in our stomachs mixed with everything still unprocessed (looking a lot like a dump truck if we could see inside).
And, you may be surprised to know that many super healthy, anti-inflammatory foods are acidic making heartburn worse.😳
But let’s be clear… for daily health, energy, and our longevity efforts, we want to eat a diverse selection of anti-inflammatory foods. They are hands-down the best especially if we’re smart about our eating combinations.
But if you’re experiencing the effects of a high acidic stomach, you want to pause or reduce some of those specific foods until your symptoms disappear. For example: EVOO, grains, starches, and most animal proteins. It’s a balancing game (as is most everything good in Life 😊).
Finding the alkalizing balancing foods that are going to keep your stomach more neutral but filled with nutrients, is the perfect balance.
In acidic situations, choose from a smaller food list, like plenty of vegetables and proteins, such as eggs, tofu, chicken breast, and seeds. Try to eat the same things for meals. Remember, it’s only for a few days or until your symptoms go away.
The BRAT diet (bread, rice, apples, toast) was what we used to eat when we had a sour stomach but we can do better than that in macro nutrition with veggies, lean, and plant-based proteins.
And if you want a soft protein alternative to eggs or tofu, try:
Cottage cheese with peaches or Greek yogurt with berries (but not common grocery store pasteurized cheese or milks, or nut-milk alternatives).
Bananas also make good cushions in the stomach, and they are both prebiotic and probiotic. Another superfood carb is apples that are still the Queen fruit all around.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence they’re abundant year-round and there so many varieties blooming every season.
Then with avocado as the King fruit (my name for 🥑), you could add to your protein meals as the fat. It doesn’t always have to be healthy EVOO which is actually an acidic no-no, but great any other time.
And instead of 2 cups of coffee a day, switch one cup to green tea. And maybe an herbal tea later in the day when you aren’t seeking caffeine. Cold brew coffee is also less acidic than regular warm coffee brews.
If you’re a Vata, and you get an acidic Pitta stomach often, changing your “food as medicine” diet to less sweet alternatives can be one of the habit challenges. But definitely doable if you have your mind set on making positive changes.
Just remember, most fruits are okay for sweets, so that’s the saving grace. And it’s better to end on that sweet note.
Because also how you start your food day will matter. Like many, I used to start my breakfast with cereal or sweetened oatmeal. Over time, I replaced those less filling options with a vegetable-protein-fat macro-full meal.
…That may sound like a heavier mid-day lunch or dinner (as it did to me once-upon-a-time), but that combo is a better healthy start and will help with your lose weight goals and energy levels as your body is pleased with your healthy considerations… and will reward you with feeling better.
And when you’re not facing any upper gut acidic issues, if you want to add other healthy bread, starches, or desserts, that’s your choice. But, better to add those later in your meals and day than at the start.
…In my working with catering events for about 10 years, I got used to the idea of 3-4 course dinner meals with appetizers called hors d’oeuvres. But that’s a bit heavy for everyday eating. Would you agree?
One of the simplest platters we served was Crudite. It was a plate of raw veggies such as carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and colorful bell peppers.
And this can be part of the lighter home dinner fare. Instead of a creamy, ranch-type dressing to accompany, you can eat veggies plain or add a Greek yogurt with a dash of Worcestershire sauce (for a healthy sour cream copycat) or vinegar that’s going to help your gut. Or spices like coriander and fennel.
And if you want to kick it up a notch, when your upper gut is back to its norm, you can make a stuffed bell pepper with very little prep needed as a plant-based full meal…
Cook your whole grains like quinoa or wild rice, and then stuff at the bottom, layering with legumes, veggies, and your fave herbs like fresh cilantro or parsley.
In one of the Blue Zones with the oldest living people, they have a dish called “three sisters” (corn, squash, and beans). You could do that…
And also enjoy with a lime soaked-yellow corn tortilla (or sprouted toast) if you want to stay on the longevity-healthy theme.🤸♀️
Avocado Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- plant-based milk (almond, cashew, oat, coconut)
Instructions
- Blend and enjoy!
