All of us love food to some degree, whether it is a lavish chocolate cake, a greasy hamburger with fries or a five-course meal at your favorite restaurant. However, did you ever notice the discomfort it causes not long after you are done enjoying it? Well, here are some tips for identifying the food that causes heartburn so you can prevent the discomfort next time.

What Types of Foods Cause Heartburn?

Any food that is hard to digest will cause heartburn and some of the common examples include anything that is fried and greasy, minced meats, heavy sauces, chocolate cakes or other heavy deserts – and of course over eating of anything regardless of how good it is for you.

It is important however to identify the type of food that causes heartburn as even if there are specific categories foods from which you will expect to get heartburn there might be others that will irritate your stomach or digestive tract resulting in an uneasy feeling.

Eating fast is another cause of heartburn which many of us are not even aware of. There are times when you get really hungry, perhaps because of missing a meal or excessive activity but, whatever the cause may be, you will end up with way too much in your plate. And before you know it you are gulping down at a extremely quickly because you are starving, only to later feel the repercussions of your haste.

The brain usually takes about 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full and at times, when you are hungry, it will take half the time to eat a whole meal and be half way through the second serving by that time! When eating quickly the food that causes heartburn can be almost anything because here the stomach does not have the time to register the intake leave alone digest it.

How to Avoid Heartburn

Identifying the food that causes heartburn is the first step you should take. Then you can prevent it by having heartburn and indigestion pills before you start eating a meal. All drug and grocery stores carry heartburn medications as they do not need a prescription to purchase or administer. However, do read carefully the labels and do not take more than the indicated dosage.

Enjoy your food slowly and drink plenty of water during the meal; this will help greatly with the digestion of food and reduce the frequency and intensity of heartburn. The food that causes heartburn can still be enjoyed if you eat sensibly and prevent it before hand. There is no need to give up your favorite dishes and meals or deprive yourself of any enjoyment as long as you are careful and responsible for your intake.

Heartburn is a terrible affliction which causes a lot of pain and inconvenience even when it occurs occasionally. Every human being, child and adult, will experience some time or other this terrible symptom. They learn from experience which foods to avoid for heartburn as some food groups do not agree with them. Some causes can be generalized, but many times, the irritants are as different as the people whom they affect.

Main Culprits – Some Foods to Avoid for Heartburn

There are many foods that are commonly known to cause acid in the stomach and heartburn. These are citrus fruits, tomatoes, fatty foods such as pork chops, deep fried meat, or potatoes, aerated cold drinks, coffee, hot milk and so on. These are just some of the foods one should avoid for heartburn as consuming any of these in excess can cause acute discomfort.

However, not all the items named above react in the same way on everyone. People have different reactions to different stimulants and hence, one will need to carefully watch and identify which foods cause the greatest harm. Once you have a list, eliminate those foods from your diet to the extent possible. For example if you find that hot milk causes acute heartburn, then either stop having it altogether, or have it at room temperature or ice cold.

Similarly, with fatty foods – either totally stop having them or have a Tums right before or after the meal which will neutralize the excess acid formed in the stomach.

Many complain that a popular food that should be avoided for heartburn is everyone’s favorite – chocolate. It has been found that heartburn can occur following the consumption of chocolate or chocolate drinks at night. It has been observed that if the same drink is enjoyed during the day time, it does not react. However, at night it provokes high acidity. It is good then to avoid chocolate and its derivates at night.

Many people observe that smoking and alcohol consumption – with special emphasis on smoking – cause acute heartburn. It is very true that smoking affects the acid production in the stomach. If you observe that heartburn is a common occurrence post smoking, do away with the habit. As it is, smoking is one of the most harmful habits of a human being.

Alcohol, when consumed on an empty stomach also can cause an acidic stomach. In order to avoid this, you should always consume some nuts or something similar while drinking. This would ensure that your stomach does not overdo the production of acid, when you drown it in alcohol.

The symptoms and reaction vary from person to person. The good news is that, most of the time, if you avoid the foods that cause heartburn, you are in effect removing the irritant – and the heartburn disappears too.

Enjoying a special dish or meal is something we all look forward to once in a while. However, it does not have to be a rich meal to activate heartburn. It can just be a hotdog or a greasy hamburger that can do the trick! If you are one of those people who have experienced frequent heartburn, then read on for some tips that may help you prevent this in the future – and let you enjoy food.

What Causes Heartburn?

Heartburn is caused mostly by hard to digest foods, grease, saturated fats and almost anything that is fried. However, a precondition in your health can also trigger heartburn such as ulcers.

The easiest way to avoid frequent heartburn is probably obvious: don’t eat hard to digest foods. However, that is not an answer many would be happy with as once in a while we all need a greasy hamburger or a chocolate cake to make our day better. Therefore, here are a few ways to avoid frequent heartburns in the future and still enjoy those delights.

