Heartburn Tips: Eating Habits

Developing healthier eating habits, losing weight if necessary, and avoiding foods that increase symptoms of GERD may make heartburn less likely to occur. Take your spouse or partner along with you when you go to discuss diet habits with your doctor. It will be easier to make changes in your diet if your family understands what you need to do and why.

Changes you should make include avoiding alcohol and coffee and eating smaller, more frequent meals. If you are overweight, lose weight. Being overweight puts additional pressure on your stomach and increases the likelihood of heartburn occurring. Even losing a few pounds can help.

Certain foods are associated with reflux. Though the foods will not cause GERD, they can aggravate the symptoms, and avoiding them can help reduce heartburn. These include citrus fruits, chocolate, fatty and fried foods, garlic and onions, mint-flavored foods, spicy foods, and tomato-based foods like spaghetti sauce and pizza.