Gastritis is the name given to the inflammatory process of the gastric mucosa, which inevitably causes digestive problems. A person begins to digest food poorly, as a result of which his health worsens and weakness and lethargy appear. According to statistics, about half of the entire population of our country experiences painful ulcer symptoms to one degree or another.
Diet for ulcers
Many people wonder: what diet to follow for stomach ulcers? This is a very important issue, because proper nutrition is a major part of the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. If you suffer from ulcers, you should always follow a gentle diet, and if your health improves, you can only return to normal eating habits gradually. In some cases, doctors prescribe a personalized diet for gastritis.
It is also worth remembering that with gastritis, enzymatic deficiency develops, so in some cases, along with a diet to improve digestion, it is worth using enzyme preparations such as Micrazim.
There are two types of ulcers: acute and chronic. In different people, these forms can be accompanied by both high and low levels of stomach acidity. There are several types of acute gastritis as follows:
- fibrinous (aggravates the appearance of infectious diseases);
- catarrhal (accompanied by a violation of the integrity of the outer layer of the stomach);
- phlegmonous (causes a purulent inflammatory process on the walls of the stomach);
- corrosive (one of the side effects of poisoning).
Chronic diseases, in turn, appear in the following forms:
- shallow;
- hypertrophic;
- polyposis;
- bacteria;
- granulomatous;
- autoimmune.
Another form of chronic gastritis is characteristic of people whose stomach walls are damaged due to systematic intake of large amounts of alcohol.
The main principles of diet for stomach ulcers
Remember that the right diet for stomach ulcers is the key to successfully treating the symptoms. If the acidity of your gastric juice is increased, then you need to eat foods that help reduce its activity. Follow three rules:
- Mechanical principle. Avoid foods that contain coarse fiber. These products include shallot plants, tendon meat, and bran. In addition, dishes cooked in oil are strictly prohibited.
- Chemical principles. Avoid foods that can increase gastric secretions. This list includes alcohol, sparkling water, citrus fruits (including juice from them), coffee, black bread, cabbage and rich meat broth.
- Thermal principle. Do not eat foods that have very high or very low temperatures. They irritate the esophagus, and cold foods, among other things, stay longer than usual in the stomach.
What foods can you eat if you suffer from ulcers?
Include lean meats (such as rabbit) in your diet. Ducks, lamb and geese are not allowed, but chicken can only be eaten without the skin.
Other acceptable foods and dishes include:
- river fish;
- seafood;
- egg white omelet;
- oatmeal and buckwheat porridge;
- milk;
- zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, carrots, various vegetables;
- berries with high sugar content;
- boiled and mashed fruit.
What to miss from the diet?
If you have been diagnosed with an ulcer caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, then it is not recommended to prescribe a diet yourself. Be sure to consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist for consistent and effective ulcer treatment.
With this disease, the menu should not include:
- Freshly baked goods, especially rye bread, as well as pastries. Instead, it is better to eat plain bread, pastries and pies.
- Soups with rich broths, including mushroom soup, cabbage soup, and borscht. Such dishes should be replaced with light vegetable soups with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions.
- Smoked dishes, as well as meat with fat and veins. Instead, it is better to eat dishes made from boiled or steamed meat (cutlets, meatballs). The types of meat allowed are chicken and lamb.
- Boiled eggs and fried omelettes. It is best to replace it with boiled eggs and steamed omelettes.
- Any salty and spiced dishes, marinades, chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee and kvass.
- Alcohol.
Diet for high acidity
With this form of ulcer, you should not abuse fruits and vegetables, as they can worsen your health. However, you should not completely remove this product from the menu. Avoid foods that can stimulate stomach acid production and choose acid-reducing foods. By eating right, you are more likely to lose weight than gain weight. Below is a table showing permitted and prohibited products:
Vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, beets. Light vegetable salad. Tomatoes: ripe, chopped. Cucumber without skin. | Greenery. |
Fruits: not sour, ripe, without skin (banana, pear, apple). It is best to eat fruit not raw, but baked. Watermelon and melon - in very limited quantities. | French fries, pickled foods, sauerkraut. |
Milk (from cows or goats), cream, yogurt. Fresh cottage cheese. | Sour cream, kefir, hard cheese. |
Soup with dietary broth. | Cabbage soup and borscht in rich broth. |
Pasta | Nuts |
Boiled chicken or rabbit meat, lean river fish. | Smoked meats, fish and meat with a high fat content, canned food. |
Oatmeal and buckwheat | Dried fruit |
Boiled eggs. | Chocolate |
Crackers, white bread (which has been left out for a few days), dry biscuits. | Boiled eggs, fried omelettes. |
Weak tea and coffee, chocolate with added milk. | Rye and freshly baked bread. Cakes, confectionery products with cream filling. |
Diet with low acidity
In such conditions, you need to eat differently than in previous cases. You need to eat foods that increase gastric secretion. The table below shows dishes suitable for remission. If you have severe stomach pain, then you need to exclude from the menu dishes that irritate the stomach tissue.
