Foods To Avoid When Dealing With Heartburn

Heartburn is caused by the stomach acid backing up into the esophagus and can be quite unpleasant. Since the delicate lining of the esophagus is not equipped to deal with the strong acid of the stomach, heartburn results in searing pain and chronic heartburn can actually damage the esophagus. Medication can help a little bit, but it is not always effective. Dealing with heartburn typically requires some lifestyle changes. Individuals have to stop eating food before bed and eat frequent small meals instead of one or two large meals each day. If you have heartburn, you probably need to avoid these foods.

Anything With Caffeine

Caffeine might not be an obviously problematic food for individuals with acid reflux, but the issue is most items with caffeine are highly acidic. Avoiding caffeinated foods can be surprisingly difficult. You will need to check carefully to make sure your beverages and other food items do not have caffeine. Caffeine is primarily found in coffee, tea, and dark sodas. This means there is caffeine in chocolate desserts, coffees, pumpkin spice lattes, green tea, iced black tea, and most colas. If you are a caffeine addict, it can be difficult avoid having anything with caffeine without getting blinding headaches.

The most effective way to stop consuming a lot of caffeine is to cut back gradually. Try to cut your caffeine intake in half, drink the halved amount of caffeine for three days, and then cut your intake in half again, maintain that for a few days, and continue until you are no longer drinking caffeine. This timeline may need to be adjusted based on the exact amount of caffeine being consumed.

Foods High In Fat

Fat is an issue with heartburn because fatty foods are tough to digest. Since foods high in fat take longer to digest than other types of food, fats sit in the stomach and block it up for a while. When you regularly eat fatty foods, you end up overloading your stomach and letting the acid back up into your esophagus. High-fat foods are almost everywhere, and both saturated and unsaturated forms of fat can cause digestive issues. Foods individuals may need to avoid include avocados, nuts, cheeses, bacon, steaks, chicken thighs, and certain salad dressings. To learn how to avoid foods high in fat, get used to reading labels and calculating the amounts of fat in each meal. It is fine to eat fat in moderation, but eating a large meal that is high in fat can easily end up causing heartburn.