If you are one of those poor souls who suffer from heartburn whatever you eat, you know what hell eating can be. You never know what will trigger your heartburn and that awful burning in the throat and stomach and sour taste in your mouth. Going out for a nice dinner scares you because it will probably end up with a sleepless night since your heartburn is even worse if you lay down. You know that antacids provide some relief, but that the trick is simply to avoid foods which cause heartburn.
There are some foods that you absolutely have to give up. The most common heartburn triggers are acidic foods, greasy foods, caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods, onion and alcohol. These triggers cause the valve between your stomach and esophagus to stay open and to allow stomach acid to back up, causing discomfort and pain associated with heartburn.
There are some dishes that combine more than one heartburn trigger and if you suffer from heartburn, they are totally forbidden for you unless you want to punish yourself for your gluttony. Let”s mention a few popular dishes that should not be on your menu any more:
Pizza: This popular pie normally has a topping made of tomato, cheese, oil, spices, onion, some kind of meat like pepperoni and many other ingredients. Although undoubtedly delicious, pizza often causes indigestion even in the healthiest people. If you are suffering from heartburn, pizza is a sure recipe for disaster. Fortunately, there are different kinds of pizzas. If you simply refuse to live life without pizza (or your mother or mother in law is Italian and you cannot say no), you can have a pizza that will not make you suffer. That pizza has to be made without tomato sauce, oil and cheese. It should not have any onion, garlic or spices. If this kind of pizza is not at all appetizing for you, try eating your favorite pizza but sticking to one small slice only, and hope for the best.
Fried chicken: America runs on fried chicken. It is probably the most popular fast-food dish. Drenched in spices, breaded and then deep fried, it is spicy and greasy and absolutely delicious, especially combined with fries and Coke. But you know what happens every time you eat fried chicken: painful flare-up of heartburn. You will just have to stick to grilled chicken and go light on the spices. Deep fried food is off limits if you want to avoid heartburn.
Mexican, Thai and Indian food: While many ethnic foods have their healthier dishes, the ones that are the most popular in the west are those that are not good for us. They are invariably spicy, frequently deep fried and full of flavors, but in combination they wreck havoc with our stomachs, ending up in the heartburn. If you really love the variety and the richness of flavors of ethnic food, look for milder version of your popular dishes. Stir-fried dishes are much less greasy than deep fried ones and there are many spices that add flavor without making dishes hot.
Keep in mind that stuffing yourself can be as bad as eating food that is bad for you. You are better off eating a small portion of your favorite foods, even if they are on the forbidden list, than gorging yourself until you burst with the food considered safe. It is also important to have your last meal at least three hours before going to sleep, or you will end up not sleeping at all.
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