Heartburn is a condition where the gastric juices of the stomach have risen up to the esophagus and where the Lower Esophageal Sphincter or LES has been weakened that it can no longer contain or protect the esophagus from harmful stomach acids. A severe case may lead to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. Although heartburn is not really a disease related to the heart, it is felt at the chest level and may rise up to the throat with a very discomforting burning sensation and sour-after taste. The gastric juices pose a main role in the digestion process and the increase and decrease in these stomach acids depend mostly on the type of food that people eat.
There are a number of ways to avoid heartburn but the best way is to have the proper heartburn diet. Since one of the main causes of heartburn is the regular food intake, it is much better to regulate the foods you eat to eliminate the risks of having digestive problems such as heartburn.
Some of the foods to avoid during heartburn are listed below. Although these may be on a case-to-case basis depending on the food tolerance of a person, it is still best to know which food causes the said condition.
• Avoid eating citric fruits such as oranges and lemon. It is not wise to drink orange or lemon juices when suffering from heartburn as these ingredients only increase the acids in your stomach. Grapefruit, cranberry and tomato fruits and juices also have the same effect.
• Vegetables cooked in oil such as French fries and stir-fried veggies are also not to be included in the diet.
• Fatty dairy products such as cheese, milk and ice cream also need to be kept away from a person with heartburn.
• Liquor and alcohol is one of the main things that have to be avoided as these are not only bad for the health, they cause the gastric juices to increase rapidly too.
• Smoking also aggravates the condition
• Sweets such as chocolates, junk foods, potato chips, and drinks with caffeine like coffee and tea are also to be avoided when a person is suffering from heartburn.
