Identifying Foods and Other Factors That Cause Heartburn

It's difficult to identify the foods that cause people to have heartburn, because different people react to different foods. In general, anything acidic, fried, or spicy can be a culprit as well as coffee, alcoholic beverages, citrus drinks, and chocolate. Possibly you've noticed that you often develop heartburn after consuming one of these foods; however, it isn't always that easy to determine what is causing your problem, and a doctor isn't going to be able to tell you. Instead, you'll need to keep a food diary which should show you a pattern of foods and heartburn over time.

Get a small notebook that can easily fit in a pocket or purse, and carry it and a pen along with you. That way, if you have something to eat or drink, you'll be able to write it down immediately instead of trying to remember later on. Make a note of the times that you eat the various items, and also record times when you've experienced heartburn. It may take awhile to pinpoint what's causing your problem, but you should be able to see a pattern eventually. Once you've targeted certain foods and types of foods as being those that seem to bring on heartburn, you can eliminate them from your diet to see if that makes a difference.

Unfortunately, while it's common to have certain foods that trigger heartburn, not every case can be traced back to something like a tomato, an orange, or a chocolate bar. Some people experience heartburn based on the amount of food they eat. It's easy to understand why this is the case when you realize that heartburn is caused by an overflow of stomach acid. If your stomach is too full, there isn't anywhere for the acid to go except back up into your esophagus. When it does, you suffer a bout of heartburn.

While you're recording the foods you eat, you can also be limiting the amount you eat at one time to see if that helps your problem. Eating a number of smaller meals throughout the day instead of three large ones might be the only change you need to make in your eating habits.

Other factors that can exacerbate heartburn problems include lying down too soon following a meal or wearing clothing that is so tight that it restricts your normal body processes. Once again, these are easy fixes to the problem if they happen to work for you.

Want more information on how to stop heartburn? Get more information, tips and resources here: How to get rid of heartburn fast.

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