Top 5 Tips to Fend Off Heartburn, According to a Dietitian

1. Identify and understand your trigger foods.

Start paying attention to what you eat and listen to your body. The best way to find you trigger foods is to be more mindful of what you are eating/drinking and how it makes you feel. Take it a step further and record notes to help you identify patterns. Look out for patterns, such as, “Whenever I have onions, I have heartburn.” Food triggers will vary for each individual, but here are a few of the most common:

• Fatty food (such as high-fat cuts of meat)
• Fried food
• Spicy food
• Citrus fruits
• Tomato sauces
• Onions
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Peppermint
• Carbonated beverages

2. Relax and rest.

Yes, stress and anxiety can trigger heartburn, and actively taking steps to reduce stress will help you alleviate and avoid heartburn. Stress reduction may look different for everyone, so find relaxation techniques or activities that fit your needs and schedule. Exercise, meditate, go for a walk, read, take a bubble bath, listen to music—find what works for you and schedule it into your week. And sleep helps everything, trust me.

3. Eat smaller, but nutritious meals.

Overeating is a common cause of heartburn. Consuming smaller meals that consist of healthy foods on a more frequent basis may help you avoid it altogether. Try four to five small meals a day instead of three big ones.

4. Don’t dine and recline.

Allow at least three hours between eating and bedtime. Laying down too soon after a meal can cause the stomach contents to back up into the esophagus and hang out there. That's why it's best to plan your dinner and dessert to end at least three hours before you go to bed. Try to avoid laying down after any meal, but if you have to, lay on your left side or slightly upright to promote better digestion.

5. Seek support from clean ingredients.

Enzymedica’s Heartburn Soothe is a research-backed formulation that can help relieve occasional heartburn by protecting the digestive tract and rebuilding the lining of your gastrointestinal tract. What makes Heartburn Soothe different from other heartburn supplements and medications is that it’s made using plant-based, natural ingredients such as alginate (a compound derived from the cell walls of algae). Eat a meal with trigger foods? Never fear! Grab one or two chews post meal for some heartburn relief.