Red wine, tomatoes and dark chocolate are three of my favorite things, but my stomach doesn’t always agree. Eating these foods too late at night never goes well, especially if I overindulge in all three at once.
A year ago in Italy, I managed to do just that. At the end of a three hour feast, our waiter brought us each an ounce or so of limoncello – a lemon liqueur made in southern Italy. He assured us it would help with digestion since we ate so much. Amazingly, I had no reflux symptoms that night. I had done everything wrong – eaten late AND eaten my three biggest triggers together. Yet I had no problems at all.
Although the Italians may know something we don’t, limoncello is not a practical reflux solution for everyone. And if the reflux is not caused by an indulgent meal, it likely won’t help and could even make reflux worse since it’s made up of alcohol and lemons, which are acidic.
You likely have your own heartburn triggers. Fried foods, smoking, alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine, peppermint, chocolate and acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes) can all cause problems. And if you are on chemo, many of the medications can cause reflux, even if you never had problems before. Throw in stress and lying down often – and it may only get worse.
Most commonly, acid reflux causes heartburn, regurgitation of food and/or difficulty swallowing. However, in working with people on chemo for nine years, I’ve learned that what feels like nausea may actually be reflux – especially if it doesn’t improve despite trying multiple anti-nausea meds. Less often, reflux causes chest pain, hoarseness, cough, and asthma.
No matter what your triggers or reflux symptoms, these tips may help:
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