How To Help Pregnancy Heartburn: 4 Dinner Recipes To Add To Your Meal Plan
January 22, 2024
Pregnancy can be extremely uncomfortable, with heartburn being one of the most debilitating side effects. Heartburn can make mealtimes an ordeal, increase stress, and impact your day-to-day activities.
Finding relief is essential so that you can meet your nutritional needs and enjoy mealtimes again.
Noticing some burning in your chest after eating? We’ve got you, mama! With this guide, you’ll have a list of heartburn-free foods, trigger foods you should avoid, and tips for snacking and meal times. Eat it up! A peek inside:
What Does Pregnancy Heartburn Feel Like?
Pregnancy heartburn is accompanied by symptoms including feeling ill and bloated, a burning sensation in the chest, and vomiting.
“Symptoms usually come on soon after eating or drinking, but there can sometimes be a delay between eating and getting indigestion,” says the NHS.
While heartburn can happen at any stage in your pregnancy, it begins to ramp up and is more common after the 12th week. This can be partly due to your growing baby pressing on your stomach.
Why Is Heartburn So Bad During Pregnancy?
Heartburn is a common side effect of pregnancy, mainly because of hormonal changes.This condition has nothing to do with the heart – it’s due to acid reflux. The lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle between the throat and the stomach, doesn’t close properly because of the hormone progesterone. This causes acid to travel back up the esophagus creating an uncomfortable sensation, burping, and a sour taste.
“Your hormone levels change during pregnancy, affecting how you tolerate and digest foods. The hormones often slow down your digestive system. Food moves slower, causing bloating and heartburn,” explains Cleveland Clinic.
Pregnancy Heartburn Tips
There are a few things you can do to find natural relief from pregnancy heartburn:
- Encourage digestion after eating a meal by staying upright and going for a walk.
- Eat slowly for a positive impact on your digestive process.
- Chew your food thoroughly before swallowing it to make it easier to digest.
- Drink water and herbal teas in between meals.
- Healthline advises sleeping on your left side, “Lying on your right side will position your stomach higher than your esophagus, which may lead to heartburn.”
- Avoid trigger foods and focus on alkaline foods.
Pregnancy Heartburn Foods To Avoid
Note how you feel after you eat to see what foods trigger heartburn. The most common triggers include:
- Caffeine
- Spicy foods
- Fatty foods
- Soda
- Citrus
- Chocolate
Pregnancy Heartburn Foods To Eat
- Ginger
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Avocado
- Herbal teas (especially our Heartburn Help Tea blend!)
- Whole grains
- Bananas
- Vegetables
Add these four heartburn-free dinner recipes to your pregnancy meal plan:
Crispy Garlicky Yogurty Dreamy Potatoes
Potatoes are a fantastic source of fiber, like many root veggies. Adding more high-fiber foods to your pregnancy diet is important as fiber absorbs stomach acid and can reduce symptoms of heartburn.Eat these crispy potatoes with a healthy serving of yogurt. Dairy products can have a soothing effect on your digestive system. Plus, calcium is an essential vitamin for a healthy pregnancy.
Get the full recipe here.
California Coleslaw
You’ll get tons of fiber from this slaw thanks to the cabbage, carrots, apples, and avocado.
Avocado is a good addition to your pregnancy heartburn meal plan as it’s a source of healthy fats (also found in olive oil and nuts).Healthy fats can help reduce inflammation caused by acid reflux. Another reason to eat avocados is because of their vitamin B6 content. This vitamin has been found to reduce nausea and morning sickness.
From how many meals to eat to which foods to skip, this guide’s got proven tips, helpful recommendations, and mama-approved suggestions to help ease your nausea when “morning sickness” strikes.
A peek inside:
- The best way to start your day off to avoid nausea
- Recommendations for ways to split up your meals
- Tricks for staying hydrated
- Foods to skip and ingredients to indulge in to fight off nausea
- Mama-approved suggestions that help with morning sickness and make life easier
Tip: Make extra of this salad and store it separately from the dressing for a healthy pregnancy work lunch.
Get the full recipe here.
Magic Braised Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Fatty meats can exacerbate heartburn, however, it’s still important to make protein an important part of your pregnancy meal plan.
“Protein positively affects the growth of fetal tissue, including the brain. It also helps your breast and uterine tissue to grow during pregnancy, and it plays a role in your increasing blood supply,” says the American Pregnancy Association.
Opt for chicken, as it’s a lean source of protein.
This recipe also calls for mushrooms, an ingredient high in phosphorus which plays a role in maintaining the balance between acidity and alkalinity in your body.
Get the full recipe here.
Souprise! It’s A Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
Sweet potatoes are high in fiber and potassium, and it’s known as an alkaline food. “Those that have a low pH are acidic and more likely to cause reflux. Those with higher pH are alkaline and can help offset strong stomach acid,” explains Johns Hopkins Medicine.This soup also calls for ginger which can help reduce inflammation and relieve acid reflux.
Tip: This soup is freezer-friendly, so make a big batch to freeze in re-portioned blocks for future lunches and dinners.
Get the full recipe here.
Pregnancy heartburn can be super uncomfortable! Controlling your acid reflux naturally through your diet is as simple as eliminating some foods and increasing veggies, low-acid fruits, lean protein, and dairy.
