Useful Diet for Heartburn

People who suffer from heartburn are often advised to follow a special diet that steers clear of foods known to aggravate heartburn symptoms. Lifestyle and dietary changes can greatly reduce the symptoms of heartburn and acid reflex. When looking at different diets for heartburn, it's important to be able to identify those foods that trigger heartburn, and the best portions and times to eat.

Recommendations

In order to reduce the overall frequency of heartburn, the Mayo Clinic recommends four key lifestyle changes; quit smoking, wait several hours after a meal before lying down, elevate your body from the waist up when sleeping, and maintain a healthy weight. "Excess pounds put pressure on your abdomen, pushing up your stomach and causing acid to back up into your esophagus," according to the clinic.

Helpful Tips

Passing up foods that are known to trigger heartburn should be a dietary goal for those who suffer from the ailment. "Everyone has specific triggers. Common triggers such as fatty or fried foods, alcohol, chocolate, mint, garlic, onion and caffeine may make heartburn worse," according to the Mayo Clinic. Decreasing the size of your portions, eating slowly and having smaller meals throughout the day helps your body digest the food and gives it a sufficient amount of time to be absorbed; once the stomach is emptied, acid levels are reduced, which also decreases the probability of heartburn from arising.

What to Eat

Diets for heartburn should consist of foods that are low in fat and calories and full of nutrients.
All the basic food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats and beans) are covered; however, there are certain types or varieties of the foods that need to be avoided. For example, grains low in fat content such as multigrains, corn, rice or white bread and bran, rice and oatmeal cereals are recommended. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, fennel, green beans and peas are safe vegetables as opposed to tomatoes, onions and other vegetables that are fried or in heavy cream sauces. Citric fruits including grapefruits, oranges and pineapples should be replaced with apples, bananas, berries, melons, peaches and pears. Lean and low-fat meats such as chicken breast, fish and turkey should be eaten instead of meats high in fat and heavily seasoned, processed or fried (bacon chicken nuggets/ wings, cold cuts, spare ribs, fish sticks). Milk and dairy products should also be low fat.

Shopping for the Right Foods

The National Heartburn Alliance provides a list of foods to keep in your house to make heartburn-friendly meals (see References). Preparing meals with these foods can eliminate the temptation or risk of foods that aren't safe for heartburn sufferers.

Diet Plans and Menus

Many websites offer sample diet plans and recipes for heartburn diets including Heartburn.about.com and Heartburn-Remedies.org. Books can also be helpful, such as "Chronic Heartburn: Managing Acid Reflux and GERD Through Understanding, Diet and Lifestyle" by Barbara E. Wendland and Lisa Marie Ruffolo, "Eating for Acid Reflux: A Handbook and Cookbook for Those with Heartburn" by Jill Sklar and Annabel Cohen, "Heartburn Cured" by Norm Robillard and "Weeks to Healthy Digestion: A Harvard Doctors Proven Plan for Reducing Symptoms of Diarrhea, Constipation, Heartburn, and More" by Norton Greenberger and Roanne Weisman.