Betaine HCL - What is it and how do you use it?

I'm a big advocate that supplements should not be used unless your diet is sound. That being said, for the most gym rats and health enthusiast, we tend to follow certain diets which has a certain amount of proteins and fats that are essential to our health, performance and physique.

But here is the deal breaker with whole food, sub optimal digestion and absorption into our body which translates to lousy gains in our training and our progress.

We know that our stomach has acids to break down food - Hydrochloric acids, so that our body is able to absorb the nutrients from it. This over time may diminish and sometimes we've end up undigested food - progress gone down the drain literally.

Deficency in the potency and strength of our stomach acids will lead to many things -

Common Symptoms Of Low Hydrochloric Acid

* Bloating or belching, especially after eating
* Burning in the stomach, especially after eating
* Fullness or heaviness in the stomach after eating
* Nausea after eating or taking supplements
* Intestinal gas
* Indigestion
* Bad breath
* Diarrhea or constipation
* Food allergies
* Itching around the rectum
* Weak or cracked fingernails
* Dilated blood vessels in the cheeks or nose (in nonalcoholics)
* Skin break-outs or acne
* Iron deficiency
* Chronic intestinal parasites
* Undigested food in the stool
* Chronic candida infection

Diseases Associated With Low Hydrochloric Acid

* Asthma
* Diabetes
* Osteoporosis
* Arthritis
* Hepatitis
* Eczema
* Acne rosacea
* Psoriasis
* Gallbladder disease
* Herpes
* Hives
* Hyperthyroid
* Hypothyroid
* Thyrotoxicosis
* Autoimmune disorders
* Lupus erythematosus
* Myasthenia gravis
* Pernicious anemia
* Celiac disease
* Sjogren ’s Syndrome

http://www.cocoonnutrition.org/catalog/page_betainehcl.php

I don't really believe in all of that listed, neither will you because i don't think you've ever came across or even heard of the names before, but i'm just listing it out for you in case if you have been diagnosed with such complications

But what I find that is true is the symptoms and its especially telling with my stool - or crap if you call it that.

I've been doing the low carb diet for a long time and many times i've noticed that my stool/crap has many floating bits which has a dark brown color to it. Not to sound gross or graphic but it is an indicator; a very important one which tells you about your digestion.

Another sign is your farts/flatucence, i believe many of us have let out a stinker before and its not pleasant. Usually it comes with bloating and feeling of indigestion, after heavy protein laden meal - think chicken/eggs/beef.

All this will sometimes lead to being extremely constipated even with much green vegetables.

If you do have these common problems, it means that your digestion is sub optimal and you'll need help with your stomach acid.

Betaine HCL is designed for such purposes and I've personally experience many positive exffects with it and have improved my digestion. This includes many of my friends who are on Betaine HCL supplementation to aid with their digestion.

If you're interested in taking up the supplementation or have bought, here are some direction of use -

Directions For Use of Betaine HCL
When using Betaine HCL with Pepsin for the first few times, please be sure to follow the directions carefully. Always take Betaine HCL at the start of the meal! If taken without food, stomach burning may result.

1. At the very start of the meal, take one capsule of Betaine HCL. Monitor how your stomach feels during and after eating. Should any burning or heaviness occur, or if burning has been present previously (before taking the supplement) and is now worsened with the use of the Betaine HCL, do not continue using this supplement!!! This is an indication that your stomach is overproducing acid, or that your stomach lining may be damaged. In such cases, please consider the use of Alkabase, Gastric Complex-HP and/or Mastica, to normalize excess acid production and heal the stomach lining.

2. If the first dose of Betaine HCL produced no noticeable stomach discomfort, try taking two capsules at the start of your next meal, again monitor for burning and or heaviness during and after eating. If taking two capsules produces some discomfort, but one capsule does not, restrict yourself to one capsule at the start of each meal. If the two capsule dose produced no discomfort, try three capsules at the start of your next meal.

3. If all goes well when taking three capsules at the start of each meal, stay with that dosage, most individuals will not require increasing the dosage to four capsules. Regular use of supplemental hydrochloric acid will in most cases "re-train" the stomach to produce higher concentrations of acid on its own. This process may take anywhere from several weeks to several months, depending on the individual. The most significant indication that acid production is improving is that Betaine HCL supplementation can no longer be comfortably tolerated.

