Digestive disorders are often a scourge that interferes with the smoothness of fasting, one of which is for people with GERD. Gastric disease or what is often called GERD is a condition where the valve at the bottom of the esophagus weakens so that stomach acid easily rises, especially when the body does not get food intake.
Given the high risk of relapse, GERD sufferers should not fast arbitrarily. It takes dietary adjustments and other important habits that need to be done to prevent the recurrence of GERD on the sidelines of fasting.
For those of you with GERD, here we have summarized 6 simple tips you can do to keep your stomach safe during fasting. What are the tips like? Check out the article below!
Eat Slowly
Instead of being delicious, tasting all the dishes frantically actually invites an uncomfortable feeling at first. Launching from the Harvard Health page, this condition is caused by a full stomach so stomach acid moves up into the esophagus more quickly.
No matter how big your hunger is, make it a habit to always eat slowly at dawn and when breaking the fast. Enjoy the meal of sahur and iftar in small portions, then eat slowly so that the texture of the food is smoother so it doesn't cause injury when it goes to the stomach.
Don't lie down after eating
Give your body a minute to process food before lying down so stomach acid doesn't back up into your esophagus
Don't lie down immediately after eating/Photo:Freepik.com/Diana.grystku
Falling asleep after suhoor may sound normal, but it becomes very dangerous when done by people with GERD. As reported by the Everyday Health page, lying down can press the LES muscle which makes stomach acid rise to the esophagus.
Allow at least 2-3 hours for the incoming food to be digested properly. Use a higher pillow so that the position of the head is not parallel to the stomach to prevent gastric acid from returning to the esophagus, especially after sahur so that fasting remains comfortable.
Drink lots of warm water
The condition of an empty stomach is very risky for stomach acid to rise. So that the digestive system is not shocked, restore the body's freshness when breaking the fast with a warm drink to remove toxins from the intestines and stomach.
Likewise at dawn, make it a habit to increase the consumption of warm drinks such as ginger both when you wake up and also after eating. In addition to helping with digestive detox, hot drinks also prevent dehydration and nausea, which are the main symptoms of GERD.
Avoid Trigger Foods
As one of the digestive disorders, people with GERD certainly have various restrictions, especially in terms of food. Mistakes in choosing a menu of food dishes can cause a reaction in the form of an increase in stomach acid and even worse.
Avoid eating junk food at dawn as well as when breaking the fast. Make processed food menus with vegetable-based foods that are high in fiber so that stomach acid does not easily rise. You can also add fruit to keep your nutritional needs met.
Don't delay sahur and iftar
Proper eating patterns are mandatory for GERD sufferers. As much as possible, don't miss the time for sahur as well as not delay the time for breaking the fast so that the body always gets enough energy.
The habit of delaying suhoor or breaking the fast will only worsen GERD conditions so that stomach acid easily rises and recurs during the day. Other digestive disorders such as stomach cramps, intestinal irritation and even stomach inflammation can also be caused if this habit is done continuously.
Manage Stress Well
Not only keeping the temptation from food, fasting is also a moment to control anger in order to achieve perfect inner calm. Apart from being rewarding, a calm attitude can avoid stress which reduces the risk of GERD recurrence.
Take advantage of free time at home to do fun activities and then get enough rest. You can also do other useful activities such as meditation to avoid stress while maintaining a healthy body.