There’s nothing more awful than feeling an agonizing burning in your chest after you’ve enjoyed a fantastic meal. Heartburn occurs when stomach acid rises into your throat. While many people know to stay away from extremely spicy chilli, there are multiple everyday foods in every kitchen that will do the same.
If you’re finding yourself suffering from acid reflux, you really ought to take a closer look at what you’re eating.
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Here are ten common foods that may have been causing your chest ache.
1. Fresh Tomatoes and Pasta Sauces
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While tomatoes can be great for your health, they contain plenty of natural acid. Whether you are eating slices of raw tomato, putting pizza sauce on your meal, or adding ketchup onto your fries, the high level of acid will cause the muscular flap sealing your stomach to loosen. These high-acid foods are some of the fastest ways to cause an uncomfortable burning feeling inside your chest (Mayo Clinic Health Information Hub).
2. Onions and Garlic
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Onions and garlic will make nearly everything taste fantastic but are bad news for a sensitive stomach. These foods contain special compounds that cause your digestion to slow down. This means your food will stay in your stomach for longer. This causes enormous pressure inside your body and ultimately makes the acid come up (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).
3. Dark Chocolate
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Unfortunately, your favorite treat could be causing your chest pain. Dark chocolate contains a small amount of methylxanthine naturally. This causes the muscles at the bottom of the esophagus to relax completely, which opens the gate for stomach acids to pass through (National Institutes of Health Database).
4. Peppermint and Mint Teas
Many people enjoy having a warm cup of peppermint or mint tea after a meal. However, if you suffer from reflux, this can be dangerous. The peppermint will relax the muscles in the stomach, but this means that the muscles that are supposed to prevent stomach acids from escaping will also relax. While it is a soothing drink, in reality, it causes pain by relaxing the valve (American Heart Association).
5. Oranges and Citrus Fruits
Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit all contain outstanding vitamins; however, all of them have high citric acid content, which irritates the food pipe straight away. Eating foods with high levels of acidity on an empty stomach can seriously disrupt digestion and cause a lot of pain (World Health Organization: Healthy Diet Factsheet).
6. Heavy, Fatty Meats
Chowding down on super fatty cuts of pork, beef, or lamb can easily kickstart severe heartburn hours after you finish eating. Fat takes forever for your body to break down. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central, heavy, high-fat meals force your stomach to stay stretched and full for far too long, building up the pressure that pushes acid up.
7. Fizzy Drinks and Sodas
Sodas, sparkling waters, and energy drinks are completely packed with carbon dioxide gas bubbles. When you chug these down, all that trapped gas expands inside your belly. According to the Mayo Clinic Health Information Hub, this expanding gas bloats your stomach and forces the acid valve to pop open under the strain.
8. Whole Milk and Thick Cheeses
A cold glass of milk might feel nice and soothing on your throat at first, but full-fat dairy usually backfires a few minutes later. The heavy fat in whole milk and cheese signals your stomach to pump out a massive wave of extra acid just to digest it. According to the National Institutes of Health Database, heavy dairy products are a major hidden trigger for delayed reflux attacks.
9. Your Morning Coffee
A cup of coffee daily can have two effects on your stomach. Firstly, coffee itself contains high levels of acid. Secondly, coffee can contain extremely high caffeine levels. This will cause the valve in the esophagus to relax, meaning that even decaf coffee can cause problems for many people (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health).
10. Oily Fried Foods
Fried chicken, French fries, and greasy potato chips can be problematic for your digestion. These foods contain huge amounts of thick, greasy fats. According to the American Heart Association, these types of foods are the worst dietary cause of chronic acid reflux. This is because greasy food will cause the digestive process to stop entirely.
The Easy Takeaway
While you don’t necessarily need to cut these foods out entirely, it is important to pay attention to how these foods are affecting your body. By cutting back on very greasy fats, avoiding acidic foods later in the evening, and having normal-sized meals, you can enjoy eating without suffering the nasty burning. Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice for medical or dietary reasons. Please always see a qualified healthcare provider or a gastroenterologist if suffering from chronic or severe heartburn.
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