Top 9 Heartburn Trigger Foods to Avoid

If you're one of the 60 million Americans who getheartburnat least once a month, you're all too familiar with the fiery sensation behind the breastbone. If you're lucky, yourheartburn symptomsonly last a few minutes. For most people, however,heartburn可以持续几个小时。“heartbu期间会发生什么rn is that stomach acid is backing up into your esophagus," says Steven Lamm, MD, an internist and preventive heCity alth expert, faculty member of the NYU School of Medicine in New York and author ofNo Guts, No Glory.

But not all foods affect everyone in the same way. You may benefit from keeping a food diary and looking for clues as to what may be causing your heartburn symptoms. Start by knowing these common heartburn trigger foods.

Many people find that eating citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, andpineapples, can trigger heartburn symptoms. That's especially true if you eat citrus fruits on an empty stomach. The problem is that citrus fruits are highly acidic, and heartburn symptoms can stem from having too much acid in your stomach — think of these foods as fueling the fire. Toavoid heartburn, skip citrus fruit juice, too.

Tomatoes also have a lot of acid, making them a common heartburn trigger. It's not just the tomatoes you eat in your salad or slice on your sandwich, but also the tomato sauce on your pizza and pasta as well.

Although the aroma of foods loaded with garlic can make your mouth water, if you'reprone to heartburnyou may want to skip it.

Coffee is a commonheartburn trigger food. You might be able to get away with a cup or two of coffee in the morning, but it's important to determine what your personal limit is. And remember that tea and many soft drinks also have caffeine, so you may want to consider cutting back on these beverages as well in order to avoid heartburn.

"It's typical for alcohol to triggerheartburn,”拉姆说。That includes beer, wine (especially red), and hard liquor. "Some people may have more trouble with hard liquor than they might with wine or beer," he adds. But even beer with low-alcohol content can trigger heartburn in some people. Eating a heavy meal or rich foods with a cocktail or wine can compound the problem.

A small piece of chocolate on occasion may not ignite the flame ofheartburn, but a huge chunk of chocolate candy or rich chocolate mousse for dessert could trigger heartburn symptoms and leave you wishing you hadn't indulged. Try to limit chocolate to special occasions and small bites if you suspect it's a heartburn trigger for you.

Here's an entire category that can cause heartburn symptoms: spicy foods. Some of the biggest offenders are dishes loaded with hot peppers and hot sauces. This is because strong spices can irritate your stomach lining, Lamm explains. But that doesn't necessarily mean that all dishes marked "hot" or "spicy" are off limits. You might be able to tolerate spices in small amounts without causing heartburn. Try dialing down the heat oropt for foods marked "mild."

Like garlic and spices, onions trigger heartburn symptoms in many people, and raw onions — ahighly acidic food— often provoke the worst reaction. You may be able to get away with small amounts of onions if you cook them thoroughly to reduce their potency. Another option that works for some people is using a sweeter variety of onion, such as Vidalia, because they aren't as potent.

Fatty foods sit in your stomach longer, and the longer the food sits, the greater the chance that digestive juices will back up into your esophagus andcause heartburn. Besides the obvious fried chicken, French fries, and fish sticks, you should also stay away from high-fat foods likeavocados, cheese, ice cream, and nuts.

Peppermint is generally thought to settle a queasy stomach, but it's also one of the most surprising heartburn triggers. One possible explanation is that the menthol in the peppermint relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, the circular band of muscle around the bottom part of the esophagus that separates it from the stomach. When this band relaxes, stomach acid can more easily flow back up, causingheartburn.