What Causes Heartburn? Simple Changes to Your Diet Can Reduce Symptoms of Acid Reflux

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Many people are under the erroneous belief that there is nothing they can do to control their symptoms of acid reflux. For them, heartburn is simply a part of life that must be dealt with. I thought the same thing until I finally learned the truth about what causes heartburn. Once I learned the truth, I was able to effectively reduce my pain and discomfort and was finally able to get some much needed heartburn relief.

What Causes Heartburn?

Heartburn is a symptom of a rather common digestive disorder called gastroesophageal reflux. It is primarily caused by acid escaping the stomach and washing back into the esophagus or mouth. When heartburn begins, it can feel like your chest, right behind the breastbone, is on fire. Often these acid reflux symptoms continue to spread into your throat or mouth, causing painful burning from your chest to your throat.

In most normal circumstances, acid indigestion, or heartburn, is the result the dietary choices you make on a daily basis. Certain foods tend to show a direct correlation between eating them and getting heartburn. While it is true that every person reacts differently to the foods they eat, the following is a list of foods that cause heartburn most often:

â€¢ Carbonated Beverages - These drinks increase the amount of gas in your stomach, which ultimately increases the pressure on you abdomen. Anytime you increase the pressure on your stomach, you run the risk of getting heartburn. In order to reduce your acid reflux symptoms try consuming fewer carbonated beverages, particularly near bedtime.
â€¢ Alcohol - Alcoholic beverages stimulate the production of acid in your stomach. When you are experiencing the pain associated with heartburn, the last thing you want it more acid.â€¢ Tomato Products - There is nothing I like more than a nice hot bowl of tomato soup. Unfortunately, the acidic nature of tomatoes tends to increase your symptoms, and likelihood of getting gastric reflux.
â€¢ Fatty Foods - Foods that are higher in fat tend to take much more time to digest in your stomach. In order to compensate for this, your brain tells your stomach to produce more acid to help break down that fat into energy. Additionally, fatty foods tend to have a relaxing effect on your lower esophageal sphincter, which allows acid to escape the stomach inappropriately.

While there are a few additional causes of heartburn, a person's diet tends to be a major factor in determining what causes heartburn. Avoid carbonated beverages, alcohol, acidic foods like tomatoes and cut back on fatty foods and you will be well on your way to reducing your acid reflux symptoms.