Enjoying a special dish or meal is something we all look forward to once in a while. However, it does not have to be a rich meal to activate heartburn. It can just be a hotdog or a greasy hamburger that can do the trick! If you are one of those people who have experienced frequent heartburn, then read on for some tips that may help you prevent this in the future – and let you enjoy food.

What Causes Heartburn?

Heartburn is caused mostly by hard to digest foods, grease, saturated fats and almost anything that is fried. However, a precondition in your health can also trigger heartburn such as ulcers.

The easiest way to avoid frequent heartburn is probably obvious: don’t eat hard to digest foods. However, that is not an answer many would be happy with as once in a while we all need a greasy hamburger or a chocolate cake to make our day better. Therefore, here are a few ways to avoid frequent heartburns in the future and still enjoy those delights.

Anti acid medication is the best solution; if you know that you suffer from frequent heartburns from certain types of food (and it is not hard to tell which types of foods those are) then, before you start your meal have one or two of the anti acid tablets in order to coat your stomach from the grease that you are about to enjoy.

Heartburn tablets are available for after the meal too but when you have those you would have gone through some discomfort already which you may want to avoid in the first place. Yet another way to avoid frequent heartburns is to have the foods you like in small quantities and slowly. Eating your food slowly gives your stomach a chance to digest and therefore avoids heartburn. The brain takes 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full in which time if you eat really fast you can overload it and cause heartburn in the process.

Where to Find Heartburn Medication

Heartburn medication does not need a prescription and therefore you can buy it over the counter at any drug store. There are a vast number of heartburn medications from water-soluble tablets, which are popular amongst many people as they act faster as compared to the chewable varieties. Heartburn medication is also available in many different flavors to match any taste and thus making it a lot easier to have.

Acid reflux occurs when acids in the stomach are allowed to come up from the stomach into the esophagus. Normally, a muscle at the base of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, contracts to keep the acids in the stomach where they belong. It will relax only to let food come through the esophagus into the stomach for digestion.

When this muscle does not work properly, or pressure from the stomach builds for any reason, the acids can escape back into the esophagus. While the stomach has a protective lining to guard itself from damage caused by the acids, the esophagus is not equipped in the same way. That is why inflammation and discomfort can occur from acid reflux, which is also known as heartburn.

Heartburn is a pain that is felt in the middle of the chest, which is why it is called heartburn even though the heart is not involved in any way. Acid reflux causes the heartburn symptoms, and these symptoms can crop up once in a blue moon, or they can become quite frequent and problematic.

Are Heartburn and Acid Reflux Something to Worry About?

While acid reflux and heartburn are not generally serious, if it begins to happen quite frequently, the constant irritation to the esophageal lining can cause more serious problems. That is why doctors will often try to treat frequent acid reflux and heartburn; first by diet and lifestyle changes, and then with different types of medication. By the time a patient goes into a doctor with his symptoms, they have generally become painful and frequent enough to become a disruption in his life. Treatment for his acid reflux and heartburn symptoms are usually a welcome relief at that point.

Treatments for Acid Reflux and Heartburn Symptoms

Some of the more common treatments for heartburn symptoms resulting from acid reflux are to quit smoking, avoid large meals and tight clothing, and to not eat too close to bedtime. Dietary modifications can include avoiding certain foods and beverages such as alcohol, caffeine, citrus fruits and fatty foods. Chocolate and peppermint are also known contributors to acid reflux and heartburn. A doctor may also suggest keeping a food diary over a period of time to try and determine specific foods that might act as triggers for symptoms.

If these changes and modifications do not bring about effective relief, a doctor may recommend over the counter antacids or prescribe a stronger medication to treat recurring acid reflux and heartburn symptoms.

Food is the main entertainment at most parties or celebrations, the reason for some gatherings and the only enjoyment of others. However, there are many times soon after a great meal that you don’t really feel that great anymore and it has nothing to do with the host but just that you may be experiencing severe heartburn and indigestion.

Prevent the Discomfort Before it Occurs

Heartburn and indigestion is caused mainly by hard to digest foods such as fried items, rich dressings (yes, even a salad can cause heartburn) and even those delightful desserts. Anything that is rich in saturated fats is hard to digest and thus can cause heartburn.

It is not hard to determine which foods will cause heartburn and indigestion however, it is hard to keep away from them most of the time – therefore, you must be armed to combat the discomfort even before it sets in. With today’s technology you are actually able to do that. There are many medications that are available over the counter (without prescription), which will help you prevent heartburn and indigestion even before it has a chance to occur.

Avoiding the foods that cause heartburn and indigestion is another way to stay away from the discomfort but that is not really a solution as most of us enjoy some types of foods more than the others and giving them up entirely will make us unhappy.