Anti acid medication is the best solution; if you know that you suffer from frequent heartburns from certain types of food (and it is not hard to tell which types of foods those are) then, before you start your meal have one or two of the anti acid tablets in order to coat your stomach from the grease that you are about to enjoy.

Heartburn tablets are available for after the meal too but when you have those you would have gone through some discomfort already which you may want to avoid in the first place. Yet another way to avoid frequent heartburns is to have the foods you like in small quantities and slowly. Eating your food slowly gives your stomach a chance to digest and therefore avoids heartburn. The brain takes 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full in which time if you eat really fast you can overload it and cause heartburn in the process.

Where to Find Heartburn Medication

Heartburn medication does not need a prescription and therefore you can buy it over the counter at any drug store. There are a vast number of heartburn medications from water-soluble tablets, which are popular amongst many people as they act faster as compared to the chewable varieties. Heartburn medication is also available in many different flavors to match any taste and thus making it a lot easier to have.

Acid reflux occurs when acids in the stomach are allowed to come up from the stomach into the esophagus. Normally, a muscle at the base of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, contracts to keep the acids in the stomach where they belong. It will relax only to let food come through the esophagus into the stomach for digestion.

When this muscle does not work properly, or pressure from the stomach builds for any reason, the acids can escape back into the esophagus. While the stomach has a protective lining to guard itself from damage caused by the acids, the esophagus is not equipped in the same way. That is why inflammation and discomfort can occur from acid reflux, which is also known as heartburn.

Heartburn is a pain that is felt in the middle of the chest, which is why it is called heartburn even though the heart is not involved in any way. Acid reflux causes the heartburn symptoms, and these symptoms can crop up once in a blue moon, or they can become quite frequent and problematic.

Are Heartburn and Acid Reflux Something to Worry About?

While acid reflux and heartburn are not generally serious, if it begins to happen quite frequently, the constant irritation to the esophageal lining can cause more serious problems. That is why doctors will often try to treat frequent acid reflux and heartburn; first by diet and lifestyle changes, and then with different types of medication. By the time a patient goes into a doctor with his symptoms, they have generally become painful and frequent enough to become a disruption in his life. Treatment for his acid reflux and heartburn symptoms are usually a welcome relief at that point.

Treatments for Acid Reflux and Heartburn Symptoms

Some of the more common treatments for heartburn symptoms resulting from acid reflux are to quit smoking, avoid large meals and tight clothing, and to not eat too close to bedtime. Dietary modifications can include avoiding certain foods and beverages such as alcohol, caffeine, citrus fruits and fatty foods. Chocolate and peppermint are also known contributors to acid reflux and heartburn. A doctor may also suggest keeping a food diary over a period of time to try and determine specific foods that might act as triggers for symptoms.

If these changes and modifications do not bring about effective relief, a doctor may recommend over the counter antacids or prescribe a stronger medication to treat recurring acid reflux and heartburn symptoms.

Food is the main entertainment at most parties or celebrations, the reason for some gatherings and the only enjoyment of others. However, there are many times soon after a great meal that you don’t really feel that great anymore and it has nothing to do with the host but just that you may be experiencing severe heartburn and indigestion.

Prevent the Discomfort Before it Occurs

Heartburn and indigestion is caused mainly by hard to digest foods such as fried items, rich dressings (yes, even a salad can cause heartburn) and even those delightful desserts. Anything that is rich in saturated fats is hard to digest and thus can cause heartburn.

It is not hard to determine which foods will cause heartburn and indigestion however, it is hard to keep away from them most of the time – therefore, you must be armed to combat the discomfort even before it sets in. With today’s technology you are actually able to do that. There are many medications that are available over the counter (without prescription), which will help you prevent heartburn and indigestion even before it has a chance to occur.

Avoiding the foods that cause heartburn and indigestion is another way to stay away from the discomfort but that is not really a solution as most of us enjoy some types of foods more than the others and giving them up entirely will make us unhappy.

The most common signs of heartburn and indigestion are discomfort at the heart level (therefore the name, heartburn) such as aches and stomach pains as well. Nausea and headaches are yet another common symptom that your stomach is having difficulty digesting the food.

Helpful Tips

Carefully read the indications of the heartburn and indigestion medication before you take it; even if it is available over the counter there are specific quantities you should not cross. Usually such medications will take between 10-15 minutes to show any effect or as otherwise indicated on the package.

Continue to enjoy the foods you like but eat sensibly and in small quantities; this will help greatly with the heartburn and indigestion. Food is a pleasure we all share but which can also create a lot of health issues that in turn can be fatal in the long run.

Enjoy food as you always have, but be conscious of what you should eat and most importantly how much of it you can eat to stay healthy in the short and long term.