Low Stomach Acid?
After suffering the horrors of yet another GI bug earlier this summer, I spent some time reflecting on why this seems to happen to me more than others. My previous GI doc once told me, “You’re just more sensitive than other people.” But why?
Long story short, after some research and experimenting, I began taking Betaine HCL (essentially, replacement stomach acid) + pepsin after meals with protein. To my surprise, that “heavy brick” feeling I used to have after meals disappeared, and I now alternate between feeling hungry/not hungry rather than feeling hungry/uncomfortably full. The absence of discomfort is an unsettling but very welcome development. I’ve also started eating wheat again in larger quantities with no ill effects. (Could it be? Could I really go out to eat and order a sandwich or a burger with a bun?)
I’ll be branching out into other high-FODMAP foods that I’ve had trouble reintroducing over the past few years (looking at you, onions). I’ve also been able to stop taking the digestive enzymes that have gotten me through the past 2 years (stomach acid triggers the body to produce the enzymes; low/no acid = low/no enzymes, hence why supplementing helped me somewhat but not totally (theorized!)). (Other theories - lack of stomach acid means I have no defense against mild pathogens (causing frequent food poisoning-type incidents), and FODMAPs bother me because they aren’t being fully broken down before they get to the end of my digestive system.)
My new GI doc is a little younger and more up on the research (she actually knew what the Low FODMAP diet was before I mentioned it) and supports this experiment - “It makes sense, so if it works and you feel better with no issues, go for it.”
Going for it I am.
