What To Eat When Heartburn

Heartburn, or a burning sensation in the upper abdomen, is one of the biggest reasons these days to visit a doctor. This pain usually occurs after eating, especially large meals. This space can even be called a “modern scourge”. This is not because it would be so much a new phenomenon, but because we are suffering more from it day by day. In this article, we want to tell you what to eat when you heartburn. 

What causes stomach acids?

Heartburn is a burning sensation of pain in the esophagus and occurs mostly in the lower areas near the abdomen. In heartburn, stomach acids tend upwards in the esophagus.

The burning sensation begins in the chest, and in some cases it can extend to the neck, jaws, or tongue.

The main causes of excessive stomach acids are:

• Stress, worries or a fast-paced life
• A diet high in saturated fat
• Excessive eating of processed or bleached carbohydrates
• Eating too fast without proper chewing
• Not eating meals (this changes your digestive rhythm)
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Smoking
• Passive lifestyle
• Lack of sleep
• Helicobacter pylori

As you can see, often hyperacidity is caused by our lifestyles. 

We can eliminate this problem and avoid even more serious conditions such as stomach ulcers and stomach upset by simply changing our daily habits.

What to eat when you heartburn?

The rise in stomach acids and through it heartburn can disrupt life very much, even to the point where we can’t take care of our normal daily chores.

When we suffer from heartburn, the first thing that comes to mind is certainly not to eat something, but here are some foods that can soothe the symptoms.

Oats

This cereal is normally for breakfast. It keeps us full and calms our acid activity. While you may be used to enjoying it at breakfast, remember that  you can eat oats whenever you are hungry, at any time of the day. We recommend eating it with raisins, oats absorb the acids of raisins.

Ginger

You should always use ginger in moderation because of its strong taste. However, it is one of the best anti-acid foods and serves as an anti-inflammatory food for digestive problems. 

Grate a small amount of this root and make ginger tea, or put it in dishes or smoothies.

Aloe Vera

This is one of the best natural remedies for wounds that require healing. When we have heartburn, the walls of our esophagus are damaged. In this case, aloe is necessary.

Some choose to directly enjoy the gel in the leaves of aloe vera. It is one option, or it can also be added to drinks. Others buy in-store aloe vera products; for them, be sure to make sure that the product does not contain added sugar or other harmful ingredients.

Vegetable salad

Green vegetables, such as lettuce and arugula, are important in heartburn because they have the ability to soothe acid-induced burn and pain.

We recommend that you avoid using onions, tomatoes, cheese or sauce in your salad. The best sauce is a touch of salt and a little olive oil.

Garlic is one of the ingredients you should always put in your salad as it is a great source of fiber. In addition, garlic soothes appetite.

Banana

This is good food to eat in the morning or afternoon. The pH of bananas is 5.6 which means that it is an acid soothing food.

However, some people experience worse heartburn after eating this fruit, so you may want to try eating a banana and see if it makes your heartburn worse or improves for you.

Watermelon

You can also eat watermelon if you suffer from heartburn. Melons contain a lot of water and  regulate the acidity of your stomach. 

You can eat a piece after lunch or dinner. Then, just like with a banana, you can see if it works or not.

Fennel

This medicinal plant is awesome. Not only is it nutritious, but it also helps your digestion. It has a soft taste and a crunchy texture. You can enjoy it in salads, soups, vegetable pies or sauces.

Cut into thin rings. Then mix with arugula and spinach. Put the olive oil in the sauce and you’re done!

Chicken or turkey

White meat is a better option than red when you have heartburn.  It should either be grilled or baked in the oven, not shaken in a pan. Also, don’t eat chicken skin, for example, it has terrible amounts of fat.

Fish and Seafood

The rule of eating seafood is the same as chicken, i.e. never eat them fried. As the best options, we recommend shrimp and salmon, and if possible, eat wild seafood, not farmed.

Ripe vegetables

Raw vegetables in a salad are a good option, but so are cooked vegetables. Good examples of the latter are cabbage, asparagus and broccoli.

We recommend that you eat root vegetables such as carrots and beets. These should always be cooked. 

Rice

In addition to rice, couscous, bulgur, and whole grains can all be included in this group. In the case of rice, the best options are whole grain rice or brown rice. All of these are awesome if you suffer from heartburn.

Eat even a serving of rice with cooked vegetables.