- Acidic foods such as tomatoes, oranges and grapefruit can exacerbate heartburn. Instead of eating tomatoes on their own or drinking tomato juice, try eating sliced tomato on a sandwich. If you love orange juice, try drinking a small glass of low-acid juice after you have eaten some food.
- Caffeinated drinks such as soda and coffee are common heartburn triggers. It is best to limit caffeine during pregnancy anyway, so try to avoid coffee and soda. If you cannot cope without your morning coffee, always eat something before drinking or try to find caffeine-free options.
- Alcohol is a trigger for heartburn. However, this should be a non-issue because alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy.
- Fatty and fried foods take longer to digest and, therefore, often bring about heartburn as these foods cause stomach acid to push up into the esophagus. Bake your food instead of frying it and chose low-fat diary products and leaner cuts of meat.
- Chocolate can trigger heartburn. Do your best to limit the amount of chocolate that you consume and do not eat it on an empty belly.
- Eat small, frequent meals. This will keep food on your stomach but will keep it from getting too full. This will help stop stomach acid from traveling back up the esophagus. Try to not drink too much during your meal as this will fill your stomach more quickly. After you eat, make sure that you don't lay down. Sit up for about three hours after eating so that your food has time to digest. If heartburn is a problem at night, try sleeping propped up on pillows.
