To start, you may want to avoid large meals. Large meals are usually the cause of heartburn. This is because large meals tend to overwhelm the stomach and it will produce excessive stomach acid in order to digest excessive food. Instead of eating 3 large meals a day, go for around 6 smaller meals a day. This is a common disease that is characterized by the stomach acid flowing backward in to the esophagus repeatedly. This will cause burning chest pain and it can also damage the esophagus, which can lead to bleeding and scarring. It will also make it harder for you to swallow and if GERD is left untreated, it can lead to more serious medical problems, such as cancer of the esophagus and even stomach cancer. Lastly, you may want to start avoiding eating foods that are known to trigger heartburn. Examples are spicy foods, fatty or fried foods, foods high in sugar, and citrus fruits. 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. It puts pressure on the stomach, which pushes stomach contents, such as acid, up. Obesity is also another contributing factor to chronic heartburn. The reason behind this is because of the fat belly, which also puts pressure on the stomach. The pressure pushes the stomach acid up to the esophagus, which causes heartburn. The second is to eat healthy. If you can, you should try and maintain a food diary. This way, you will be able to track down food that causes you to experience heartburn. Cut down on foods that triggers heartburn and you will be able to prevent heartburn from taking control of your life. You really don t have to give up eating your favorite food. This means that you have to avoid chocolate, caffeine containing food and beverages, peppermint, and fried or fatty foods. You also need to avoid or lessen your consumption of foods that can damage your esophagus, such as spicy food, oranges, pineapple or citrus fruits and juices, tomato sauce and foods that contain a lot of tomatoes.