Practice These Tips to Avoid Gastric Acid Reflux During Fasting

The month of Ramadan obliges all able-bodied Muslims to perform fasting for a full month. During fasting, Muslims must resist hunger and thirst for more than 12 hours. For Jamupedia friends with a history of acid reflux (GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), this change in diet may trigger a recurrence of the problem.

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The acid reflux problem during fasting certainly induces discomfort for the sufferers. For, if it recurs before the time of breaking the fast, daily activities could be disrupted, and worst of all fasting can be batal (fail to complete the fasting in a day). Therefore, we should make various preventive efforts so that the acid reflux won’t recur during fasting.

Puasa How to Avoid Acid Reflux During Fasting

Jamupedia Friends who have a history of acid reflux, may try these preventative ways to smooth out the fasting during the month of Ramadan. Excerpted from health.harvard.edu, here are four ways to prevent acid reflux during fasting;

• Be Watchful with Food Intake

For fasting people, the time of buka (breaking the fast) or sahur (Suhoor, eating before dawn to start fasting) is sometimes used to eat in large portions. This can trigger an increase in stomach acid. Avoid or reduce fatty foods, mint, spicy foods, tomatoes, garlic, onions, tea, coffee, and alcohol.

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• Don’t Eat Too Fast & Too Full

Hunger and thirst often make us overly do our buka with too much food. At other times, when waking up a little late for sahur, we sometimes eat too fast so as not to run out of eating time (ended just before morning call of prayer)). In fact, eating too fast and being too full is a trigger for stomach acid to rise. Try to always eat enough and slowly so that stomach acid does not rise.

• Avoid carbonated drinks

Although it’s terribly satisfying to have a bottle of cold carbonated drink at buka, but for the sake of comfortable fasting, it is better to avoid. Carbonated drinks can trigger an increase in gastric acid production.

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• Do not go to bed immediately after Suhoor

Avoid going to bed immediately after eating your Suhoor. Stay seated and relax after a meal and gravity will keep stomach acid in place. As a simple tip, finish eating at least three hours before bedtime.

Herbs to Prevent Acid Reflux 

Jamupedia friends are already on the right track if you have practiced the five tips above. However, your level of comfortable fasting can be increased by consuming herbal drinks that can prevent excessive production of stomach acid.

Excerpted from the health detik page, here are some herbs to prevent acid reflux.

• Kemangi

Daun kemangi (Thai lemon basil, Ocimum citriodorum) can be used as a treatment if Jamupedia friends begin to feel uncomfortable due to acid reflux. You can eat them raw, or they can also be brewed in warm water.

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• Adas (fennel)

Drink fennel tea after meals to prevent acid reflux. Fennel tea is also claimed to be able to speed up digestion. The oil found in fennel seeds is able to overcome bloating.

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• Kayu Manis (Cinnamon)

Cinnamon is commonly called a natural antacid. Cinnamon can soothe the stomach condition and relieve the symptoms of acid reflux. For use, just brew cinnamon with hot water.

• Cengkeh (Clove)

Cloves have carminative properties, which prevent the formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract. Cloves can be mixed as a food seasoning, or for a more structured prevention, make an herbal drink with a mixture of cloves.

Those are the four types of herbs you can try to prevent acid reflux during fasting.