Diets concerning Heartburn
What is the meaning of “heartburn?” what relation is there between it and both “gastroesophageal reflux disease-GERD-” and “hiatal hernia?” what is the best diet for the heartburn in addition to its relevant intestinal problems? One of the best professional dieticians and health experts, Linda Smyth, has explained the problem and gave us some solutions.
About 15 million of the American people are suffering from heartburn, daily. While about 60 million suffer from it, monthly. That`s why, heartburn is one of the prevailing intestinal problems. The good thing is that, heartburn can be simply healed with diet and some routine changes. The only condition that needs medicine “such as: antacids” is when GERS is the cause of the illness.
Definition and signs:
Diets concerning Heartburn
Heartburn is not a heart disease. It is an intestinal problem. It happens when few quantities of the abdominal acid abruptly reaches the esophagus (the food running canal from mouth to stomach) that reaches the throat. People suffering from it may feel the liquid right back in their mouths.
Causes:
Generally, as mentioned above, the direct reason behind heartburn is the acidic stomach juices which depart from it-stomach- to the esophagus. These acids burn the muscle of the esophagus leading to sore and discomfort – the so-called esophagitis condition. Another cause is whenever the baby while pregnancy pushes in opposition to bottom of the diaphragm.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD):
GERD is well-known by problems of the muscles` structure, which is known as LES (the lower esophageal sphincter), that is based on the lower part of the esophagus. This structure is responsible for keeping acids inside stomach and preventing them from heading up to the esophagus. Once it does not work well, there is a possibility for the reflux and the heartburn to happen. There are other conditions that may cause GERD such as obesity, smoking, pregnancy, and hiatal hernia, in a special way.
Hiatal Hernia:
Hiatal hernia or as some people call it Hiatus is a case in which section of the stomach extends to the chest throughout the hiatus (entrance) existing in the diaphragm that`s typically filled with the esophagus. This puts a strong pressure on the structure of the LES not allowing it to be closed in the right way. That`s why stomach acids leaves to the esophagus resulting in the heartburn. The conditions which may cause Hiatal Hernia are such as obesity, constipation, smoking, pregnancy, and abdominal muscle strain. Despite all of these mentioned reasons, the fundamental reason is still unknown till now.
The nutritional healing for Heartburn:
Dietary or nutritional solutions are not enough sufficient in conditions of consistent heartburn. Even if you suggest a friendly digestive diet, your physician will recommend for you one or more of the following kinds of medicine; proton pump inhibitors for minimizing the acid production or Prokinetics for enhancing the LES and speeding-up the stomach-emptying process. Even if your heartburn is not very strong and is not frequent, you still should make some modifications to your diet regime.
If you are obese, follow a healthy diet plan:
Obesity, specifically when fat is packed around chest and belly, is a typical cause of GERD, hiatal hernia, and heartburn as a result. So, if your BMI is more 30 or more, you are obese and you have to start losing some weight for avoiding the risk of being infected by heartburn. Pick out a diet plan that controls calories and try to apply it using the next eating advices:
No more large meals:
Big meals result in bloating the stomach and increasing its acid production, increasing the risk of heartburn to happen. The reason why, you should have between 4 to 6 small snacks or smaller meals and to wait more than 3 hours to have your next meal. Finally, try to choose digestive-friendly meals which can be easily digested.
Stop eating acidic foods:
Try to avoid any acidic foods as much as you can. They are like: tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, unripe fruits, gooseberries, and citrus fruits.
Reduce your intake of both greasy and spicy foods:
Fried foods and candies improve indigestion the reason why you shouldn`t eat them very much. They are like: butter, sausages, mayo, meat pies, and full-fat cheese. Reduce your intake of the very spicy foods as well like: chili peppers, mustard, black pepper, and curry. Garlic and raw onions are not exceptions.
Forget about Carbonated drinks:
This type of soft drinks usually results in burping and pressuring the LES, doubling the possibility of heartburn. So replace them with any of the ideal drinks such as; water, non-citrus fruits juices and herbal teas. Put in consideration that some of these soft drinks like: cocoa, orange-juice, and coffee are not useful for heartburn that they have the ability to over-soothing the LES, causing stomach acids to leave the stomach.
Fight constipation by increasing your intake of fiber foods:
Constipation is very harmful that it may put more stress on the stomach muscles maximizing the possibility of heartburn. Avoiding constipation, eat more high-fiber foods like: apples, oats, pears, vegetables, and dries apricots.
Minimize your Alcohol consumption:
Alcohol is dangerous for heartburn. Try to reduce your daily alcoholic consumption to one unite, or none at all. It also provides non-nutritious calories and may cause obesity.
Other digestive advices:
for digestive problems, many dieticians and health experts advise their patients to cook with digestion-friendly aromatic natural herbs such as: chamomile, basil, caraway, fennel, rosemary, dill, and thyme. In addition they advise them to drink herbal tea after meals in order to reduce wind and acidity.
Try to make healthy changes in your daily routine:
1- Stop smoking. Tobacco smoke doubles the level of acidity in your stomach.
2- Don`t stress your stomach or your chest. Don`t neither carry heavyweights nor overstretch and try to wear proper and suitable clothes.
3- Don`t go to bed directly after eating, wait 3 hours. Don`t lie down after finishing your meal. As empty your stomach is while lying down, the less is your possibility of heartburn.
4- If you want to reduce your night-discomfort, rise up the head end of the bed about three inches utilizing bed-blocks or by putting a strong thing under the legs of the bed. This prevents stomach acids from heading up towards the esophagus. Don`t overuse pillows, they`ll leave you with a rigid nick plus heartburn!
5- There are other causes of heartburn symptoms including: aspirin or other pain-killers, over-the-counter drugs, and anti-inflammatories. So, if you are using any of them, consult your doctor about their safety for you.
Diets concerning Heartburn
