Heartburn has many dietary causes....

...many of which I regularly imbibe. What are they?

coffee
chocolate
sugar
carbonated beverages
tomato based food
onions
citrus
spicy food
alcohol

There is a thingie called the cardiac sphincter. This handy little device resides between your esophagus and stomach. To give you a mental image, there are several sphincters on your body, the most well known being your, ahem, anal sphincter. The above foods are either acidic, so, they add more acid to your stomach (which is already full-o-acid of it's own), or, these foods that relax or add more pressure to the sphincter, causing stomach acid to bubble up into the esophagus. Boo.

Another thing I learned today: about 80% of Caucasian adults have an intolerance to lactose of some degree. Wow! Some dairy products have more dairy sugars (ice cream, cheese) and can trigger lactose reactions while foods with fewer dairy sugars (milk and non- or low-fat yogurt) and can cause no reaction.

Summary? I don't have IBS, or some gastro-intestinal issue. I just seem to have an easily irritated cardiac sphincter and a mild intolerance to lactose. :)