Tip: Do NOT Use This

Avoid Antacids

Bad digestion? One of the worst ideas in the world is to take antacids. Antacids can inhibit your absorption of protein and other nutrients. That alone should cause you to toss your heartburn tabs in the trash.

They can also make your digestion even worse by neutralizing your stomach acids. To add insult to injury, even though many antacids contain calcium, neutralizing your stomach acid can actually inhibit calcium absorption. When you have a lot of unusable calcium, it's gotta go somewhere, and that can translate to kidney stones.

Most people actually suffer from GERD (acid reflux) because they don't have enough stomach acid. Instead of antacids, try adding two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water prior to meals to introduce some acetic acid to your stomach. This can help to improve your digestion along with numerous other benefits including increased insulin sensitivity and glycogen absorption.

Additionally, taking digestive enzymes can help reduce the amount of acid your body needs to produce to begin to break down foods in your stomach.

References

1. Untersmayr E et al. Antacid Medication Inhibits Digestion Of Dietary Proteins and Causes Food Allergy: a Fish Allergy Model in Balb/c Mice. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2003 Sep;112(3):616-23. PubMed.
2. Krasinski SD et al. Fundic Atrophic Gastritis in an Elderly Population. Effect on Hemoglobin and Several Serum Nutritional Indicators. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1986 Nov;34(11):800-6. PubMed.