And a few hours later, you’ve been hit with the worst attack of heartburn you can imagine! You’re groaning with pain and popping in antacids with little relief. Sounds familiar? I’m sure it does.
Most of us are familiar with acidity or heartburn. Every individual suffers a heart burn at some point or another. And for some of us heartburn is a regular visitor. When heartburn hits you, it can be very discomforting.
Burning in your chest or pain in your upper abdomen is a classic symptom of heartburn. It may be associated with nausea, bitter taste in your mouth, bloated sensation or an extreme discomfort in your upper abdomen or chest.
Antacids almost always help, but a better way to manage heartburn would be to avoid these 7 things that are known to trigger it.
Caffeine: You probably can’t live without coffee, but you remember that it is known to cause heartburn. Try to limit your daily tea/coffee intake to not more than 2 cups a day.
Over-eating: When you over-eat you are setting yourself up for heart burn. Because of excess food, our stomach doesn’t empty properly and this leftover food flows back in our oesophagus causing heartburn.
Smoking: Smoking is infamous for many things, one of them being heartburn. It increases the acid secretion in our stomach and also loosens the oesophageal sphincter.
Acidic Foods: Oranges, strawberries, melons, lemons, pineapples – are acidic in nature and known to increase incidences of heartburn.
Alcohol: Alcohol is a known irritant for the stomach lining. It causes gastritis and also promotes excess acid secretion. Though wine and beer are safer than hard liquor, but not necessarily completely safe.
Garlic: Nothing can beat the flavour of garlic, and it is very good for your heart. But it is definitely not good for your stomach lining.
Fried Food: Our stomach takes longer to digest fried food as opposed to boiled or stir-fried food. Also, high calorific foods like cheese, avocados, and desserts also take longer to digest. Thereby, increasing the chances of acid reflux and heartburn.
Though these dietary tips are sure to help, but if you suffer from attacks of heartburn or hyper-acidity too often, you must consult your physician to rule out other probable causes of hyperacidity or heartburn.