The REAL Cause Of Acid Reflux (Plus What You Can Do About It)

Anyone's who's dealt with heartburn knows how painful it is. There are many potential causes for acid reflux. Yet, despite what many people think... tomato sauce is not the culprit!

While some ingredients can make the discomfort worse, the REAL cause is gut motility. Read on to find out more about this issue (and what you can do about it!).

What Is Gut Motility?

Gut motility is the movement of food through your gut. 

The gut is made up of muscles that relax and contract. This is how we break down food, absorb nutrients, and expel waste. 

When gut motility is slow, we often deal with digestive symptoms. Heartburn is one of them. Three things happen that can lead to acid reflux in this situation: 

1. Delayed Gastric Emptying: this means the stomach takes too long to push food into small intestine. The result? Pressure builds up in the stomach. This can weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and cause stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus.
   
   
2. Ineffective Esophageal Motility: this is when the esophagus contracts at the wrong time. Because of this, food and stomach acid can accumulate in the esophagus, leading to acid reflux.
   
   
3. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO): aka too much bacteria in the small intestine. The main symptoms are gas production, bloating, and abdominal pain. These symptoms can increase pressure on the esophagus and lead to heartburn. 

Improving Gut Motility to Alleviate Acid Reflux

The good news is you can improve your gut motility with lifestyle changes. Being active, hydrating, and reducing stress - all of these help the gut function well. 

However, the biggest player in gut motility is - SURPRISE - fiber. Here's why:

1. It keeps things moving. Fiber adds bulk and moisture to the stool. This makes it softer and easier to pass through the colon.
2. It helps stimulate the contractions of the gut muscles.
3. It prevents constipation and gas (one major cause of gut motility)

To increase fiber intake, make sure you consume lots of whole foods.

Foods high in soluble fiber include oatmeal, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and some fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, and carrots.

Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole grains, wheat bran, vegetables like cauliflower and green beans, and the skins of fruits and root vegetables.

 And, finally, our favorite way to increase fiber intake: Pineapple Chia Cleanse. 

One serving of this delicious fiber drink contains 5g of fiber - aka 25% of your recommended daily intake. 

Pineapple Chia Cleanse is the perfect way to reduce gut motility. It will help you defeat bloating and constipation - and feel light, clean and happy every day!