If you're stricken with frequent bouts of heartburn and acid reflux, you may have tried to follow a lot of online advice about foods to eat and foods to avoid in order to curtail the problem.
Unfortunately, a lot of the advice you'll be given is nothing but old wives' tales without scientific testing behind them.
You may be cutting something important from your diet in order to do away with heartburn pain, but by eliminating the food, you might be doing your body more harm than good.
This article is going to address a few of the food myths surrounding heartburn and acid reflux.
You've undoubtedly read that eating citrus fruits is going to give you heartburn.
If you've completely given up on plump, juicy oranges or nice cold glasses of lemonade on a hot summer's day, you'll be happy to know that the need to cut acidic fruits from your diet is nothing but a myth.
There is absolutely no scientific proof that either eating them or eliminating them from your diet has anything at all to do with heartburn.
The same is true of coffee and spicy foods.
No one knows where these myths originated, but since it's important that you have citrus fruits in your diet, it's time to put an end to the stories right now.
A second product that the old wives tell acid reflux sufferers to avoid is milk.
Once again, there is no foundation for this tale.
Although some people try drinking milk at bedtime in an attempt to avoid acid reflux, they find that this isn't the case, either.
That's because milk has nothing to do with the actual triggers of heartburn.
The culprit is having eaten too much prior to going to bed.
Acid reflux is nothing but excess stomach acid which backs up into your esophagus, especially when you lie down.
This is caused by overeating which produces too much stomach acid.
Between the food and the acid in your stomach, there just isn't enough room, so that forces the acid back to where it irritates your esophagus and causes you pain.
The bottom line is that adjustments in your lifestyle can help you to stop acid reflux problems, and avoiding certain foods isn't one of them.
Instead, eat in moderation, and rather than eating three large meals a day, opt for several smaller meals.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink, and remain upright for at least 45 minutes after you eat.
That means that you shouldn't have a snack right before going to bed.
High fat meals can cause food to remain in your stomach longer, so those should also be limited.
When you go to bed, make sure your head is elevated 6 to 8 inches.
By following these simple lifestyle changes, you should see a marked improvement in your heartburn problems.