You’ve probably felt that burning sensation in your lower chest from time to time especially when you ate something that’s bad for you. This is called heartburn and those who have acid reflux often experience it when they eat something that triggers this side effect. The good news is that this sensation can be prevented if you know which foods you should avoid. Once you’ve identified which foods are linked to heartburn, you can easily remove them from your diet so you’ll be able to eat without worrying about that burning sensation in your lower chest.
For those who often experience heartburn or have acid reflux, these six foods should best be avoided.
- Although tomatoes are packed with lycopene and other essential vitamins and minerals, they are highly acidic which can trigger heartburn. If you can’t avoid eating tomatoes, you need to have some sour ball on hand as chewing on one can increase saliva production which eliminates the burning sensation.
- Fried Food. If you are fond of eating fried foods but have been diagnosed with acid reflux or often experience heartburn then you might want to steer clear away from such dishes. When you fry food, a lot of oil gets stored in its skin which takes time to digest. When the food takes a long time to be digested, the stomach and esophagus work over time. Go for poached, grilled, or steamed food to help expedite digestion while at the same time minimize your chances of experiencing heartburn.
- Onion and Garlic. There are some people who often experience heartburn whenever they eat dishes containing garlic or onion or both. The best way to determine which causes heartburn in you, prepare a food log where you list down all the foods that you eat and put a mark on those that caused you to experience heartburn. This way, you can eliminate them from your diet like these two.
- Drinking alcohol can cause heartburn big time as it makes your sphincter relaxed which allows stomach acid to go back up. Combining alcohol with a large meal is a disaster as your acid reflux can be triggered. If you want to drink alcohol, it is best that you reduce the amount of food that you eat to lessen the chance of you experiencing heartburn.
- Spicy Food. Another known trigger for heartburn, spicy meals are best avoided. If you can’t, minimize your intake of spicy foods to reduce your chances of suffering from heartburn. You can opt for milder spices so you can still get a kick out of your meal without worrying about acid reflux.
- If you are fond of drinking orange juice in the morning, there is a huge chance that you’ll feel heartburn later in the day. Fruits that are high in acid content can trigger your heartburn. If you don’t want to remove those citrusy foods from your diet, it is best that you introduce them in your diet early in the day so you won’t get caught with heartburn while lounging in bed.