An Example:
After having used the Betaine HCL for eleven weeks, at a dosage of two capsules per meal, without any discomfort, Joan now notices that she feels a burning sensation when taking the two capsules. She therefore reduces her dosage to one capsule at mealtime. After several more weeks, even one capsule per meal produces burning and Joan discontinues altogether. This is a sign that the stomach has been re-trained to produce adequate concentrations of hydrochloric acid without the further need for supplementation.

When consuming meals that contain little or no protein, much less hydrochloric acid is needed by the stomach to process its contents. Please keep this in mind when using Betaine HCL as a supplement and modify your usage accordingly.

http://www.modernherbalist.com/betaine.html

The burn or heaviness may vary for person to person, some have taken 2-3 capsules of 650grams and yet not feel anything, however do not be alarmed.

What is most important is that your feeling of bloatedness and extremely stink farts start to subside, check your stool for floating bits and see if it comes out smoothly.

That is what i've discovered so far with feedbacks and personal experience, if you have a different one, feel free to let me know how is your experience with it.

Happy Chinese New Year!

I'd like to take this opportunity and thank all who have bought from me and shown me the support.

May you have a Happy Chinese New year!

Product Reviews

These are some of the forum post on Hardwarezone by people who have bought from me.

Nakorius-

Nature's Answer, Liquid Omega-3, Deep Sea Fish Oil EPA/DHA, Natural Orange Flavor, 16 fl oz (480 ml)

Quick Review

Got 2 bottles of it from Weibchen/Louis.

- Smells great
- Virtually Tasteless
- No gag reflex (Was really easy to take)
- No fishy odour
- Nice Orangey Burp

Taken some other fish oil before... and man... it can kill everyone within a km's radius if I burped.

Inquest -

Took 2 green magma and 1 liquid fish oil from Weibchen.

Here are the reviews.

Green Foods Green Magma
1) Fresh and nice tasting
2) Got a shock when i first tasted it
3) Gives you energy, took it first thing in the morning at 6am before my workout.
4) Have that psychological feeling that you're the hulk because of the increased energy and because it is green.
5) When averaged it out, cheaper than vegetables or fruit juice per serving.

Nature's Answer, Liquid Omega-3, Deep Sea Fish Oil EPA/DHA, Natural Orange Flavor, 16 fl oz (480 ml)
1) Looks good
2) Experienced a burp everytime i take it, and then a smile after that
3) Very different from the Costco fish oil, have around 10+ bottles left. Down from the 30+ bottles had stocked up since last year.
4) This actually feels more effective than costco because of the burp. I'm wondering if i had wasted money on Costco.
5) Man.. why did i buy Costco...
6) This is better than Costco...
7) A bit messy though, too used to popping pills. Only suitable to consume at home because of the need to refrigerate and wash your spoon.

Weibchen aka Louis
1) Friendly
2) He actually came up to my office to pass me the items
3) Has everything planned out, right on schedule and fast.

Prices are the cheapest!

I do not lie when i say my prices are the cheapest and that there is more value and savings given to consumers!

A nice forumer - M.hunter was kind enough to pass by OG chinatown to check for me the prices of Green Magma -




Twin pack of 150grams(300grams total) - $112.20
Single pack of 150grams - $70.10

My price of a 312grams - $85

As you can see, you stand to save $27.20 instantly!

Good News.

SINGAPORE,
SG 01/17/2009 9:43 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
CHANGI,
SG 01/17/2009 8:47 A.M. IMPORT SCAN
01/17/2009 7:03 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
PAMPANGA,
PH 01/17/2009 3:53 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN

The items have arrived, everything is being delivered including the liquid fish oil!
Stocks are limited due to storage space and to maintain freshness, so grab them while stock last!

Update on stocks left -

Liquid 7
Softgel 5
HCL 4
Acidophiles 3

Orders may be delayed

Orders may be delayed due to some unforseen cirumstances.

Iherb has ran out of stock of liquid fish oil, due to the nature of the product - value and quality.

As i've a number of orders for this product, i may have to wait it out till they restock to make the order.

