Avoiding heartburn after Spicy Food

Do you love spicy food but hate the feeling of heartburn and acid reflux disease that can sometimes follow your favorite hot meals? Check out a few practical tips that let you eat spicy foods without suffering from heartburn.

1. Know your heartburn triggers. While doctors and researchers can provide you with long lists of potential heartburn triggers, every body responds differently. There’s no sense in giving up your favorite foods just because they show up on a list if they don’t actually cause you heartburn. In fact, there’s little scientific evidence to support the idea that certain foods cause the valve between the stomach and esophagus to relax.

Instead of getting rid of all potential heartburn triggers, keep a food journal so you can learn to recognize the foods that are most likely to cause you problems.

2. Eat smaller portions. How much you eat can have a bigger impact on your stomach than what you eat. Large portions increase the pressure on the valve between your stomach and esophagus, which can lead to acid reflux.

3. Eat an early dinner. Laying down shortly after a meal can lead to nighttime reflux and heartburn. Instead, eat a few hours before bed and give gravity a chance to pull the stomach contents down into your digestive system.

4. Chew gum. Chewing gum, as well as chewing your food completely, stimulates the production of saliva, which contains natural anti-acids. Swallowing saliva also helps force food down through the esophagus.