Vegetables: baked potatoes, tomatoes, green vegetables, carrots, beets, pumpkin, pickles.
Diet for gastritis - general recommendations
Ulcer sufferers should exclude spices used in the cooking process from the menu. You can improve the taste of food with fresh herbs (parsley, dill, celery). Green vegetables will also help add vitamins to your diet: try to flavor as many dishes as possible with finely chopped vegetables.
You need to eat small portions, but avoid snacking; this way the stomach will not have difficulty digesting food. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly. Food eaten in a hurry can worsen your health and make ulcers worse. Chew your food until it turns into an easily digestible paste.
Don't forget that proper and balanced nutrition is the key to ulcer treatment. Many patients who follow a strict diet during treatment say that it helps them successfully overcome all the symptoms and pain associated with this disease within 4 weeks.
Important: before use, read the instructions or consult your doctor.
What to eat for ulcers?
Every day the statistics of stomach ulcers and stomach ulcers in children and adults are increasing. This also applies to other inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. Patients experience constant pain, which affects their quality of life. It is important to contact a gastroenterologist in time to undergo a comprehensive diagnosis and identify the source of the lesion. With adequate and timely treatment, the risk of complications is reduced. It is important not only to take medication, but also to create a proper diet under the supervision of a doctor and nutritionist. This is the basis of prevention and therapy.
Characteristics of ulcers
Gastritis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the stomach lining, which causes pain, loss of appetite, and other symptoms. Of all the pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, the most patients suffer from this disease.
Many people underestimate the importance of timely diagnosis of ulcers and consider it a minor deviation that does not require treatment. They assume that the disease will not cause any harm and will gradually disappear by itself, without treatment. But if treatment and diet methods are not applied in time, the pathology can gradually develop into peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, and malignant transformation.
Etiological factors
Many studies have been carried out, statistics have been collected, according to which the basis for the development of inflammatory gastric pathology is Helicobacter pylori. These are bacteria that attack the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Most people are only carriers of bacteria, but under the influence of negative factors, these bacteria begin to multiply actively, causing pathology. It is Helicobacter pylori that over time can cause the development of atypical cells on the mucous membrane, which will lead to malignant degeneration.
Doctors have identified the main damaging factors that can cause stomach inflammation:
- Eating poor quality food. These include fatty, fried, spicy, smoked and overly salty foods. This type of food aggressively affects the stomach walls, causing an inflammatory process. As a result of this damage, Helicobacter pylori begins to actively reproduce.
- Kurenie. Nicotine and smog from smoking spread to the respiratory tract and digestive system. This negatively affects the mucous membranes, causing irritation and increased inflammation.
- Drinking large amounts of alcohol. It has a toxic effect on any body tissue, including the digestive tract. This causes the occurrence or intensification of inflammation.
- Emphasize. Great physical and psycho-emotional stress. These factors cause active production of cortisol. This causes an increase in the release of hydrochloric acid. If it acts on the stomach wall without a bolus of food, damage occurs.
If the patient is influenced by several factors simultaneously, the disease progresses more quickly.
Clinical signs
In the early stages, patients and doctors may not notice visual signs. The more damage occurs, the more actively the inflammatory process develops. Therefore, as time goes by, the following symptoms appear:
- pain in the epigastric region, aggravated by stress, eating, hunger;
- nausea, vomiting that occurs regardless of food intake;
- constipation, diarrhea.
There are signs that can be used to determine whether a patient suffers from gastroenterological pathology.If a person shows more than 4 symptoms, it is recommended to contact a gastroenterologist:
- frequent occurrence of epigastric pain;
- pain point in the center of the stomach;
- indigestion;
- frequent belching;
- constipation, diarrhea;
- occasional nausea;
- vomiting for no reason;
- the presence of gastroenterological diseases in close relatives;
- the presence of bad habits (smoking, frequent drinking of alcohol, overeating);
- periodic use of strict diets.
