Good and Bad Foods for Heartburn Sufferers

The foods you consume on a regular basis play a role in whether or not you develop heartburn, how often you experience it and how severe it is when you do suffer from it. Let's take a look at some foods that would well be avoided by heartburn sufferers. We will also look at foods that are perfectly fine to eat for those who suffer from heartburn or more serious forms of acid reflux.

It is always a smart idea to keep a food diary as what triggers heartburn in one person might not be what triggers it in another, therefore being aware of what you eat on a regular basis is an excellent idea. The more you know the easier it is for you to pinpoint what foods cause you the greatest problems.

The foods that are best to avoid can be broken down into the categories of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, grains, beverages, fats and oils and finally sweets and desserts. In the fruit group try your best to avoid consuming tomatoes (as well as tomato juice), lemons (and lemonade), orange juice, grapefruit juice and cranberry juice. In the vegetable group avoid raw onions, mashed potatoes and French fries. As far as meat is concerned, stay away from ground beef, chicken nuggets, marbled sirloin and Buffalo wings. Moving right along to dairy products, avoid ice cream, milkshakes, cottage cheese (regular in particular), and sour cream. When it comes to grains steer clear of macaroni and cheese as well as spaghetti with any type of sauce on it.

In the beverages group, heartburn sufferers should avoid all forms of liquor and wine, as well as coffee both regular and decaffeinated and tea, regular or decaffeinated. The fats and oils that should be avoided include creamy salad dressings, and any salad dressing that includes vinegar or oil. Finally be careful when it comes to sweets and desserts. Avoid all butter cookies because of their high fat content, as well as brownies and any other kinds of chocolate desserts including pies, cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Avoid doughnuts, regular potato chips and all types of corn chips.

But the news is not all bad. There are plenty of foods that a heartburn sufferer can enjoy as often as they like without fear of pain or discomfort. When it comes to fruit fresh apples, dried apples, apple juice and banana should not cause any discomfort. In the vegetables group a heartburn sufferers can eat broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peas, green beans and baked potatoes simply and easily. In the meat group enjoy extra-lean ground beef, London broil steak, skinless chicken breast, egg whites, egg substitute and fish with no extra fat.

Moving right along to dairy products, enjoy feta cheese or goat cheese without pain, as well as fat-free cream cheese, fat-free sour cream and low-fat soy cheese. As far as grains are concerned, eat multi-grain bread, bran or oatmeal cereal, corn bread or graham crackers. You can also indulge in rice cakes, brown or white rice, or pretzels. Mineral water is an excellent beverage choice for heartburn sufferers and low-fat salad dressing is okay when it comes to the fats and oils group. Finally for those with a sweet tooth, enjoy fat-free cookies, red licorice, jellybeans, or baked potato chips.