The most common signs of heartburn and indigestion are discomfort at the heart level (therefore the name, heartburn) such as aches and stomach pains as well. Nausea and headaches are yet another common symptom that your stomach is having difficulty digesting the food.

Helpful Tips

Carefully read the indications of the heartburn and indigestion medication before you take it; even if it is available over the counter there are specific quantities you should not cross. Usually such medications will take between 10-15 minutes to show any effect or as otherwise indicated on the package.

Continue to enjoy the foods you like but eat sensibly and in small quantities; this will help greatly with the heartburn and indigestion. Food is a pleasure we all share but which can also create a lot of health issues that in turn can be fatal in the long run.

Enjoy food as you always have, but be conscious of what you should eat and most importantly how much of it you can eat to stay healthy in the short and long term.

Heartburn is usually caused by excess acid in the stomach. There are several remedies to try and alleviate the discomfort, and one way some people try and lessen their heartburn is by drinking milk. Heartburn and milk, however, do not really go together.

Milk Can Make it Worse

Initially, drinking milk for your heartburn may seem to help. Heartburn and milk may seem to go together, but after the milk washes excess acid from the esophagus back down into the stomach, the problem may just become worse. Heartburn and milk are a bad combination because milk can actually cause the stomach to produce even more acid than it initially was producing. Milk contains calcium and protein as well as fat which can all help to produce stomach acid.

If you just can’t give up the milk, you can try drinking less or switching over to soy milk. This may or may not work, but the combination of heartburn and milk can be bad for those who suffer from heartburn. Over the counter antacids may be able to help with heartburn and milk may still be a possibility if you are willing to put up with a little heartburn and antacids. Other over-the-counter medications prevent your stomach from producing as much acid on a daily basis. These types of medications may alleviate your heartburn, and milk may still be an option for you.

The first thing to try when suffering from heartburn is to adjust your diet. If you are willing to give up milk for a period of time to see if that is indeed what is causing your heartburn, you may even be able to keep milk in your diet. Other types of foods may be the main trigger for your heartburn, and milk may not be the major reason you are having problems. Tomatoes and citrus fruits including juices can be one of the biggest contributors to heartburn, so avoiding these foods may also be a good adjustment to your diet.

With the help of over the counter or prescription medications, you may still be able to enjoy your daily bowl of cereal or a glass of milk or two. If you heartburn is serious enough and does not lessen with dietary changes or over the counter medications, you should visit your doctor and determine if you need prescription medication for your condition.

For some people, every meal seems to lead to painful heartburn and for others, only certain foods bring the agony. Still others only suffer when they fail to abide by reasonable portion sizes.

There are some foods that are safe for almost everyone and it’s a good idea to start with these foods. If you are heartburn-free for a time, you can begin to add foods that are more likely to spark a heartburn attack one at a time. Those that do not cause a problem can stay on your heartburn diet. Those that cause pain will have to go. Combined with good eating habits and careful food preparation, this can help anyone start a successful heartburn diet.

Safe and Not So Safe Foods

Foods that are fatty, spicy, salty or too dry can kick up a bit of heartburn. Of course, foods that are high in acid can problems for some people, too. Apples and bananas are safe fruits. Some vegetables can be hard to digest; the safest being baked potatoes, cabbage, green beans, peas, broccoli and carrots. Remember to avoid adding fat – just low-fat salad dressing should be okay.

Fat is a problem in the meat category too – lean beef like London broil is good. White meat chicken and fish are also lean. Egg yolks are fatty so stick to egg whites and egg substitutes. Low-fat and fat-free dairy products are a better choice. High fiber grains are the best alternatives for your carbs – multi-grain bread, graham crackers, pretzels, bran cereals, rice and oatmeal should work out well for most people.

Your heartburn diet has to exclude caffeine. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and colas are out except in decaffeinated forms. Water will help in digestion and should be included in every heartburn diet. Snacks can include low-fat cookies, red licorice, baked potato chips and jelly beans.

The Preparation

Never, never, never fry your food. Until you can determine that fried foods don’t trigger your heartburn, avoid them. Even if you are sure that fat isn’t bad for your own heartburn, limit it on your heartburn diet. While simple pasta dishes are rarely a heartburn problem, acidic tomato sauce can be. Low-fat cream sauces are safer choices.

Often, cooking takes some of the acid from the tomatoes, but add tomato sauce cautiously back to your diet and eliminate it if it causes a problem. Boiled foods add water to your meal and that’s a good thing and to add flavor, use fresh herbs.

The Habits

A heartburn diet doesn’t only restrict what you eat but can specify how you eat. A full stomach will push out air to make room. That will open the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus which can lead to acid reflux. Eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full. If your doctor has diagnosed a condition that causes your stomach to empty slowly, eat smaller meals more often during the day. A good heartburn diet can give you back your life.