It is impossible to independently determine the diagnosis, since the symptoms may appear in transient disorders or other acute and chronic diseases. It is important to undergo examination and diagnosis by a doctor who will prescribe conservative or radical treatment, depending on the lesion that develops.
Diet
This diet is prescribed by 2 doctors:
- gastroenterologist;
- nutritionist.
It is best for these doctors to work together to provide quality treatment.However, they first undergo examinations and diagnostic tests to determine the following factors:
- the degree of damage to the mucous membrane;
- the degree of spread of the lesion to different parts of the digestive tract;
- the reason for the defeat.
After collecting complete information, a nutritional regimen is drawn up. This is one of the fundamental treatment methods that reduces the load on the digestive tract.There are 2 diets for the development of inflammatory gastric pathologies:
- with high acidity;
- with low acidity.
Regardless of the type of diet chosen, the gastroenterologist should remind you of the basic principles of correct diet during illness.
- Separate. The total volume of product that the patient should consume in 1 day is determined. It is divided into 6 parts, distributing food evenly throughout the day. This means that the patient must consume food every 3 hours. You should not overeat or starve, as these factors adversely affect the condition of the stomach. One portion of food is approximately the size of two palms.
- Chew. Consumed food begins to be digested in the oral cavity under the influence of saliva containing enzymes. Therefore, it is important to chew each piece for a long time.
- Rest after eating. You need to sit and lie down for 30 minutes so that the digestion process begins without obstacles.
- Temperature. If there is a suspicion of an inflammatory process, eat warm food. It should not be too hot or cold.
- Water mode. Drink at least 2 liters of water per day to maintain a stable water-electrolyte balance and prevent the development of dehydration. Drink water little by little throughout the day.
- Protein intake is mandatory. Protein is the basis from which the body is built. Thanks to them, damaged tissues recover faster after an ulcer.
- Prohibition of eating excessively rough foods. It should not contain pieces that can injure the structures of the affected mucous membrane.
- Proper cooking. It is boiled, steamed, baked. No frying or smoking.
- Prohibition of alcohol consumption, caffeine, energy drinks, soda.
- Maintains vitamin concentration. If normal, metabolism and metabolism improve, the nervous system and digestive tract are strengthened. If nutrition is insufficient, multivitamin preparations are used.
Implementation of this rule reduces the load on the stomach during treatment.
Fruits with high acidity
Gastritis accompanied by normal or high acidity requires special nutrition. Food temperature needs to be monitored: it is not recommended to eat food with temperatures above 40-50 ⁰C. Fruits can be consumed in pureed, steamed, boiled, baked or stewed form, or in the form of porridge, mousse, jelly, jelly or compote. It is not recommended to consume fruits with a high content of organic acids (pomegranate, citrus fruits, fresh apricots), unripe or sour fruit. During an exacerbation, all fruits should be used only in pureed form. The rest of the time it is better to use:
- sweet apple varieties;
- avocado.
Fruits with low acidity
For the reverse form of ulcers, when acidity is reduced, doctors recommend other fruits:
- citrus fruits - prevent the formation of malignant cells, keep acidity normal;
- pomegranate and its juice help restore the gastric mucosa;
- peaches - increase the production of gastric juice, but can only be eaten by patients who are not allergic to the fruit.
Attention! For any gastrointestinal pathology, it is important not to overload the stomach and follow the diet prescribed by the doctor.
Diet for ulcers with high acidity
If the patient experiences this type of gastric inflammation, the following processes are established:
- excessive production of hydrochloric acid;
- increased acidity of hydrochloric acid.
Normally, hydrochloric acid is intended to break down stomach contents. However, it must be within certain limits so as not to damage the body's own tissue.If its pH increases, irritation of the stomach walls begins, which will lead to the following stages:
- inflammation;
- erosion;
- indigestion;
- perforation.
Gastritis can develop at different ages. Prolonged exposure to damaging factors is enough for the inflammatory process to develop. If the acidity of gastric juice is increased, you need to follow a certain diet that reduces this indicator.
Attention! Many patients know that taking antacids reduces the acidity of gastric juice. However, it is prohibited to take the drug yourself. They have contraindications and side effects.
When using a diet, it is important to follow certain rules so that success can occur.
- Avoid foods that cause or worsen damage to the stomach wall. These are foods that contain fiber and solid elements. For example cereals, bread, bran, stringy meat. All foods should be as soft as possible and easy to digest.
- Refusal of any food and drinks that cause an increase in the acidity of hydrochloric acid. For example citrus fruits, canned food, coffee, alcohol, soda.
