Help Ward Off Heartburn With These Diet Tips

After a heavy meal or perhaps after having chowed down one too many chips, you may feel a burning pain in your chest; a symptom of indigestion which is commonly known as heartburn.

Heartburn is caused when the stomach is unable to break down certain components of foods and therefore sends them back up your throat in the form of acid. While everyone suffers from heartburn once in a while, chronic heartburn may be a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, a condition where the ring of muscles between the oesophagus and stomach doesn’t work properly.

The Right Diet To Ward Off Heartburn

Whatever the cause of heartburn, some diet adjustments can go a long way in reducing the frequency and severity of it and even prevent it from happening.

For one, many experts recommend that you cut down on the amount of fat you consume to less than 30% of your overall diet. Nutritionists especially recommend you avoid fried foods with a lot of butter and oil, cream, meats, cheese, pizza and mayonnaise; essentially anything with saturated fats.

However, it’s recommended that you up your consumption of unsaturated fats which can be found in fish, flax seeds and walnuts.

Drink, Drink, Drink

No, not alcohol. Water. Drinking your 6-8 glasses of water a day has a multitude of benefits including easing the heartburn ache. The water will dilute the acid in your stomach, making the heartburn less severe and will help clear the acidity in your throat.

Spice It Up

There are records that centuries ago, the ancient Romans and Greeks used cinnamon as a cure for heartburn; cinnamon heats up the stomach making it more equipped to digest food. Additionally, adding a dash of turmeric to foods will also help ease the heartburn; turmeric activates the bile producing function of the liver. Bile is a digestive fluid and will help your stomach digest tricky foods more easily.

Strangely, some experts also recommend eating something spicy when you’re suffering from heartburn; chili peppers contain capsaicin which increases blood flow, gets digestive juices running, expels gas and helps the muscles of the digestive system work.

Finally, after a meal, munch on sweets, preferably the sugar free kind. This will increase your production of saliva which will help neutralise acids.

If, after taking steps to change your diet, you still find yourself a victim of severe heartburn, seek medical help; it may be a symptom of a more serious problem.