Gastritis refers to inflammatory processes in the stomach lining that inevitably lead to 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 all residents of our country suffer from painful symptoms of gastritis to varying degrees.
Diet for gastritis
Many people ask themselves: what diet should you follow for gastritis? This is a very important question because proper nutrition is a large part of the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. If you have gastritis, you should always pay attention to a gentle diet and if your health improves, a return to normal eating habits is only possible gradually. In some cases, doctors prescribe a personal diet for gastritis.
It should also be borne in mind that enzyme deficiency develops with gastritis. Therefore, in some cases, in addition to a diet to improve digestion, it is worth using enzyme preparations such as Micrazim.
There are two types of gastritis: acute and chronic. In different people, these forms can be associated with both high and low levels of stomach acid. There are the following types of acute gastritis:
- fibrinous (aggravates when infectious diseases occur);
- catarrhal (accompanied by a violation of the integrity of the external gastric mucosa);
- phlegmonous (causes purulent inflammatory processes on the stomach walls);
- caustic (one of the side effects of poisoning).
Chronic illnesses come in the following forms:
- superficial;
- hypertrophic;
- polyposis;
- bacterial;
- granulomatous;
- Autoimmune.
Another form of chronic gastritis is typical for people whose stomach walls are damaged by the systematic consumption of large amounts of alcohol.
Basic principles of nutrition for gastritis diseases
Remember that proper nutrition for gastritis is the key to successfully overcoming the symptoms. If the acidity of your gastric juice is increased, you need to eat foods that will help reduce its activity. Follow three rules:
- Mechanical principle. Avoid foods that contain coarse fiber. These products include onion cultures, veined meat and bran. In addition, dishes prepared in oil are strictly prohibited.
- Chemical principle. Avoid foods that can increase gastric secretions. This list includes alcohol, mineral water, citrus fruits (including juices from them), coffee, brown 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, among other things, cold foods stay in the stomach longer than usual.
What foods can you eat for gastritis?
Include lean meats (e. g. rabbit meat) in your diet. Duck, lamb and goose are not allowed, but chicken can only be eaten without 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 high in sugar;
- cooked and pureed fruits.
What should be missing from the diet?
If you have been diagnosed with gastritis caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, it is not advisable to prescribe a diet for yourself. Be sure to consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist so that the treatment of gastritis is consistent and effective.
With this disease the menu should not contain:
- Fresh baked goods, especially rye bread, and puff pastries. Instead, it is better to eat white bread, plain cookies and cakes.
- 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 and meat with fat and veins. Instead, it is better to eat dishes made from boiled or stewed meat (cutlets, meatballs). Accepted meats are chicken and lamb.
- Hard-boiled eggs and fried omelettes. They should be replaced with soft-boiled eggs and steamed omelets.
- All salty and spicy dishes, marinades, chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee and kvass.
- Alcohol.
High acid diet
With this form of gastritis, you should not eat too many fruits and vegetables as they can worsen your health. However, you should not completely eliminate these products from your diet. Avoid foods that can stimulate stomach acid production and opt for acid-reducing foods. If you eat right, you're more likely to lose some weight than to gain it. Below is a table of permitted and prohibited products:
Vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, beets. Light vegetable salads. Tomatoes: ripe, chopped. Cucumbers without skin. | Green. |
Fruits: acid-free, ripe, without peel (banana, pear, apple). It is best to eat fruit not raw, but baked. Watermelons and melons – in very limited quantities. | Fried potatoes, pickled dishes, sauerkraut. |
Milk (from a cow or goat), cream, yogurt. Fresh cottage cheese. | Sour cream, kefir, hard cheese. |
Soup with dietary broth. | Cabbage soup and borscht in strong broth. |
pasta | legumes |
Boiled chicken or rabbit meat, lean river fish. | Smoked meats, fish and meats with a high fat content, canned foods. |
Oatmeal and buckwheat | Dried fruit |
Soft-boiled eggs. | Chocolate |
Crackers, white bread (that has already been resting for a few days), dry cookies. | Hard-boiled eggs, fried omelet. |
Weak tea and coffee, cocoa with added milk. | Rye and freshly baked bread. Cakes, confectionery with cream filling. |
Low acid diet
In such conditions, you will have to eat differently than in the previous case. You need to eat foods that promote gastric secretion. The table below shows dishes suitable for remission. If you have severe stomach pain, you need to exclude from the menu dishes that irritate the stomach tissue.
Vegetables: baked potatoes, tomatoes, greens, carrots, beets, pumpkin, cucumbers.
Diet for gastritis – general recommendations
Patients with gastritis should exclude spices used in cooking from the menu. You can improve the taste of dishes with fresh herbs (parsley, dill, celery). Green vegetables also help add vitamins to your diet: try to season as many of the dishes you eat with finely chopped vegetables as possible.
You need to eat small meals but avoid snacks; This way the stomach has no difficulty digesting the food. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly. Eating food hastily can worsen your health and aggravate gastritis. Chew your food until it becomes an easily digestible paste.