I apologise for the inconvience caused and i have emailed Iherb to request for the date they're getting new stocks in.

I will update accordingly, thank you for your support.

Do we really need Greens/Superfood Supplements?

Do you really need Green/Superfood Supplements?

In my honest opinion, absolutely not! That is unless you can consume at least 4-5 big servings of organic vegetables in your diet daily and reduce your acid forming food intake - which is impossible really.


http://www.candidasupport.org/RESOURCES/candida-and-ph/

This is a chart to see what is sways your body towards acidity and akaline ( Acid/Base)

Looking at the chart and reflecting on your diet, its hard not to notice that most of your food aren't base forming to neutralize the acidity. And looking upon my own diet, as a regular gymrat, I can't help but not notice how little base forming foods i've been eating all the time, especially when we have our meals outside most of the time.

To give you a good example, I'll share with you a sample of my daily diet on a good day -

Meal 1 - 1 Cup Milk + 1 Cup Mixed Nuts Museli + 2 scoops of Whey

Meal 2 (Pre workout meal) - 4 half boiled eggs + 1 cup of Ice Coffe with evaporated milk less sugar

Meal 3 (Post workout meal) - Fried Fish Soup - 40-50g of Fish + 20grams of Green vegetables + 1-2 piece of tofu

Meal 4 (Post-Post Workout meal) - 1 Steak + 1-2 stalks of Carrots

Meal 5 - 2 Cups hams + 2 cups Carrots

I think many of you, have diet some what similiar to mine. Taking more meat but forgetting the vegetables but don't blame yourself and hang your head low in guilt.
Even if you go outside to order chicken rice, a typical plate of $5-6 worth of meat only contains only a little bit of cumcumber.

So whats the big deal, with the Ph balance?

Excess acidity forces the body to borrow minerals - including sodium,calcium, potassium and magnesium -from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and to safely
remove it from the body. As a result, the body can suffer severe and prolonged
‘corrosion’ due to high acidity - a condition that may go undetected for years.

It affects virtually every person in our society because of the way we live, theway we eat, the way we think, and the environment welive in. The result is an internal environment where dis-ease can easilymanifest, as opposed to a pH-balancedenvironment which allows for normalbody functions - necessary for the bodyto resist dis-ease. It is true that if wehave a healthy body, we will maintain sufficient alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands.

http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com/2007/05/excess-acidity-weakens-all-body-systems.html

Excess body acidity (acidosis) is thought to be the first step towards premature aging, interfering with eyesight and memory, and creating wrinkling, age spots, dysfunctioning hormone systems, and a host of age related phenomena. Also, cancerous cells grow well in acidic mediums.

In fact, studies are confirming that body acidity is implicated in all diseases.

Initial signs of Body tissue acidity include:-
· Feeling weak, tired and having low energy.
· Needing more sleep.
· Experiencing agitation, anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
· Having skin problems eg. Eczema, acne and hives.
· Feeling nauseous.
· Experiencing heartburn (many people are taking ant-acids these days).
· Suffering generalised aches and pains,and
· Diarrhoea or constipation or bloating.
· Cramping before or during periods.
· Loss of libido.
· More dental decay.

Signs of long-term body acidity are far more serious: -
· Osteoporosis.
· Chronic digestive problems.
· Poor immunity, including fungal and bacterial infections.
· Arthritis, joint and ligament problems.
· Kidney stones, kidney diseases and gout.
· Heart problems and circulation problems.
· Cancers.

http://www.awaytofitness.com/foodcoach_august2005.html



I don't wish to be a scare monger but if you're experiencing this, then something is terribly wrong and you may be eating "clean" and supposedly healthy but still you're experience all this terrible side effects.

From personal experience, when i stop short of taking greens for just 1 or 2 days, i'd get acne break outs here and there. I do feel tired and my sleep is just not as good as it use to be.

My only solution that i can think of to ease these problem is to get more vegetables - which is quite hard because of the puny portion when you eat outside or try to add more vegetables and eliminate high acid forming foods.
If all else fails, then i'll just turn to two teaspoon of Green supplements which i can easily down before bed.

If you have other better ways that are convient, feel free to share with me.

So do you really need Greens/Superfood supplement now?