Heartburn foods

Heartburn foods
You learn rather quickly by experience that when you eat or drink certain things in certain amounts, your heartburn acts up. Wouldn’t you like to know what those foods are right away, so you can be forewarned and perhaps forearmed (with medicines if need be)? The following is everything you need to know about how what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat can influence your heartburn.
What are the foods I need to be careful of now that I have heartburn?
Twenty years ago, the standard anti-reflux diet called for restricting foods that seemed to bring on or aggravate heartburn symptoms—spicy foods, acidic foods, fatty foods, as well as coffee, tea, and cola drinks. Two extra foods were also on the list of food “no no’s” because they were thought to lower the esophageal sphincter pressure, which would encourage stomach acid to reflux into the esophagus. What are those two foods? Get ready, because I can guarantee you aren’t going to like this…peppermint and chocolate.
So is this 20-year-old anti-reflux diet still the gold standard? Yes, with some modifications. These are the foods/drinks that act up heartburn by either weakening the lower esophageal sphincter, increasing the acid content of the stomach, or bloating up the abdomen, causing pressure up toward the esophagus.

Foods that weaken the lower esophageal sphincter muscle encouraging heartburn and should be eaten in smaller portions or limited:
* Fried or fatty foods.
* Coffee (including decaffeinated coffee which increases acid content in the stomach).
* Caffeinated tea and cola drinks (increase acid content in the stomach).
* Alcoholic beverages. (Although some studies have shown that small amounts of alcohol may actually protect the mucosal layer.)
* Chocolate.
* Peppermint and spearmint.
* Garlic.
* Onions.

Foods that increase the acid content in the stomach and should be limited or consumed in small portions:
* All caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, soda with caffeine).
* Coffee (including decaf coffee).

Foods that can irritate a damaged esophageal lining and should be limited or eaten in small portions:
* Citrus fruits and juices.
* Tomato products.
* Chili peppers.
* Pepper.

Foods that can bloat up the abdomen causing pressures that force acid to back up into the esophagus:
* All carbonated beverages.

I know the list above looks rather ominous. If you like Italian food, how can you get through a meal without a ton of garlic, onions, or tomato sauce! And if you are like most red-blooded Americans, how do you get through the morning without a cup of coffee? And what about alcohol? If you enjoy having a drink every now and then, does this mean you need to stop that, too?
It all depends. How severe is your heartburn and which foods/drinks tend to cause problems for you personally, in what amounts, and during what time of day are you most susceptible?