Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About How Digestion Works

Kate Karet
Nov 19, 2024
2 min read

I have a good friend who often complains to me of a sensitive stomach and acid reflux. This happens often when she eats, and especially around the holidays when she's eating bigger meals. After she eats, when her tummy is “upset" she’ll reach for Tums. There are several reasons why this might not be a good idea.

How Digestion Works

To understand why, it’s important to understand how your body digests food. As you eat, digestion begins right away in your mouth where you produce digestive enzymes in your saliva. Chewing well is important because it helps to break down the food and creates more saliva, which in turn allows for greater nutrient absorption.

Food travels down your esophagus and into your stomach. There is a valve at the end of your esophagus that keeps stomach contents in your stomach. When people experience acid reflux, it is stomach contents washing back up into the esophagus. The stomach is a powerful muscle that works to break food down into particles to be absorbed in the small intestine. It does this by producing hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. An ideal environment for a stomach is one that has high acid and a low pH because digestive enzymes work well in an acidic environment, allowing the food to get broken down for absorption in the small intestine. Stomach acid is also a shield that protects bacteria from entering the intestinal tract, it breaks down protein, and absorbs minerals.

Just What Is Acid Reflux, Exactly?!

Acid reflux can happen when the valve at the end of the esophagus isn’t working optimally. Sometimes this happens when people eat too many carbs or processed foods, which can produce gas, or consume acidic beverages like coffee, citrus, alcohol or soda. When people experience acid reflux and reach for Tums or PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), these decrease acid in the stomach. Low stomach acid can lead to bacterial growth in the stomach (and small intestine), decreases the function of digestive enzymes, and creates stomach inflammation.

Over time, antacids make acid reflux worse, not better.

What You Can Do Instead of Antacids

There are things you can do to alleviate the problem. Try not to drink 20 minutes prior, and 30 minutes after meals. When you eat, liquids that you drink will dilute both digestive enzymes and stomach acids that we need for our digestive processes. The absence of fluids allows your body to work to process foods properly for optimal functioning.

Also consider eating protein first to help stimulate acid production, consider probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha, avoid processed foods, and finish eating well before bedtime, at least two hours prior.

And during the holidays, when meals are often richer and portion sizes more abundant, consider eating earlier so there is plenty of time to digest.

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