Posts Tagged ‘GERD’

Heartburn and Food: Your Best Choices

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Many people experience heartburn on a regular basis. If this describes you, you have probably discovered that it’s your favorite foods that seem to do you in every time. Not too long after a great meal, you might suddenly experience a burning feeling in the chest area that’s quite painful. And it can sometimes even drive your meal right back up into the esophagus.

But those who suffer from heartburn can often find a way to make friends with food. They just need to learn which foods are safe to eat and which ones to stay away from.

In order to relieve the symptoms of heartburn, you need to reduce the excessive amount of acid being produced in your stomach. You’ll also want to soothe and restore the lining of your esophagus, which shields your body from harm.

Healthy eating on its own isn’t an effective treatment of heartburn. Following the recommendations of the food pyramid will certainly help. But those who suffer from heartburn will most likely have to make some other changes in their eating habits as well.

If you study the food pyramid, you’ll see that grains should be the focus of your diet. When it comes to heartburn relief, grains are particularly essential for good health and pain management. Concentrate particularly on consuming more whole grains. Stay away from highly processed, starchy products that contain a lot of sugar and fat.

The next level of the pyramid recommends eating lots of vegetables and fruits. But if you suffer from heartburn, not all produce is created equal. Some of these products can actually make your condition worse.

To avoid any issues, stick with fruits such as apples, pears and grapes that are unlikely to aggravate the problem. But fruits that contain citric acid, such as grapefruit, lemons, oranges and limes, can lead to an instant outbreak of heartburn.

On the other hand, most vegetables are perfectly safe for those who suffer from heartburn, so eat your fill. Just make sure to prepare them in healthy manner. Avoid using generous amounts of fat as a garnish, particularly those that are considered to be unhealthy. Heartburn is very frequently triggered by consuming excessive quantities of fat.

When choosing which proteins to include in your diet, always opt for the lower fat products. Lean meats won’t lead to heartburn problems. So avoid the marbled cuts of beef, and enjoy the well trimmed choices.

Similar to vegetables, though, how you prepare your healthy cut of meat is important. Bake, grill, or broil it and your heartburn symptoms are less likely to make an appearance.

The Connection Between Heartburn and Stress

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Getting your stress under control is essential for your health if you intend to reduce your ongoing heartburn symptoms. Scientists haven’t been able to link stress directly to heartburn, but we do know that there’s an indirect connection.

Stress makes us overeat, particularly foods that aren’t very nutritious, sleep poorly and give in to unhealthy habits such as drinking and smoking. These actions will compound the problem if they end up worsening your heartburn.

If chronic heartburn is a problem for you, you need to take a close look at the stressors in your life so you can get rid of them. Are some of your relationships the problem? The workplace? Too many entries in your daily calendar, or not enough money in the bank? Any of these can add to the stress in your life and result in heartburn if the pressure causes you to make bad lifestyle decisions.

After you know what sets you off, try to prevent chronic heartburn by finding solutions to your stresses. Can you enroll in counseling or carve some time out for you to relax and enjoy life a bit more?

Sometimes you can alleviate stress, and ultimately get heartburn relief, by improving your life in different areas. Add exercise to your daily routine if you don’t already do it. You might even lose a few pounds; this will help your heartburn problems because obesity is a factor in the condition.

If relaxation is the solution, meditation and massage are both good choices to help you unwind. Even though they might not directly ease your heartburn, they can slow the pace of your life and let you unwind and enjoy a lifestyle that will reduce the frequency of heartburn attacks.

You may just need to pop in a relaxing CD and let the soothing music calm your mind for a period of time each day. This sort of relaxation can prevent you from overeating, drinking alcohol, or smoking. These habits can all lead to a bad case of heartburn.

If you’re looking to replace your old habits with something more positive, try laughing more often. Improve your mood and lose stress by finding things that humor you and help you let go of life’s troubles.

Seek out methods of reducing stress and preventing heartburn symptoms that won’t put you in financial jeopardy. Money problems certainly won’t help your problem, so you need to take advantage of the many no-cost heartburn management techniques that are available.