Higher Nature Betaine HCL

Micki Rose says:

One of the first things to correct when you are sensitive to stuff is any inability to break food down. If you don't break down food correctly in the stomach because you don't have enough stomach acid (Betaine HCl), you don't get as much nutrient benefit from it as you should so your nutrient status can suffer. We need stomach acid for the absorption of things such as Vitamin C, B12, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper especially. We also need it as a first line defence against anything trying to take over in the stomach area, like helicobacter pylori. The other issue is that you get partially digested proteins going further into your digestive system and any little baddies in your small intestine (think small intestine bacterial overgrowth) or lower in your colon (think candida) gets a free buffet to make them stronger.

It's a triple-whammy, so you can see how important it is to have enough.

Our production of stomach acid declines once we get past our forties and many people who have acidity symptoms, in my clinical experience, have low not high stomach acid levels. People with low levels can also get lots of wind and bloating as those undigested foods ferment nicely in the gut. You can easily test your levels at home and, if yours seems low, then Higher Nature's Betaine HCl is a good non-allergenic supplement to try.

I like this one because it is free of most common allergens, vegan and is grain free, having none of the usual corn fillers. It has a good amount per capsule of 300mg which you can build up or down depending on your needs.

Nutrition Tip: Be led by your health professional in terms of need and dosage as it's important to get this right. A quick initial test is to take some lemon or vinegar (yum) the next time you feel acidity. If it improves or doesn't change, you are likely low. For more info on this whole subject of low stomach acid, see my Stomach Acid Factsheet.

Ingredients: Betaine hydrochloride, bulking agent: microcrystalline cellulose, capsule: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose*, anti-caking agents: silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate*. *(vegetarian source). DOES NOT CONTAIN: sugar, salt, starch, soya, wheat, gluten, maize, corn, yeast, lactose, dairy products, artificial preservatives, colours or flavourings. Hypo-allergenic formula. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Higher Nature Betaine HCL costs £9.95 for 90 veg caps and is available from the Higher Nature website.

www.highernature.co.uk

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