Stomach Ache? Fight Fire with Fire

People seem intrigued by quirky, counterintuitive ways of eating. Here's mine: spicy food for an upset stomach.

The horse pill sized antibiotics I've been taking for my sinus infection are giving me a stomach ache of equal proportion. The cookies and brownies my employer set out today for recruits looked tempting, but I know from bitter experience that starchy, sugary food doesn't absorb stomach acid. Back when I was on Body for Life, a few years into the program, my stomach was constantly upset. Probiotics and herbal medicines didn't help: I ended up on prescription acid blockers. Once I stopped eating six servings of carbohydrates a day, the stomach problems evaporated--as long as I followed a few rules.

1. No wheat.
2. No fruit.
3. Limited carbohydrates--around 50g per day (net).

A few months ago, I watched a friend of mine eat a breakfast of juice, yogurt and fruit (in other words, a breakfast of sugar), get a stomach ache, eat some more sugar, and get another upset stomach. Yes, I gave her a solution of baking soda and tried to tell her what her problem was. But no, food that tasted good couldn't possibly have been the cause of problems, according to her. She didn't put it that way, but that's what it amounted to.

I'm still following my rules, but what to do for a special situation like this? The probiotics are helpful; so are tablets with DGL (a form of treated licorice). And for whatever reason, hot, spicy food hits the spot. As with anything quirky, your mileage may vary--a lot. It might not be a good idea if you have an ulcer; it's definitely not a good idea if you have acid reflux. Salty broth may be better in your case. In any event, avoid the sugar and starch: their healing power is an illusion.

Comments

Anonymous said…

thank you for sharing the info

November 23, 2011

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