On the other hand, severe cases of heartburn will require a more comprehensive treatment as home remedies will only provide temporary or partial relief. If you have a severe case of heartburn, then you have every right to be worried. This may be a sign that you have a condition called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. This means that you may need to give up or limit some of the foods you eat in order for you to prevent experiencing heartburn. So, what are the foods that you can eat and what are the foods that you should avoid? Foods To Avoid If you constantly experience heartburn, you may want to cut down on the consumption of citrus fruits. Heartburn can cause a painful burning sensation on your chest and this can really prevent you from having a good night sleep. Sometimes, heartburns can be so painful that it can prevent you from living your life normally. This is mainly the reason why you have to know how to manage or treat heartburn in order for you to live a more normal life. So, lifestyle modification is needed in order for you to prevent heartburn or at least lessen its frequency. The first thing you need to do is to avoid eating hard and crunchy food. These foods are hart to digest and it can also cause damage to your lower esophageal sphincter or LES. The LES acts as a valve that lets food in to the stomach and keeps stomach acid out. Food and beverages containing caffeine should also be avoided as well as carbonated drinks. You really don t have to give up on foods like this but you may want to limit it in order for you to decrease the frequency of heartburn. Besides, you wouldn t want to give up eating oranges or grapefruit, would you? If you are open minded enough, you may want to try out alternative treatments for heartburn instead of just popping those heartburn pills whenever you experience the symptoms. In fact, you will find that there are lots of ways to regain control of your life from heartburn. All you need to do is open your mind.