Winning the Battle for Your Stomach: Want to Be a Foodie to the Fullest? Master Your Stomach Health with 45 Tips!

If your liver is bad, your life is black and white; if your stomach is bad, your life is miserable.

If you want to be a dedicated foodie, you must launch your "stomach protection battle" in advance!

When the stomach is empty, it is in the middle of the left ribs; when full, it is near the navel;

A larger stomach is not necessarily better—the larger the stomach, the slower the peristalsis;

The capacity of the stomach is not fixed; in some people, it can expand to four liters!

**How is gastric acid secreted?**

Gastric juice secretion is divided into three phases based on the site of stimulation and the sequence: the Cephalic phase, the Gastric phase, and the Intestinal phase:

(1) Cephalic phase: Gastric juice volume and acidity are high, pepsin content is also high, and digestive power is strong.

(2) Gastric phase: Acidity is high, but the enzyme content is less than the cephalic phase, and digestive power is weaker.

(3) Intestinal phase: When food leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine, it still stimulates the secretion of gastric juice.

These three phases are inseparable processes, and the secretions in the cephalic and gastric phases are the most important.

**Why does acid reflux occur?**

There are many causes for excessive gastric acid and GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), mainly including the following:

- Mental tension and excessive fatigue

- Foods that are too sweet, salty, spicy, or sour

- Consuming coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and potatoes

- Taking medications such as aspirin, etc.

- Chronic gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcers, etc.

For the first four types of reflux, eliminating the inducing factors can solve the problem; for the last type of pathological reflux, in addition to seeking the cause, antacid-related medications can be taken.

**Does smoking cause stomach disease?**

(1) Nicotine in cigarettes can stimulate the gastric mucosa, causing the vessels beneath the mucosa to contract and spasm, leading to ischemia and hypoxia of the gastric mucosa, thereby damaging it.

(2) Smoking also affects the synthesis of prostaglandins in the gastric mucosa; once prostaglandin synthesis decreases, the gastric mucosa becomes difficult to repair.

(3) Tobacco also contains significant amounts of nitrogen oxides and amines, both of which may lead to stomach cancer.