Life
There's a scorching pain in the back of your throat. As soon as you lie down, it spreads across your chest and into your mouth. It tastes of pennies and that time in college when you did one too many keg stands. Only now you're pregnant, you haven't had a beer in months, and your throat is still on fire. You tell your grandmother and she tells you to suck on a lollipop because that'll cure your heartburn. In fact, she has a whole list of foods to eat if you have heartburn while you're pregnant according to old wives' tales she's learned over the years. But do any of them work? It's worth a shot.
You can't turn around without someone trying to sell you an essential oil or keto powder. These sales people are claiming their wares have huge health benefits with miraculous properties like curing heartburn or a bestowing you with a svelte figure. It's enough evidence that our generation is the future writers of the old wives' tales to come. But while the tales we have now are similarly sketchy, they are so much more fun for the creativity of them. So if you're suffering from pregnancy heartburn and are tired of taking antacids, then these old wives' tales can help you find some relief. Apparently you just need to eat these foods.
1
Eat Food With Sichuan Peppercorns In It
This advice is from my very own mother-in-law. She told me when I was pregnant that because Sichuan peppercorns make your mouth go numb, the same applies to your throat. I hate to say this, but she was very, very wrong about this, even if my sister-in-law agrees wholeheartedly. They were both very wrong, and it hurt twice as badly to eat this as any other food. But hey, they stood by it.
2
Suck On Ice Cubes
Melanie Kuznowitz, 34 of Brooklyn, New York tells Romper that her grandmother fed her ice chips when her pregnancy heartburn got too intense. This makes a certain amount of sense as many women find relief in drinking cool water, noted Healthline, so ice chips might help more than just the sips. Plus it's crunchy, which is always nice. I vote you go to Sonic and pay the $.50 for a large cup of ice. It's the superior crunching ice in my opinion.
3
Eat Pineapple
Christy Cho, 31, tells Romper that all the grannies in Hawaii dole out pineapple for heartburn to the pregnant ladies. "Just don't eat the core, and it's more soothing if it's nearly frozen," Cho says.
According to Healthline, this is both true and false. Potentially true because pineapples contain bromelain, which has anti-inflammatory properties, and false because it's super acidic which can make heartburn worse, the same for any acidic food. Try this one slowly.
4
Honey & Apple Cider Vinegar
Apparently an old Jewish remedy for pregnancy reflux is drinking warm water with honey and apple cider vinegar, Sara Schtul tells Romper. "It's a bit like drinking vinaigrette," she says, "but I swear, it works." With all of the apple cider vinegar drinks on the market, I'm sure you can find one with honey in it.
As for its efficacy? Harvard says the jury is still out, but there's a ton of anecdotal information available saying it works. I know that at least four women told me that this is their go-to before they hit the Prevacid.
5
Ginger
You've probably heard this one before, and people love to prescribe it to pregnant women for everything from nausea to food aversions. But lots of grandmas tell pregnant women to chew on ginger candy, sip some ginger tea, or throw some root into something you're eating. According to Heathline, there is some science to back up that ginger can help with inflammation, so it's worth a shot if you like the taste.
6
Eggnog Milkshakes
Anna Krumsik, 29, says that her family drinks eggnog milkshakes for heartburn. "They're delicious and they do cool the burn." I mean, if you say so? I like eggnog and all, but I'm pretty sure that would have me tossing my pregnant cookies.
There is absolutely no science behind this one, but nutritionist Joy Bauer did mention that cinnamon can build saliva which can ease heartburn, so if your eggnog is liberally sprinkled with cinnamon it may help, hypothetically. Or it could just lead to spicy vomit.
