Heartburn after dinner is a frequent symptom, often caused by what you eat or drink. But with a little care, it can be avoided.*
Heartburn, in medicine heartburn or gastric acidity, is such a frequent symptom that it is difficult to find people who have never suffered from it, and the causes can be many.
In most cases it is acute gastritis, or the occasional inflammation of the internal gastric wall due to the quantity and quality of food consumed, and occurs near the meal.
If, on the other hand, acidity and burning arrive within the first thirty minutes after the meal along with the pain, it could be a gastric ulcer.
Finally, if the burning is accompanied by acid regurgitation, it is most likely gastroesophageal reflux.
The lifestyle…
Notwithstanding that when stomach acid becomes habitual and is accompanied by pain it is good to talk to your doctor, here are some tips to avoid that a trivial sporadic disorder can become a chronic and more serious problem.
| What to do | What NOT to do |
|---|---|
| Eating comfortably seated | Consume dinners under stress, standing and too abundant, rich in fat and a few too many glasses (especially if white wine) |
| Abolish cigarette smoke (which has a direct harmful action on the gastric mucosa) | Bedtime immediately after the meal (a short walk can be helpful) |
| Chew slowly (to prevent large pieces of food from reaching the stomach without having undergone the first, albeit partial, digestion that takes place in the mouth) | Perform movements that increase abdominal pressure (bending of the torso) |
| Wearing clothing that is too tight |
… and diet
However, foods rich in saturated fats (cold cuts and sausages, fermented cheeses, lard, lard, cream, melted butter, too fatty red meats and sweets) and cooking that is too spicy, elaborate, at high temperatures or too prolonged (fried, fried, boiled and overcooked with wine and irritating spices) should be avoided.
Alcohol, coffee, tea, mint, iced drinks, colored and too carbonated, tomato juice, strong mustard, ketchup, mustard, citrus fruits and juices, fruit juices in general and even chocolate are also enemies of the stomach.
A separate note deserves the milk that, if on the one hand is able to buffer the acidity of the stomach and has, therefore, an immediate positive effect, on the other it is rich, especially the whole one, of fats and proteins that could slow down digestion.
Pharmacological remedies
To quickly relieve the acidity that appears after a rich or too abundant meal, you can resort to bicarbonate-based products, which have an immediate effect because they buffer hyperacidity.
If the disorder is not occasional or is accompanied by acid regurgitation, treatment with different drugs may be useful, which act directly on gastric acid production. In this case it is better to rely on the advice of your trusted pharmacist or doctor.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.