Do not forget that proper and balanced nutrition is the key to treating gastritis. Many patients who followed a strict diet during treatment say that it helped them successfully overcome all the symptoms and pain associated with this disease within 4 weeks.
Important: Before use, read the instructions for use or consult your doctor.
What to eat for gastritis of the stomach?
Every day the statistics about gastritis and stomach ulcers in children and adults are increasing. This also applies to other inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. Patients suffer from constant pain, which affects their quality of life. It is necessary to contact a gastroenterologist in a timely manner to make a comprehensive diagnosis and identify the cause of the lesion. With appropriate and timely treatment, the risk of complications is reduced. It is important not only to take medication, but also to develop a proper diet under the supervision of your doctor and nutritionist. This is the basis of prevention and therapy.
Features of gastritis
Gastritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the stomach lining that causes pain, loss of appetite and other symptoms. Of all diseases of the digestive tract, most patients suffer from this disease.
Many people underestimate the importance of a timely diagnosis of gastritis, considering it a minor deviation that does not require treatment. They assume that the disease does not cause any harm and will gradually disappear on its own without treatment. However, if the treatment methods and diet are not applied in a timely manner, the pathology can gradually develop into gastric and duodenal ulcer and malignant transformation.
Etiological factors
Many studies have been conducted and statistics have been collected that Helicobacter pylori is the basis for the development of inflammatory diseases of the stomach. This is a bacterium that attacks the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Most people are just carriers of the bacterium, but under the influence of negative factors it begins to actively multiply, leading to pathologies. It is Helicobacter pylori that, over time, can lead to the development of atypical cells of the mucous membrane, causing malignant degeneration.
Doctors have identified the main harmful factors that can cause stomach inflammation:
- Poor quality food. These include fatty, fried, spicy, smoked and excessively salty foods. This type of food has an aggressive effect on the stomach walls and causes an inflammatory process. Due to the damage, Helicobacter pylori begins to actively multiply.
- Kurenie. Nicotine and smog spread through the respiratory tract and digestive system when smoking. It has a negative effect on the mucous membranes, causing irritation and increased inflammation.
- Drink large amounts of alcohol. This has a toxic effect on every tissue in the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammation occurs or increases.
- stress. Great physical and psycho-emotional stress. These factors cause active production of cortisol. There is an increased release of hydrochloric acid. When it acts on the stomach walls without a bolus of food, damage occurs.
If the patient is affected by several factors at the same time, the disease develops faster.
Clinical signs
In the early stages, the patient and doctor may not notice any visual signs. The more damage occurs, the more actively the inflammatory process develops. Therefore, over time, the following symptoms appear:
- Pain in the stomach area, 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 has gastroenterological pathology.If a person has more than 4 symptoms, it is recommended to contact a gastroenterologist:
- frequent occurrence of upper abdominal pain;
- Spot pain in the middle of the abdomen;
- Heartburn;
- frequent belching;
- constipation, diarrhea;
- occasional nausea;
- Vomiting for no reason;
- the presence of gastroenterological diseases in close relatives;
- Presence of bad habits (smoking, frequent alcohol consumption, overeating);
- regular use of a strict diet.
It is not possible to make an independent diagnosis because symptoms can be present in temporary disorders or other acute, chronic illnesses. It is important to undergo an examination and diagnosis by a doctor who will prescribe conservative or radical treatment depending on the developing lesion.
diet
The diet is prescribed by 2 doctors:
- gastroenterologist;
- Nutritionist.
It is better if these doctors work together to ensure quality treatment.However, you will first undergo an examination and diagnostic tests to determine the following factors:
- degree of mucosal damage;
- the degree of spread of the lesion to different parts of the gastrointestinal tract;
- Reasons for defeat.
After collecting complete information, a nutrition plan is created. This is one of the basic treatment methods that relieves the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.There are 2 diets for the development of inflammatory stomach diseases:
- with high acidity;
- with low acidity.
Regardless of the diet you choose, the gastroenterologist should remind you of the basic principles of proper nutrition in case of illness.
- Separate. The total amount of products that the patient should consume in a day is determined. It is divided into 6 parts and distributes meals evenly throughout the day. This means that the patient must eat something every 3 hours. You should not overeat or starve, as these factors negatively affect the condition of the stomach. A portion of food is approximately the volume of two palms.
- Chew. Digestion of the food consumed begins in the oral cavity under the influence of saliva, which contains enzymes. Therefore, it is important to chew each piece for a long time.
- Rest after eating. You need to sit and lie for 30 minutes so that the digestion process begins without any obstacles.
- temperature. If an inflammatory process is suspected, eat warm food. It shouldn't be too hot or too cold.
- Water mode. Drink at least 2 liters of water per day to maintain a stable water-electrolyte balance and prevent dehydration. Drink water little by little throughout the day.
- Mandatory protein intake. Proteins are the foundation from which the body is built. Thanks to them, damaged tissues recover faster after gastritis.
