Insufficient stomach acid also impacts digestion and nutrient absorption, affecting your gut
Your gut is among the most powerful areas of your body, which controls your overall being. From your digestion to mental health, a happy gut reflects in your balanced and diverse microbiome.
And so, it is important that your gut flora is disease-free, and in perfect shape. So how do you find that out? According to digital creator and biohacker Tanya Malik Chawla, you can take an easy one-minute gut test to see where you are and how well your body is functioning.
How to take the one-minute gut test?
Chawla, explaining the test on her Instagram, says it is a common belief that excess stomach acid leads to acidity issues, which cause heartburn, belching, and stomachaches. She suggests you take this test, which includes:
Mixing baking soda with water on an empty stomach and using the time taken to burp as an indicator of stomach acid levels.
How does it work?
Baking soda is an alkali, that combines with your stomach acid to produce carbon dioxide gas—that leads to burping. And so, to determine if you have a low stomach acid, you need to measure the time it takes for you to burp. This test is a popular home method for assessing stomach acid production.
“The gut is at the centre of our health. Healing your gut is the first step for optimising health and healthspan," said Chawla in her Instagram reel. Chawla claims that low stomach acid, rather than excess acid, causes food to remain undigested in the gut, leading to fermentation and acid reflux (GERD).
While high stomach acids lead to acidity, for which you may take antacids, even insufficient stomach acid impacts digestion and nutrient absorption, affecting your gut. Burping occurs for multiple reasons, including low or high stomach acid, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, eating too quickly, or swallowing too much air.
Is the test accurate?
While it is not a popular and standardized diagnostic test, this test can help you get a faint idea about the present condition of your gut. However, many people with digestive issues burp even before eating, making it difficult to determine whether burping is caused by baking soda or pre-existing conditions.
Ways to reset your gut
You may be able to improve and reset your gut health through lifestyle and diet changes, a few of which include:
Lower your stress levels
Chronic high levels of stress are hard on your whole body, including your gut. It happens because your body releases certain hormones when it experiences stress. You can reduce it by meditating, walking, getting a massage, limiting alcohol, and smoking.
Regulate sleep
Insufficient or bad-quality sleep will always have serious impacts on your gut health, which can in turn contribute to more sleep issues. So, prioritize sleep by setting your timings and getting help from a doctor if you have insomnia.
Eat slowly
It is important to chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly to help in proper digestion—and reduce your risks of developing obesity.
Drink water
Drinking plenty of water is linked to increased diversity of bacteria in the gut, though the source of the water also matters.
Change your diet
Reduce eating out—junk and processed foods—and opt for homecooked meals, as they can lead to better gut health and nutrition.
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