Does fasting causes gastric acidity? hmmm.... a question that have been lingering in my mind for quite sometime. When i was growing up, back in my school days, i remember friends especially boys will come up with gastric acid excuses for not fasting. yeah rite!! blame it on the acids huh...
anyway, a friend kept complaining of heartburn, headaches and tummy tumbling sensation when fasting. Funny thing is, he's ok after iftar. According to him, he went to the doctor twice and the doctor gave him some tablets, MC (ahaaaa....*wink*) and advise to drink soya.
I went through the internet and did some checking on this issue which really puzzles me because i know studies have already shown that fasting is beneficial to the body. According to a Dr Mohammad Zafar A. Nomani, an increased of gastric acidity does occur during fasting with symptoms of heaviness and burning in the stomach and a sour mouth. On the contrary, some researches says this assumption is baseless and against the normal physiology of gastric acid secretion.
Fried, spicy food (there goes my chilli padi again...) and too much sugary/sweets kueh/bubur can not only cause weight problems but also indigestion and heart burn. These problem though can be overcome by eating food that is rich in fibre like the wheat bread, beans and fruits. These foods trigger muscular action, churning (macam mesin simen) and mixing food, breaking it down into smaller particles and thus reduce the build up acid in the stomach.
i came across these suggestions below for us to ponder
1) eat slowly and chew food properly to ease digestion
2) avoid catbonated drinks which could easily increase gastric acidity
3) reduce caffeinated drinks such as coffee/tea which can cause diuretic effect and make you lose fluid
4) do not overeat
*note* - Allah SWT has designed the human body to be physiologically intelligent and can adjust to temporary periods of food deprivation. Salam Ramadhan
