If you want to avoid having to turn to natural antacids or digestion aids take a close look at the foods that are known to cause heartburn and consider some of the foods that you might not expect to give you heartburn or stomach problems.

Foods Causing You Stomach Problems

There are certain foods that many of us eat and regret later because we experience stomach problems afterwards. This is much the same with heartburn. Spicy food for example is known to cause heartburn if it is consumed in large portions. Below is a list of other foods that are considered the worst offenders when it comes to causing heartburn.

• Fried foods (French fries, battered fish)

• Acidic foods (tomato puree or tomato sauce)

• Caffeine induced foods (coffee or chocolate)

• Carbonated drinks (soda pop)

• Alcohol (wine, beer, spirits)

• Fast food (burgers, hotdogs, pizza)

According to family physicians the above food items can create stomach problems for some people first and then heartburn follows. There have even been cases where people have thought they were having a heart attack and have been rushed to the hospital only to discover it was simply something they ate that triggered the burning and pain in their chest.

If you have a sweet tooth you might experience heartburn. Sugars force the body to produce acid and acid can cause heartburn. When you regularly consume foods that are high in fructose corn syrup you can expect to increase your risk of heartburn so it is wise to read the labels on all the products you purchase from the grocery store.

Interestingly, years ago people would pop a peppermint candy in their mouths to fight heartburn, but now experts, including staff at the Mayo clinic report that peppermint is a leading cause of heartburn.

Fish oil has been promoted as a preventer of heart disease; however, it can trigger heartburn. Some people are particularly sensitive to fish oils and experience extreme discomfort. Those who experience this problem often find that switching from fish oil to eating fish is a good option. Consumption of fish doesn’t normally trigger heartburn. For those who don’t like fish there are fish supplements in capsule form.

It has always been common knowledge that fried foods aren’t good for you and can cause stomach problems, but some studies have revealed that meat; no matter how it is prepared, can be a trigger for heartburn. Meat causes a burning sensation because it requires a lot of acid to break down the protein. This is why you will see people who eat large meat portions reaching for digestion aids.

There are foods that act as natural antacids. For example, bananas are considered a natural antacid. Since they are high in potassium, consult your doctor if you are taking a potassium supplement. Live cultured yogurt and foods that are high in fiber are also good natural antacids.

When Heartburn Progresses

Heartburn is a feeling that most of us have experienced at some point. It isn’t something to be alarmed about. However, in some cases it does become rather severe and can lead to a condition known as GERD, Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease. With GERD the contents of the stomach flow back into the esophagus. If left untreated it can lead to a number of complications.

Doctors and dieticians say the vast majority of heartburn cases can be avoided if people pay close attention to what they are consuming and to their portions. They say most of us can avoid that awful, burning feeling if we really try.

What is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux can become a major health issue when it affects other parts of the body. For example, gastric acid that often comes up to esophageal region can irritate the throat. Acid reflux disease can cause cellular erosion of the throat, destroying cells that line the upper gastrointestinal tract. This irritation, if not prevented by digestion aids, can cause hoarseness and laryngitis. For others, frequent reflux of gastric acid to the throat increases the chances of bacterial infections and would urgently need treatment for better digestion.

It is important to understand the acid reflux disease is not simply caused by the type of food we eat, but by a motor dysfunction of certain parts of the stomach. The lower esophageal sphincter is the upper band of the stomach that is usually tightened in order to prevent the contents of the stomach from spilling out. In acid reflux disease, this sphincter has lost control and thus remains widened and thus lets out the gastric out, often reaching the throat area where we could taste the gastric acid and food that we recently consumed. Digestion aids such as medications targeting the sphincter to tighten again can alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux.

Acid Reflux Can Cause More Problems Than You Think

According to a recent medical report, acid reflux disease can cause several medical conditions that could become severe if left untreated. Certain cases of this gastric acid problem have now been associated asthma and other respiratory problems. Studies have shown that the dysfunction observed in the gastric sphincter can also affect the airway pathways, resulting in difficulty in breathing. In addition, anti-asthma medications have also been prescribed for patients suffering from acid reflux disease in order to aid in better digestion and prevent worsening of the condition.

Chest pain has also been related to acid reflux disease, mainly due to the presence of gastric acid in the sphincter that is positioned next to the area where the heart is located. Physicians have prescribed digestion aids that specifically target the lower esophageal sphincter, allowing this region of the stomach to gain function and prevent gastric acids from spilling out. These drugs, including beta-blockers and antacids, aid in better digestion by helping the lower esophageal sphincter in performing its duty in keeping the contents of the stomach in its right place. Chest pain caused by acid reflux disease can sometimes become confusing especially when an individual thinks that he or she is suffering from a heart attack. It is important to seek medical attention in order to determine the actual cause of the pain in the chest.

Better Digestion Starts Here

Based on the severity of conditions that are related to acid reflux disease, it is important to identify digestion aids that could result in better digestion. One common recommendation given by physicians is to refrain from consuming acidic food items, including pizza, coffee, and soft drinks because these can further aggravate the production of gastric acids. It is also helpful to include fruits and vegetable in daily meals because these natural digestion aids can help in achieving better digestion. Researchers are now also looking into the use of herbal supplements as digestion aids for better digestion.

Most probiotic supplements will state on the bottle how many beneficial bacteria they contain (most often ranging from 1 to 50 billion bacteria per capsule); however, the claims aren’t always true. Recently, Consumer.Lab.com, a leading provider of health related consumer information and independent evaluations, examined 29 different probiotic supplements to determine just how accurate the probiotic count claims were. According to the report, some of the probiotic supplements contained far few living organism then they had claimed on the label, with one of them containing a mere 57% of the organisms listed.

Whether or not the supplement contains as many living organisms as it claims on the label is not the only factor to consider when determining the quality of a probiotic. Even if the supplement contain 100 billion bacteria, it will not work as a digestion aid or help to cure your stomach problems, for instance, if it doesn’t survive the transit through your digestive system. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, probiotics need to be able to tolerate acidic conditions, survive and flourish in the presence of bile and metabolize selective substrates, in order for them to be effective. The ability of the bacteria contained within the supplement to adhere to intestinal cells, intestinal mucus, the gut and the colon wall is another important factor, in determining its effectiveness. Enteric coated capsules are specifically designed to survive the journey through your intestines, and FOS, a common probiotic additive, helps to enhance the ability of the bacteria to bind and flourish in your intestinal walls and colon.

There is another factor to consider when buying probiotics: what medical condition are you looking to treat? Each specific strain of probiotic will produce a different effect in your body. For instance, if you are looking for probiotics to help you with stomach problems such as ongoing diarrhea, B. longum-L. Acidophilus has been found to be far more effective than the L. acidophilus-L bulgaricus strain. If on the other hand, you’re looking to boost your immune system, the S. boulardii and L. Rhamnosus GG stains have been proven to be the most effective. Conversely, the Bifidobacteria bifidum and Bifidobacteria longum strains work most effectively as digestion aids. Finally, Lactobacillus acidophilus is the most common type of bacteria found in commercial probiotics and it works to maintain the overall integrity of your intestinal walls and to enhance nutrient absorption.

There is one final factor to consider when buying and consuming probiotics and that is storage. The probiotics should be stored in a sealed container and shielded from heat, light and humidity, states Consumer Labs. In addition, you should read the storage instructions on the container because some probiotics require constant refrigeration, and leaving them at room temperature will destroy the beneficial bacteria that they contain.