Everyday Health: What are the top heartburn-triggering foods?
Christine Esters: Coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, alcohol, chocolate, and fatty, fried, and spicy foods can trigger heartburn.
Kenneth Brown, MD: Tomatoes, peppermint, alcohol, coffee, and citrus fruits are the main culprits. Other foods that produce gas, like onions, can also make heartburn worse.
Andrew Sable, MD, and Seth Rosen, MD: Some foods that may trigger heartburn and/or GERD include caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, and mints. Some people may also experience heartburn after ingesting acidic food or drink containing citrus, as well as tomato-based products such as tomato sauce. Additionally, overeating and eating rich, fatty foods may exacerbate heartburn and reflux.
Lisa Ganjhu, DO: Some of the common foods and beverages that contribute to heartburn are chocolate, coffee, peppermint, greasy or spicy foods, tomato products, and alcoholic beverages. There are several ways that these foods trigger symptoms of heartburn. Most act on the small muscle at the base of the esophagus, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), by relaxing it. The LES acts as a dam between the stomach and the esophagus. When the LES relaxes inappropriately, you will get heartburn. Foods such as chocolate and mint will relax that muscle and allow the acid to wash up into the esophagus. Also certain spicy foods and alcohol increase the acidity in the stomach. The extra acid then washes up into the esophagus to cause symptoms.
Elisa Faybush, MD: Certain foods and drinks can bring on heartburn symptoms. They include: coffee, soda, carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, tea, and citrus juices. Also, tomatoes, onions, garlic mint, pepper, chocolate, spicy foods, and fried and fatty foods.
Jo Ann Hattner, MPH, RD: Although there is not good scientific evidence that specific foods do trigger heartburn, there are some foods and beverages that people are often advised to avoid. Beverages containing caffeine or alcohol and carbonated beverages should be avoided. The foods below include some that are listed by the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) and considered to be capable of worsening symptoms:
- Citrus fruits
- Fatty and fried foods
- Mint flavorings
- Spicy foods
- Tomato-based foods
If you suspect specific foods are causing you to suffer from acid reflux, see a registered dietitian (RD). An RD can design an elimination diet for you with gradual reintroduction of the foods. You can then ascertain if these foods are causing you heartburn.