Heartburn – Foods to avoid and foods to eat

Heartburn is really an uncomfortable condition and at times you tend to hold your throat or chest when you have an attack. These are natural reactions to a condition where the acidic substance from your stomach is reversed into the throat and mouth, which is known as acid reflux. Though heartburn is more due to indigestion and has no relation to the heart it is known by that name because of what people assume to be heart stopping discomfort.

Heartburn happens when we disgorge the hydrochloric content in our stomach and it reaches our throat. This can be due to eating food creating acid which we are not supposed to have if we have heartburn. The hydrochloric content begins from the stomach and soon advances into the throat behind the breastbone and hence the feeling of discomfort.

There may be more than one reason for the heartburn condition, but the most apparent one is the intake food. We should strictly avoid food causing this condition and try changing our food habits.  Change of daily food habits can alleviate the heartburn problem says, leading gastroenterologists in Chennai city. You can avoid indigestion by controlling the quantity and being selective of the food you eat.

Avoid these items that is likely to cause heartburn

If you have continued symptoms of indigestion and encounter heartburn, it is time you avoid or control the eating of following food items:

·  Citrus Fruits – Citrus products are acidic in nature. Please understand that if you have heartburn it is the stomach acidic that is causing it and if you take in citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, you will only be adding more acidic substance to your stomach, thus aggravating the acid reflux.

·     Hot & Spicy Food – Hot or spicy food will enhance the corrosive action. If you have heartburn and you love spicy food, it might be time you curtailed yourself from taking them.  It is best to avoid food containing chili products, pepper and spicy curries.

·   Chocolates – Another food that triggers heartburn are chocolates. They tend to wind down Lower Esophageal Sphincter. It is LES that keeps out stomach acid from reaching the throat.  If the LES is loosened then there is the tendency for the acid to rush up into the throat and cause acid reflux symptoms.

·  Greasy foods – Oily or greasy foods, especially fried food should be strictly avoided if you have heartburn problem. Oily items are not easy to digest and so will generate more stomach acid leading to severe heartburn.

Heartburn Food to Eat

If you eat certain foods like fruits, vegetables and cooked fish or meat it will help in actually controlling the heartburn problem. This is mainly because these are easily digested.  Fruits and vegetables actually aid digestion.

Fruits – It is well known that fruits help digestion and in reality prevent the occurrence of heartburn which occurs mainly due to problems of indigestion.

Vegetables – Eating vegetables are doubly beneficial because they help control the corrosive issues in the stomach. Vegetables like cabbage, carrots, broccoli and sprouts are best for controlling heartburn problems. 

Water – It is not only your general physician who advises consumption of water daily for general wellness but even gastroenterologists recommend a good amount of water intake. Water usually dilutes the acid in the stomach and so prevents the acid reflex problem.

Meat – If at all you need to eat meat, it is best to take chicken or fish as these are items that don’t trigger heartburn. It is best to eat the meat preparation well-cooked for easy digestion.

Following these diet changes strictly can easily prevent heartburn problems from reoccurring. If at all after following this diet advice you still encounter heartburn it is best to see a gastroenterologist.  Prashanth has many senior and expert medical and surgical gastroenterologists who can offer advanced treatment to ensure you have a healthy digestive system.