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Healthy Diet Plans >>  Diet Profile >>  Facts About Indigestion

Information About Indigestion And Dyspepsia Diet

Indigestion: Dyspepsia is the other name for indigestion, and is used to describe symptoms that include pain or a burning sensation in the upper abdomen, a feeling of uncomfortable fullness after a meal, and feeling full while eating a meal.

Indigestion in the digestive tract happens because of peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abnormality of the bile ducts or pancreas, or even cancer. Sometimes the indigestion may not have a specific identifiable cause. This type of indigestion is called dyspepsia.

Symptoms Of Indigestion: These are the following symptoms that people generally experience –

A feeling of being full as you eat your meal. In fact, the feeling of fullness can prevent people from finishing their meals.

A feeling of bothersome fullness after you have had your meal.
One feels that the food is not being digested and is in the stomach for far too long.

Epigastric pain is another symptom. The area between the navel and the lower end of the chest bone is the epigastric area, and the pain can be either mild or severe. You might even feel epigastric burning.

Nausea and bloating are some of the other symptoms. Unpleasant tightness is another symptom associated with indigestion.

Treatment And Diet Tips For Treating Indigestion

Treatment: Medical experts might advise the following to someone who has indigestion
  • You must eat small, low-fat meals through the day. Eat slowly and eat several small meals instead of three large, heavy meals in a day.
  • You must avoid smoking.
  • Avoid or drastically decrease your intake of carbonated beverages and alcohol.
  • Make sure that you have an adequate amount of sleep daily. Stress has an adverse reaction on this condition, so make sure that you relax and de-stress from time to time.   
  • Yoga is a good option to help you relax and cope with indigestion.
  • Doctors may also prescribe antacids and calcium carbonate antacids.
Diet tips to cope with indigestion:
  • You must eat slowly, chew your food well and completely avoid overeating.
  • Avoid alcohol, coffee, carbonated beverages, pickled foods and fried foods or food products that are high in fat.
  • Avoid acidic foods like tomatoes, onions, and citrus foods that can cause or aggravate indigestion or heartburn.
  • You must eat regularly and should not miss meals.
  • Avoid eating a large meal at night before you sleep. It would also help if you eat small but frequent meals through the day instead of eating large meals.
Lifestyle Tips:
  • Go for a brief slow stroll after your meal as this accelerates digestion. If you want to lie down, make sure that you have eaten a few hours before you do so.
  • Try to raise the head of your bed with a couple of bricks in order to keep your chest higher than your feet. This will prevent stomach acids from rising up and causing heartburn.
  • Try wearing loose fitting clothes as sometimes tightness around the stomach can trigger indigestion.
  • Wait for a few hours after eating before you start any exercise.
Submitted on January 16, 2014