Okay, every once in a while you would enjoy a nice big meal and later pay the price with a painful bout of heartburn. Not a big deal. An over the counter antacid and everything would be fine in no time. But lately, your bouts of heartburn been occurring more and more often, and the pain is becoming nearly unbearable. Even the antacids are beginning to lose their effectiveness.

It's time to take action.

While one of the most important steps you can take if you want to relieve your acid reflux is to reduce the size of your meals, you'll also want to reduce those foods in your diet that are more likely to irritate your condition.

Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter is weakened or forced open. This can be caused by your eating habits and by consuming certain foods that tend to cause acid reflux. Everyone has their own personal triggers, however there are certain foods that cause acid reflux in the majority of those who suffer from the affliction.

So let's take a look at the five primary food groups which tend to cause the most trouble ...

Fast Foods - here's another example of the foods you love the most being the foods that seem to do the most harm. Your poorest fast food choices are French fries, fried chicken, and greasy burgers. You should also avoid chicken wings that are prepared with heavy spices and chicken nuggets, which are often fried. You don't have to eliminate fast food altogether, but you do need to reduce the regularity in which you eat fast food, and be a little more discriminating in your menu choices.

Fruits & Vegetables - potatoes and onions are two of the biggest contributors to acid reflux and heartburn. Most doctors will suggest that you avoid both whenever possible, particularly fried potatoes. Fruits (such as tomatoes, oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and cranberries) that are highly acidic should be avoided as well. This includes the often overlooked fruit juices such as orange juice and cranberry juice.

Dairy - it's long been believed that you should drink milk when you're experiencing heartburn. However, contrary to popular belief, milk and milk byproducts are acid based. Therefore, you'll want to minimize your consumption of milk, sour cream, ice cream, and even cottage cheese.

Drinks - while caffeine is not a food, the fact that it is a primary ingredient in a number of beverages places these beverages on our list. The obvious culprits are coffee and tea and carbonated drinks. These are often consumed just for their caffeine "kick." In addition, you should minimize your intake of alcohol. Liquors and wines are particularly poor choices.

Desserts - even though none of us wants to hear it, chocolate can be very upsetting to your digestive system. So, chocolate, chocolate cakes, chocolate cookies and brownies should be avoided. For both their chocolate and milk content, creamy frostings are a no-no. Doughnuts and other fried pastries can also trigger heartburn.

As you can see, designing a food plan is simply a matter of avoiding those foods that are most likely to aggravate your acid reflux and enjoying those foods that tend not to cause problems. Everyone reacts slightly differently to the foods on this list, however. You may find that dairy products don't bother you nearly as much as citrus or fried foods. A general rule of thumb to follow is to determine what works best for you and develop your diet around those foods. Don't be afraid to try new foods and don't hesitate to experiment with some of the old foods to find a healthy balance. In addition, your doctor should be able to provide you with a more extensive list of the foods that cause acid reflux.