Okay, so you are living a healthy lifestyle, you have incorporated a good workout programme into your weekly routine and you are nailing your nutritional needs. You are consuming organic whole foods using good sources of animal proteins, timing your carbohydrate intake well, eating good sources of healthy fats and downing as much veg as you can. If you are still not seeing the results you want, you are probably feeling frustrated and annoyed.
In addition, you might often feel tired in the gym and lack energy at work. Moreover, you are still failing to achieve the body composition you are aiming for. While this is a familiar problem for people around the world, many people aren’t aware that the cause of their symptoms could be a result of low levels of stomach acid – more specifically, low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCL).
Low stomach acidity refers to the inability to produce adequate quantities of stomach acid to induce proper absorption of nutrients into the body. As a result, even though you could be consuming nutrient-rich proteins and vegetables with all the antioxidants you need to function optimally, due to the low levels of hydrochloric acid in your stomach, you are simply not able to absorb it into your body.
Why is hydrochloric acid important?
Stomach acid plays a major role in the breakdown of our food by activating the digestive enzymes responsible for processing the long chain of amino acids, significantly decreasing the levels of protein synthesis and muscle tissue produced. The absorption of essential nutrients such as vitamin C, Beta carotene, magnesium, iron and zinc may also suffer. Lack of absorption of antioxidants such as vitamin A and E will increase risk of inflammation, while increasing the chances of developing diseases.
Also, if you are unable to absorb the necessary levels of calcium and magnesium, you could suffer from osteoporosis, leading to a potentially higher percentage of bone fractures.
The amount of stomach acid we have can be weakened or decreased as a result of our age, bad diets and elevated cortisol levels through exposure to stress.
Symptoms of low stomach acid (low levels of hydrochloric acid)
We have already touched on some of the symptoms of low stomach acid, such as not being able to meet your body composition goals even after following a good nutrition plan and complementing it with a fat loss programme. However, there are some more signs of this condition that you might be experiencing daily. If you are suffering from stomach bloating, acid refluxes, indigestion, muscle cramps and muscular injuries, poor nutrient absorption and decreased cognitive function, it could all be due to low levels of hydrochloric acid.
How to fix poor levels of stomach acid
If you suffer from all the above symptoms or even just a couple of them, the chances are you have insufficient levels of hydrochloric acid. So, what do we do to fix it? The most effective method is to use supplementation.
I suggest using a good betaine hydrochloride supplement that gives you 200mg dose per serving. You need to determine the quantity of the supplement you need to produce the most effective results. Once you have determined this, you will start noticing a difference almost immediately in the day-to-day symptoms, such as bloating, and your long-term issues such as body composition will improve subsequently.
Determining your optimal dosage of betaine hydrochloride
In order to supplement effectively, you need to determine the quantity you need to take. How low the levels of hydrochloric acid are in your stomach determines the dosage you need to take to counter act it. Here is how you can find out how much you need:
The first step is to buy an HCL supplement. Use 200mg dosages during your next meal, and continue to consume more dosages of 200mg at a time until you feel a warming sensation in your stomach (do not consume more than 1400mg). The more dosages you need to feel this warm sensation in your stomach, the lower your hydrochloride levels are. Once you have found the dose that induces the warm feeling in your stomach, you should then subtract the amount by one dosage of 200mg – that is the quantity you need to be supplementing with.
If you do have low levels of hydrochloric acid, I recommend starting the supplement straight away without wasting any more time. You will then be able to process the nutrients your body needs to function and rebuild, helping you to achieve your goals – whether you want to add more lean body mass, strip fat or improve sporting performance.
Once your HCL levels are up to the correct levels, you will also be at less risk of diseases such as stomach cancer. So, it is indeed a valuable supplement to have!