Did anyone hear that’s there’s been a Salmonella outbreak since the Shut Down began?  Someone sent me an article that blamed it on a lack of inspections.  I’m placing the blame on Insufficient Stomach Acid. Let me explain, and bear with me.  Who reading this suffers with gas, bloat, stomach pain, reflux, and/or indigestion?  It’s pretty common.  Go to your doctor about it, or follow TV/Magazine Advertisement Advice, and you’ll likely think that an Antacid is your answer. After all, that pain must be from too much acid, right?  WRONG.  It’s most likely from NOT ENOUGH ACID.  If there were sufficient amounts of stomach acid, your food would digest quickly, like it’s supposed too, and move on.  If there’s insufficient acid, your food doesn’t digest quickly; instead, it’s lingers in the stomach rotting and fermenting and generally making you feel awful.

Acid suppressing drugs are Big Business, and doctors hand them out like candy, but trust me, they’re ruining your health.  Here’s why:

Our stomach should optimally be full of acid, ( HydraChloric Acid / HCl) .  If we were to measure that acid on a pH scale, it should be very, very acidic, somewhere in the range of 1.5 – 3.5.  That’s strong.  That would eat a hole in the floor, seriously.  God made us that way, and it’s actually a very clever design:  the high acid triggers all the rest of the digestive enzymes and hormones and processes that are needed to break your food down to the smallest little molecules possible.  Your carbs break down to glucose and fructose, your proteins break down to amino acids, and your fats break down to fatty acids.  If there’s sufficient HCl, enzymes, and digestive hormones, then all the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients are cleaved off and along with the carbs, proteins, and fats, are absorbed in the small intestine, and then passed through to the blood stream.  That’s as descriptive as I’ll get via Blog.  Via Skype/One on One/Group Talks, I can explain much more in-depth.

Inhibit stomach acid with either drugs (NSAIDS, antibiotics,  etc), foods (sugars and flours), stress/cortisol, or phosphates (in sodas, drinks, and processed foods), and Bad Stuff Happens:  B vitamins aren’t absorbed; minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, and  magnesium aren’t absorbed (more than 100% increase in hip fractures for antacid users), proteins and fats aren’t broken down and available to our bones, brains, or organs;  vitamin A isn’t absorbed,  and so on and so on.  In other words, suppress stomach acids and Serious Nutritional Deficiencies Occur.  Guarantee.  That’s why ALL acid suppressing drugs have warnings on them advising that usage doesn’t exceed 14 DAYS and never more than 8 weeks.  Hmmmmm.

So how does this relate to Salmonella?  That’s a pathogenic / bad bacteria; in the presence of sufficient stomach acid, Salmonella would be KILLED BY THE ACID.  Our stomach acid is actually a line of defense in our immune system. Most bacteria and virus (and fungus and parasites) can’t live more than 15 minutes in a properly acidic stomach.

Ask yourself this, why do some people fall victim to food poisoning, and others ( who ate the same food), don’t.  The body’s immune system either takes care of the Invaders, or it doesn’t. Again, strong stomach acid is part of our Immune system and we don’t want to do anything that would compromise it.

That said, what do you do if you have Reflux, Gerd, gas, bloat, and indigestion?  What if you’re already on antacid medicine?  Heal and seal the gut, change your diet, and examine the meds you take.  Our body wants to be well and is honestly HIGHLY capable of healing itself.  Often times, just removing “offenders” is good enough.  If it’s not, try adding Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg’s is a good brand), Aloe, green juices or green powders; if that’s not enough, you may need supplemental digestive enzymes or HCl; or some gut healing supplements.  Also, always consider a good probiotic, which replenishes good bacteria; and probiotic foods ( NOT sugary commercial yogurts – their sugar content’s are way too high) like keifer or saurkraut.

Our health, physical and mental, is from the foods we eat, how we manage our stress, and our lifestyle choices.  No one is deficient in a pharmaceutical drug.  No one.

Focus on a diet full of Healthy Fats, Healthy Proteins, Tons of Vegetables, some fruits, some nuts and seeds, some dairy (if you stomach likes that), and see giant improvements in your health, and weight loss if you need it.  Eat for health, and weight loss is side effect.   Now go take a spoon full of coconut butter and call me in the morning:)