You have just finished a delicious meal and you are relaxing in the comfort of your home, perhaps about to settle in for the night with a nice book, or the next episode of your favorite TV show. And then, it hits you. The burning in your chest that you were hoping wouldn’t come up today. That’s right, we’re talking about heartburn. Heartburn is not the most pleasant experience in the world. But luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent it. Here is how you can prevent heartburn after meals for comfort around the clock.

Don’t Eat Too Fast

The first thing that you can do to help prevent heartburn after meals is to make sure you aren’t eating too fast. While the speed with which you eat isn’t the most important factor determining whether or not you will experience heartburn or not, it is a very easy variable to control. Just make sure that you are eating at a leisurely pace. Try putting your fork down in between bites or taking a drink of water between bites to help yourself slow down. And try to stay focused on meals without other distractions like TV or work, which can cause you to eat too fast and mindlessly.

Eating More Vegetables

Another way that you can prevent heartburn after meals is to try to eat more vegetables with every meal. There are two main reasons for this. The first, that scientists believe increased fiber intake can help counteract heartburn, for reasons that are yet unclear. Veggies are a great source of healthy fiber. The other reasons, because vegetables are naturally alkaline, they make a good way to counteract acidic foods. Heartburn is often caused by consumption of acidic foods and combating them with alkaline veggies can help your heartburn.

Avoid Trigger Foods

The final thing that you can do to prevent heartburn after meals is to learn and avoid your trigger foods. There are several foods that can cause heartburn, from citrus to onions and tomatoes, chocolate, and even peppermint and spicy food. Try to identify foods that frequently cause heartburn issues for you and avoid them in your diet. This is the best thing you can do to stop heartburn before it even has a chance to get started.

Heartburn is no joke and can contribute to all sorts of issues if left untreated, including precancerous issues in the esophagus. Preventing and stopping heartburn is not easy business, but you can take steps to help. Follow these three tips to reduce and prevent heartburn in your life.

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