What is Hydrochloric acid (HCL)

What is Hydrochloric acid (HCL)

Published June 16, 2011

Hydrochloric acid (HCL), which is produced by glands in the stomach, is necessary for the breakdown and digestion of many foods.  Insufficient amounts of HCL can lead to indigestion.  HCL levels often decline with age.

Stomach acid self-test—You can determine if you need more HCL with this simple test—Take one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.  If this makes your indigestion go away, then you need more stomach acid.  If it makes your symptoms worse, then you have too much stomach acid and should take care not to take any supplements that contain HCL.

If the results of the stomach acid self-test showed that you need more hydrochloric acid, sip 1 Tablespoon of pure apple cider vinegar in a glass of water with each meal to aid in digestion.

A lack of digestive enzymes can cause intestinal problem.  There are different enzymes that break down each type of food.  Sometimes we can be missing one of more types and that cause a problem when our bodies try to break down that type of food.  Digestive enzymes are classified based on their target substances.

• Proteases and peptidases split proteins into amino acids.
• Lipases split fat into threefatty acids and a glycerol molecule.
• Carbohydrases split carbohydrates such as starchand sugars into simple sugars such as glucose, the simplest sugar on earth.
• Nucleases split nucleic acids into nucleotides.
• Pancreatin contains all three digestive enzymes. 

If food is not digested properly, it ferments in the stomach and upper intestines, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and organic acids.  These acids do not help digestion, but are factors in gas and bloating.

Tips to help with indigestion:

Chew your food thoroughly.  Digestion starts in the mouth and chewing signals the rest of the digestive system to prepare for breakdown and absorption.

Drinking liquids with meals contributes to indigestion because it dilutes the enzymes needed for digestion.

Eat fruit by itself and on an empty stomach.  Wait at least 15 minutes before adding any other food to the stomach.

Include in your diet fresh papaya (which contains papain) and fresh pineapple (which contains bromelain). 

Papain is a digestive enzyme, collected from papaya fruit. Papain hydrolyzes proteins and has a proteolytic capacity (digests proteins).

Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme (digests proteins) obtained from the pineapple plant. Bromelain hydrolyzes proteins.

Limit your intake of lentils, peanuts, and soybeans.  They contain an enzyme inhibitor.

You can add a reputable supplement of digestive enzymes to your diet and use them as long as you need to.  AIM makes one called Prepzymes and it works very well.  Check out my on-line store www.aimforbalance.com and see all the amazing AIM products!

Add acidophilus to your diet.  Acidophilus can be useful for indigestion because a shortage of the “friendly” bacteria is often the cause.  You can add a reputable supplement of digestive enzymes to your diet and use them as long as you need to.  AIM makes one called FloraFood and it works very well.

Email me at [email protected] for more information or visit my on-line store www.AIMForBalance.com