Eat Right to Keep Heartburn at Bay
Many people experience heartburn on a regular basis. If you’re one of them, you might find that your favorite foods can seem like they’re the enemy. Minutes or hours after enjoying a meal, a painful burning sensation arises in your chest. And it can sometimes even drive your meal right back up into the esophagus.
But those who suffer from heartburn can often find a way to make friends with food. The trick is to figure out which foods are easy on your system and which ones will cause you distress.
The only way to ease the discomfort of your heartburn is to lower your levels of stomach acids. You also need to calm and repair the esophageal lining, which protects your body from many toxic substances.
Healthy eating on its own isn’t an effective treatment of heartburn. Following the recommendations of the food pyramid will certainly help. But those who suffer from heartburn will most likely have to make some other changes in their eating habits as well.
If you study the food pyramid, you’ll see that grains should be the focus of your diet. When it comes to heartburn relief, grains are particularly essential for good health and pain management. Whole grains in particular are important. Avoid products with high levels of fat and sugar.
The next level of the pyramid recommends eating lots of vegetables and fruits. But if you suffer from heartburn, not all produce is created equal. Some of these products can actually make your condition worse.
Fruits like pears, grapes and apples are loaded with nutrients and won’t worsen your problem. But fruits that contain citric acid, such as grapefruit, lemons, oranges and limes, can lead to an instant outbreak of heartburn.
The majority of vegetables won’t trigger heartburn symptoms and should be eaten in abundance. But remember to serve them up healthfully. Avoid using generous amounts of fat as a garnish, particularly those that are considered to be unhealthy. Heartburn is very frequently triggered by consuming excessive quantities of fat.
When choosing which proteins to include in your diet, always opt for the lower fat products. Lean meats won’t lead to heartburn problems. The well trimmed cuts are your best choice. Stay away from those that are marbled with fat.
Similar to vegetables, though, how you prepare your healthy cut of meat is important. Bake, grill, or broil it and your heartburn symptoms are less likely to make an appearance.
