What’s Causing Your Heartburn?

Foods That Trigger Heartburn

When you think about heartburn, you have to think about foods that can irritate your stomach, such as:

• Spicy food
• Alcohol, especially wine
• Chocolate
• Citrus
• Coffee
• Peppermint
• Tomatoes
• Fried Food

What Can You Do?

The first thing you could do is adapt a healthier lifestyle and avoid these foods as much as you can. As impossible as it may seem, it’s important to try because uncontrolled heartburn can turn into more serious problems in the future, such as esophagitis, which is a painful inflammation where the acid wears away the esophagus, causing it to bleed. Others can develop Barrett’s esophagus, which can eventually turn to cancer or you can narrow the esophagus, which feels like a mini heart attack. Constant heartburn could be very dangerous, which is why staying away from these foods might be the best strategy.

Home Remedies for Heartburn

Many people simply pop an antacid to get rid of heartburn, but there are other things you could do that can help relieve the symptoms of heartburn:

• Gum: Chewing gum stimulates the salivary flow, which helps acid accumulated in the belly to wash away more quickly.
• Baking Soda with water: 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water helps neutralize stomach acid.
• Licorice: Chewable licorice tablets before meals or the actual candy have natural stomach healing properties
• Aloe Vera: This plant has various healing properties and it reduces inflammation in the esophagus, as well as the stomach.
• Almonds: Snacking on almonds is not only a healthy way to get your Omega 3s, but these nuts help neutralize the acids in your stomach, helping relieve and prevent heartburn.

NEXT: Pinpoint Your Stomach Pain