What should you know about food for indigestion?

Indigestion can feel like upper abdominal discomfort, early fullness, bloating, belching, or a burning sensation. Large meals and eating quickly can stretch the stomach and make discomfort more noticeable. Rich, fatty, spicy, acidic, or caffeinated foods bother some people, while others notice symptoms after fizzy drinks, chocolate, or mint. A food diary can help you identify your own pattern without removing many foods at once. Indigestion may occur alongside acid reflux or gastritis, but a food trigger does not establish a diagnosis.

Try smaller portions spread through the day, with foods such as porridge, rice, toast, bananas, soup, or yoghurt if you tolerate them. Sip water and chew thoroughly. Remain upright after eating and avoid a heavy meal close to bedtime. Reduce the particular foods that repeatedly worsen symptoms rather than following a very restrictive diet. If symptoms keep returning, a clinician can consider causes such as Acid Reflux, Gallstones, Gastritis, Helicobacter Pylori Infection, Hiatus Hernia, or Peptic Ulcer and discuss Acid Reflux Medication when appropriate.

Arrange medical advice if indigestion is persistent, keeps returning, or is accompanied by difficulty swallowing, repeated vomiting, unexplained weight loss, black stools, or marked tiredness. Seek urgent help for severe or worsening abdominal pain, vomiting blood, fainting, or chest pain with sweating or breathlessness. Use the Indigestion guide to record symptoms and possible triggers before an appointment.

Ask whether your symptoms fit indigestion, whether any medicines or supplements may be contributing, and which foods are sensible to limit. You can also ask whether testing for an underlying stomach condition or a treatment trial is appropriate.