Heartburn, also known as acid reflux, causes food and acids from the stomach to reflux into your esophagus, resulting in a burning sensation in your esophagus and chest area. It is not unusual to experience heartburn, especially after eating spicy foods or after a large meal. To prevent it, you should make dietary changes and avoid cooking and eating foods that can trigger these symptoms.

However, while it is easy to control what you cook at home, eating out can be a challenge. Restaurants can be minefields for acid reflux triggers, but you might also be unable to fully give up on dining out. If you experience heartburn more than twice a week, you may have Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), a digestive disorder that causes stomach acid to reflux into the throat. You need to eat simple foods to prevent heartburn and other symptoms of GERD.

Certain foods are not good for people with acid reflux, especially when combined with other food. At the same time, there are GERD-friendly options that you can choose with most cuisines if you know what foods to avoid. Here’s a list of foods you can eat to prevent heartburn and other GERD symptoms:

• At an Italian restaurant
  If you want to have pasta, you can opt for pesto instead of a creamy or tomato-based sauce as they are high-fat and high-acidic foods that can trigger heartburn. You can also choose light salads with a vinaigrette dressing and grilled, poached, or steamed fish dishes without a cream sauce.
• At an Asian restaurant
  You can choose steamed and broth-based foods like steamed veggies, meats, or dumplings to prevent heartburn and GERD symptoms. Always avoid fried wontons, fried dumplings, eggrolls, and crispy fried or batter-fried veggies with a lot of spices.
• At a Mexican restaurant
  You can eat grilled fajitas, brown rice served with beans and meats, tamales, burritos, and quesadillas, sans extra cheese. You should avoid the super-spicy chilaquiles, salsa, nachos, tacos filled with peppers, mole sauce, chiles rellenos, and sour cream.
• At fast-food restaurants
  You can eat a grilled chicken sandwich or plain hamburger with a light salad, but avoid mayonnaise and mature cheeses as they can trigger heartburn. You also need to restrain yourself from eating French fries on the side or having a soda with your meal. You can opt for fruit-based foods like sorbet, a fruit tart, fresh-fruit custard or parfait to prevent heartburn and GERD symptoms, but steer clear of chocolate-based desserts.

Some more tips that you can follow

• Always eat meals at least 2 to 3 hours before lying down.
• Do not overeat. Instead, eat smaller portions at mealtimes or have four to five small meals instead of three large meals throughout the day.
• Take time and eat slowly.
• Steer clear of trigger foods like onions, peppermint, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, citrus fruits or juices, tomatoes, and high-fat and spicy foods.

Eating low-fat foods can help prevent heartburn and other symptoms of GERD, but if the symptoms continue or become more frequent, you should consult your doctor without delay.