Avoiding Foods That Cause Heartburn
Foods usually do not cause
heartburn, but they can aggravate your condition and cause symptoms. Certain foods can cause symptoms by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter, which allows digestive juices to splash up into the esophagus, thus irritating the esophagus.-
Acidic foods, such as:
- Citrus foods: oranges, grapefruits, and their juices
- Tomatoes and tomato products
- Fatty or greasy foods
- Chocolates
- Spicy foods
- Alcohol
- Caffeinated beverages
- Some herbal products (eg, peppermint tea)
RESOURCES
American Gastroenterological Association http://www.gastro.org/
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders http://www.aboutgerd.org/
CANADIAN RESOURCES
Canadian Institute for Health Information http://www.cihi.ca/
Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/
References
Acid reflux. The American College of Gastroenterology website. Available at: http://patients.gi.org/topics/acid-reflux/ . Accessed July 11, 2012.
Duyff RL. The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide . 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2006.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/. Updated June 12, 2012. Accessed July 11, 2012.
Heartburn. Am Fam Physician. 2010;82(12):1452-1455. American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/1215/p1452.html. Accessed July 23, 2012.