- Eat food at warm temperatures. Do not consume boiling water, hot liquids or food. Cold food is also unacceptable. The optimal limit is 25-35 degrees.
If the patient's stomach ulcers are getting worse and causing unbearable pain, it is necessary to immediately start a strict diet. This will help to significantly reduce the inflammatory process and allow tissues to recover. Already on the 3rd day a person will feel relief. But this is possible only with the help of additional use of medications prescribed by a doctor.
When prescribing a strict diet, the following foods and dishes are recommended:
- low-fat chicken or vegetable broth with crackers, which can be replaced with soft porridge (for example oatmeal);
- pasta soup with milk (hard pasta is allowed);
- boiled young potatoes without cream, salt;
- milk with low fat content, so as not to cause an increased burden on the digestive tract due to the appearance of high lactose concentrations.
In case of severe exacerbation and acute pain, each product is added gradually, in small portions. This will make the digestive tract get used to it and not cause negative reactions. However, if a food causes nausea or increased pain, it is better to replace it with another type of food.
As soon as the acute period passes, the diet is resumed.It is expanded with the following types of products and dishes:
- boiled and baked eggs, containing high concentrations of protein (egg yolks can be omitted to limit the amount of fat);
- lean meat of chicken, rabbit, beef, which can be baked, boiled, steamed (remove the skin before cooking);
- fish and seafood, which contain a lot of omega-3, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive tract and nervous system;
- milk that needs to be boiled first;
- soup with the addition of cereals (any cereal is allowed except semolina);
- vegetables sold in stores according to season;
- fruit is recommended to be consumed between main meals, so as not to cause stress on the digestive tract, but does not leave the stomach empty;
- quality sausage;
- olive, sunflower oil;
- dumplings and similar products made at home from natural minced meat and thin layers of dough;
- offal, which has the most positive effect on the liver, as it contains a large number of microelements and vitamins;
- soft cheese;
- honey, weak tea, herbal decoctions, dried fruit compote.
The following product types should be restricted:
- bakery products, muffins, fresh pastries;
- chocolate candy;
- dairy products.
All these foods increase stomach acidity. Carbohydrates negatively affect any part of the digestive tract, causing high acidity, which is a favorable environment for the reproduction of Helicobacter pylori. In addition, they refuse to chew gum, since hydrochloric acid is actively produced during its use. If the amount is too much, acid ulcers will get worse. This can cause erosion and ulcers to form.
Diet for ulcers with low acidity
With this type of gastric inflammatory process, the concentration and acidity of hydrochloric acid decreases. Therefore, food is poorly digested, most of the food goes into the intestines, which causes a heavy load in it. This has a bad impact on the entire condition of the digestive tract. Usually, people aged 40 years and over suffer from ulcers.
If the pathology is not treated in time and the diet is not applied, the following complications will appear:
- atrophic conditions of the gastric mucosa;
- tissue thinning;
- decreased parietal cell function.
Gastritis with low acidity is one of the dangerous diseases that is difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to start treatment early, before precancerous conditions develop.
To correct pathology, you need to consume foods that will stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. You also need to increase the acidity so that the food bolus can be processed.
Attention! It is necessary to simultaneously increase acidity and not overload the digestive tract. Therefore, it is forbidden to consume fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods, fast food and alcohol, even though they can increase acidity.
In case of illness, gastroenterologists advise adhering to certain nutritional principles:
- before meals, drink 200 ml of slightly carbonated mineral water;
- chew food thoroughly, consuming each piece gradually; the whole meal takes at least 30 minutes;
- In between meals it is recommended to eat fruits that increase acidity, you can bake them first so as not to cause stress.
With the development of hypoacid gastritis, it is necessary to consume the following types of food or dishes:
- lean types of meat - chicken, turkey, rabbit, veal;
- all types of fruit and vegetables that do not have a coarse fiber structure (citrus fruits, white cabbage and cauliflower are recommended);
- vegetable and meat broth;
- few carbohydrates in the form of sweets and baked goods;
- all kinds of fermented milk products;
- canned food;
- herbal decoctions, teas, berry and fruit compotes.
Since milk in any form reduces the acidity of gastric juice, it is prohibited to consume it when preparing a diet.
Gastritis is one of the most common digestive problems in society. This disease can attack patients of all ages. This can be prevented if you use preventive rules. But if pathology has progressed, it is important to undergo timely diagnosis and start treatment to prevent the development of complications. The therapy is based on a correct and high-quality diet, lifestyle improvement and rejection of bad habits. The diet is selected individually for each patient, depending on the degree of damage and the acidity of gastric juice.