How To Prevent Heartburn: The Best Foods And Infusions

Heartburn affects a large number of people, and many don’t even know how to recognize it. Here I’ll tell you everything you need to know about it, how to prevent heartburn and the best foods and infusions to beat it.

Follow

Table of Contents

We all have suffered stomach upsets once in a while after eating something that hasn’t been very good for us.

Heartburn is one of them, although you may have suffered from it and not be aware of that.

I’m going to give you all the details about it so that you can recognise it and be prepared to fight it.

What Is Heartburn?

Heartburn is caused by gastroesophageal reflux due to a malfunction of the digestive system.

It’s reflected as a burning pain in the chest that goes up to the throat, just behind the breastbone, which can be very annoying. 

The patient who is affected by this type of pathology usually notices that there is a worsening just after eating or at the end of the day when night falls.

In the same way, it’s very common among these patients that it worsens when bending over or lying down.

Heartburn occurs when stomach acid returns to the mouth through the oesophagus, which is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

When we swallow, the lower oesophageal sphincter (cardia) relaxes, allowing different foods and liquids to pass into the stomach.

Once they pass, it contracts again and it gets perfectly closed.

For different reasons, this lower oesophagal sphincter can be affected, either because it weakens or because it relaxes abnormally, which would produce the so-called gastroesophageal reflux and cause heartburn.

Who among us has not suffered from heartburn on some occasions?

Most of the time that this heartburn occurs, it can be alleviated with medicines that don’t require a prescription, with natural food supplements or by exchanging certain habits for healthier ones.

Don’t have time? Pin this post for later!

Why Does Heartburn Happen?

The reasons why it occurs are very diverse, from wearing very tight clothes, suffering from a hiatal hernia, after a copious meal or, for example, during pregnancy, since hormonal changes cause the gastrointestinal muscles to relax and cause much heavier digestion.

What is important to discern is that it’s a symptom that can occur frequently and intermittently, but it can also be occasional and harmless.

In the event that we notice or observe that it’s frequent, or we can quantify that it occurs more than twice a week, we should see a qualified health practitioner to rule out that we are facing GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease).

How To Prevent Heartburn

There are different factors that can cause this symptom, but many of the times are due to what we eat, how we eat it and the amounts we ingest.

So it’s very important to keep in mind certain actions to escape this.

By making some changes to our diet, including healthy ingredients and avoiding the most harmful ones, it is possible to overcome heartburn.

Here I propose a few foods that, due to their composition, will protect our stomach and have an antacid action:

Oatmeal: cereal rich in mucilage, whose substance is an emollient of the digestive system among others, which what it does is protect and lubricate the protective layer of the digestive tract, thus acting locally to protect the oesophagus.

We can take it as porridge or in a drink by letting it rest overnight with water, for example.

Zucchini: vegetables with infinite options are also rich in mucilage, so they will protect our mucosa.

It’s important that we do not cook it fried or with too much fat.

Pumpkin: another vegetable, in addition to being rich in mucilage, is rich in beta-carotene, a substance that amongst other things, protects the stomach mucosa.

It can be richly consumed in soups, creams, or baked.

Apple: digestive fruit par excellence, rich in pectin, which will neutralise stomach acids.

We can never say no to an apple to beat stomach acid.

Potato: in creams, cooked or steamed, they are a good balm for the stomach.

What we should not do is consume it raw or fried because it would kill the purpose.

Papaya: this fruit is also great as an antacid since papain appears in its composition, which is an enzyme that improves the digestion of proteins and, therefore, combats stomach acidity by improving digestion.

Banana: another exceptional fruit for acidity, since it contains potassium, a mineral that regulates the body’s pH, and also exerts emollient properties on the stomach lining.

Pineapple: its action is similar to that of papaya, but in this case, its component is bromelain, an enzyme that will help in the digestion of proteins, thus helping us to have good digestion.

It’s important not to abuse it, since it also contains citric acid.

Infusions also favour lighter digestion and help prevent heartburn.

I recommend that you finish meals with infusions that will provide you with a positive digestive effect.

Here are the ones I like the most:

Ginger tea: it contains substances such as gingerol that have anti-inflammatory and antiemetic properties that will reduce inflammation of the oesophagus, thus being a good remedy to reduce stomach acidity.

Fennel tea: due to its composition, it will relieve stomach inflammation and reduce the burning sensation in the throat, being an excellent ally to reducing heartburn crises.

Liquorice tea: it’s an infusion rich in glycyrrhizin, an important asset that will protect the stomach lining and help reduce acidity.

Sodium bicarbonate: although it’s not an infusion, I wanted to mention it because it’s a substance that, when diluted in water, neutralises the acid when it comes into contact with stomach acid so that it will alkalize the digestive tract, avoiding that discomfort due to acidity.

It’s important to avoid using bicarbonate for more than a week to prevent blood alkalinization from occurring.

Other Tips To Prevent Heartburn

Here I propose other tips and home remedies that help to avoid heartburn and have optimal gastrointestinal health:

Avoid Being Overweight: it has been shown that both obesity and sudden weight gain are related to gastroesophageal reflux disease. 

Avoid Copious Meals: a full stomach makes digestion very heavy, it will slow down its emptying and it will increase the probability that we will suffer from heartburn.

Therefore, we will try to eat what is necessary to have a balanced and healthy diet.

Chew Slowly: it’s another important factor to have good digestion and avoid the formation of gases.

Chew slowly and without haste to enjoy each bite, seeking conscious mindful eating.

Avoid Highly Seasoned Dishes: cooking with spices such as pepper, paprika or mustard increases the probability of suffering from heartburn.

It’s better to avoid them, as well as hot spices.

Avoid High-Fat Foods: avoid fried and battered dishes, cream and butter.

Increase the intake of chicken or turkey meat (the leanest cuts).

Consume skimmed dairy and cooked, steamed, grilled or baked foods.

Change Habits: it’s super important to keep our stress at bay since it’s another factor that will trigger digestive disorders that will end up reflecting symptoms such as heartburn.

It’s also essential that we do physical exercise in the morning, or if this is not possible, away from bedtime, since doing sports causes gastric juices to rise up to the oesophagus and can increase heartburn, especially at night.

If you need to take a nap, it will be important to keep your head elevated above your stomach.

And of course, avoid the consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

And no less important, we must remember that we must have dinner two or three hours before going to bed, to fall asleep with the digestion already done, so it does not interfere with our rest.

Final Thoughts

Heartburn can be really annoying, but it’s also really easy to prevent – with a few lifestyle and dietary changes, the discomfort will stay in the past!

If those tips don’t work, make sure to consult a health practitioner to rule out more serious digestive issues that will require more comprehensive measures.

Did you like it? Pin this post for later!

FAQs

Have I missed something? Let me know on Twitter!