Foods and Drinks that Cause Heartburn
December 14, 2016
Elder Care in Santa Cruz CA
Heartburn can have many of the same intense symptoms that may be found with a heart attack. The radiating fire that burns from within the chest make it challenging to complete everyday tasks
or even sleep at night. Over-the-counter medication can be purchased to lessen the pain of heartburn, but it may not work on severe cases. Their doctor may be able to prescribe something that will give them more relief from their symptoms.
Another way to prevent heartburn from happening to your elderly parent is to have them watch what they are eating or drinking. With a little grocery shopping help from an elder care provider, your aging loved one should avoid purchasing the following foods and drinks.
- Grains: This includes most types of pasta and marinara sauce
- Meats: If the elder is a big meat fan, beware! Chicken nuggets, buffalo and chicken wings, ground beef, and marbled sirloin could cause heartburn to occur.
- Certain types of beverages: Caffeine, alcohol, and tea are all heartburn culprits
- Oils, fats, and sweets: Potato and corn chips, chocolate, butter cookies that are loaded with fat, doughnuts, brownies, oily salad dressings, and any fried and fatty food should all be avoided.
- Vegetables, fruits, and juice: These foods are healthy and should be incorporated into the senior’s diet, but they should be careful which ones they choose to snack on or drink. Grapefruit juice, lemonade, orange juice, cranberry juice, lemons, tomatoes, mashed potatoes, French fries, potato salad, and raw onions could cause the elder’s heartburn to develop.
- Dairy: Milkshakes, regular cottage cheese, ice cream, and sour cream should not be consumed.
- Control yourself. When older adults eat large portions of food, it will take longer to digest since it sits in the small intestine for long periods of time. This can cause acid to build up in the esophagus and possibly the stomach. Smaller meals will stay in the small intestine for shorter amounts of time, preventing heartburn from happening.
- Keep a journal. When the elder gets heartburn, they should write down everything they ate before it happened. This will give them a better idea of what foods they are eating that could be causing it or what times of day could make the symptoms worse.
- Research menu choices. Before ordering the first thing on the menu that looks good, the senior should choose a meal that is low in fat. If the portion size is large, they should wrap up half of it to bring home.