Instead of eating 3 large meals a day, you may want to eat 6 smaller meals a day. This will keep stomach acid production on a minimum and eventually prevent heartburn. You should also avoid foods and beverages that reduce pressure on the LES or the lower esophageal sphincter. This means that you have to avoid chocolate, caffeine containing food and beverages, peppermint, and fried or fatty foods. So, just what causes the sphincter to weaken or relax? There are certain foods that can weaken the sphincter. Foods such as chocolates, coffee, alcohol, peppermint, fried and fatty food, as well as soda and citric fruits like oranges and pineapple. You should also avoid spicy foods as they are very difficult to digest, which causes the stomach to produce more acid, which ultimately means increasing the likelihood of heartburn. However, there are cases where heartburn can severely affect your life. Around 10 percent of the adult population experiences a chronic kind of heartburn. Chronic heartburn happens when people start experiencing the condition every single day. And, this can really have the ability to take control of your life. If you are pregnant, you have to be prepared to experience heartburn as this will be very common. Now, you need to keep in mind that although this condition is painful and extremely uncomfortable to experience, it is a condition that will not harm the baby inside your tummy. But, it is still uncomfortable and you want to control or manage it or at least decrease its frequency. This will keep acid production in check and eventually prevent or at least lessen heartburn. You should also avoid foods and beverages that reduce pressure on the LES or the lower esophageal sphincter. This means that you have to avoid food like peppermint, chocolate, coffee or any other beverages or food that contains caffeine, and fatty or fried foods. The second way is to avoid having large meals. Instead of 3 large meals a day, try to eat 6 smaller meals a day. This will keep stomach acid production at a minimum therefore minimizing the likelihood of heartburn. The third is to have soup, salad or sandwich for dinner. Avoid big dinners before going to bed.