One of the worst feelings in the world is that of when you are experiencing heartburn. A heartburn takes place when stomach acid along with food that you have eaten travels in the wrong direction giving way to a burning sensation in your esophagus. Heartburn can get serious and often it may lead to halitosis and chest aches as well. It is definitely not something anyone looks forward to and we can indeed do a host of things to prevent them from becoming a common occurrence.

Identify Enemies
Triggers vary from person to person and the number of foods that fall under the heart burn inducing category too are many. It is important that you identify which foods suit you and which foods don’t. The most common culprits that could trouble the esophagus lining include: tomato based foods, chili, raw onions, citrus, spicy foods, chocolate, peppermint and mustard.

However, if you are wondering, what it is that is mainly responsible for causing this reflux, then you should know that it is definitely eating large and fatty meals. Eating fat tends to soften sphincter muscles that are the seals of the lower esophagus. When there is no tight seal, stomach acids will go back up and into it. Instead feast on foods that are high on fiber. Your body would be happy when you consume at least 20 grams of fiber in the form of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. However, be sure that you spread out the consumption, as you would want to avoid bloating as well.

Beverages
Be wary of what you drink. A host of beverages like fruit juices, alcohol, carbonated drinks and coffee can cause heartburn. Caffeine like fat tends to relax your esophageal sphincter, and this makes drinks come back up. Keeping a food journal is a good idea to prevent consuming beverages that trigger heartburn.

Eat in moderation
Often it is people who are overweight that experience digestive issues. Increased reflux is often caused by an increasing body mass index, and it takes place mainly in people with a case of truncal obesity or big bellies. Lifestyle adjustments are a must to combat this condition, and one must indeed consider losing weight by cutting down on fatty foods and indulging in physical exercise, but be careful about what exercises you choose as some of them will only aggravate the condition.

Sleep
Often when you lay down directly after eating a large meal with a lot of alcohol, you are definitely going to experience heartburn. On nights that you do indulge in heavy meals, make sure that you decide to go to bed a little late, may be wait for a couple of hours before you hit the sack.

A Holistic Nutritionist will study your condition, lifestyle and body time and offer you advice on foods that you should eat and you should avoid to prevent heartburn. Be sure to consider the calming effects of homeopathy on your system too, so that you can prevent heartburn. Both areas of treatment have 100% success in treatment.