- Prohibition of eating excessively coarse food. It should not contain pieces that could injure the affected mucosal structure.
- Proper cooking. It is boiled, stewed, baked. Roasting and smoking is prohibited.
- Prohibition of alcohol consumption, caffeine, energy drinks, soda.
- Maintaining vitamin concentration. If they are normal, metabolism and metabolism improve, the nervous system and the digestive tract are strengthened. If there is a nutrient deficiency, multivitamin preparations are used.
Applying these rules will reduce the load on the stomach during treatment.
Fruits with high acidity
Gastritis, accompanied by normal or high acidity, requires a special diet. It is necessary to monitor the temperature of food: it is not recommended to eat food with a temperature above 40-50 ⁰C. Fruits can be consumed pureed, stewed, boiled, baked or stewed, as well as in purees, mousses, jellies, jellies or compotes. It is not recommended to eat fruits high in organic acids (pomegranates, citrus fruits, fresh apricots), unripe or sour fruits. During an exacerbation, all fruits should only be consumed in pureed form. The rest of the time it is better to use:
- sweet apple varieties;
- Avocado.
Fruits with low acidity
With the opposite form of gastritis, when acidity drops, 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 – promote the production of gastric juice, but can only be consumed by patients who are not allergic to the fruit.
Attention! With any gastrointestinal disease, it is important not to overload the stomach and to follow the diet prescribed by the doctor.
Diet for gastritis with high acidity
When a patient develops such inflammation of the stomach, the following processes occur:
- excessive production of hydrochloric acid;
- Increase in the acidity of hydrochloric acid.
Hydrochloric acid is normally used to break down the stomach contents. However, it must be within certain limits in order not to damage the body's own tissue.When pH increases, irritation of the stomach walls occurs, leading to the following stages:
- Inflammation;
- Erosion;
- Ulcer;
- Perforation.
Gastritis can develop at different ages. Prolonged exposure to a damaging factor is enough for an inflammatory process to occur. If the acidity of gastric juice increases, you need to follow a certain diet that reduces these indicators.
Attention! Many patients know that taking antacids reduces the acidity of gastric juice. However, taking these medications alone is prohibited. They have contraindications and side effects.
When following a diet, it is important to follow certain rules to ensure success.
- Avoid foods that cause or worsen damage to the stomach walls. This is a food that contains fiber and solid components. For example, cereals, rolls, bran, fibrous meat. All foods should be as gentle and easy to digest as possible.
- Refusal of foods and drinks that increase the acidity of hydrochloric acid. For example, citrus fruits, canned goods, coffee, alcohol, lemonade.
- Eat at a warm temperature. Do not drink boiling water, hot liquids or food. Cold foods are also not acceptable. The optimal limits are 25-35 degrees.
If a patient's gastritis has become severely aggravated and is causing unbearable pain, a strict diet must be started immediately. This will help to significantly reduce the inflammatory process and allow tissue recovery. Already on the 3rd day a person will feel relief. However, this is only possible with the help of additional medication 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 (e. g. oatmeal);
- noodle soup with milk (hard noodles are allowed);
- boiled young potatoes without cream, salt;
- Milk with a reduced fat content in order not to put greater strain on the gastrointestinal tract due to the occurrence of a high concentration of lactose.
In case of severe exacerbation and acute pain, each product is added gradually in small portions. This allows the digestive tract to get used to it and prevents negative reactions. However, if the food causes nausea or increased pain, it is better to replace it with other foods.
Once the acute phase is over, the diet is continued.It will be expanded to include the following types of products and dishes:
- boiled, baked eggs, they contain a high concentration of protein (the yolk can be removed to limit the amount of fat);
- lean chicken, rabbit and beef that can be baked, boiled and stewed (remove skin before cooking);
- Fish and seafood, which contain a large amount of Omega-3, which has a positive effect on the digestive tract and nervous system;
- milk, which must be boiled first;
- Soups with added grains (all grains except semolina are allowed);
- vegetables sold in the store depending on the season;
- Fruits that are recommended to be consumed between main meals so as not to burden the gastrointestinal tract but not to leave the stomach empty;
- quality sausages;
- olive, sunflower oil;
- dumplings and similar products prepared at home from natural minced meat and a thin layer of dough;
- offal, of which the liver has the most positive effect, as it contains a large amount of microelements and vitamins;
- soft cheese;
- Honey, weak tea, herbal decoction, dried fruit compote.
The following types of products must be limited:
- baked goods, muffins, fresh pastries;
- candies, chocolate;
- Dairy products.
All of these foods increase stomach acid. Carbohydrates negatively affect every part of the digestive tract and cause severe acidity. This is a favorable environment for Helicobacter pylori to multiply. In addition, chewing gum is avoided, as hydrochloric acid is actively produced when it is used. If there is too much of it, acid gastritis worsens. This can lead to the formation of erosions and ulcers.
Diet for gastritis with low acidity
With this type of inflammatory process of the stomach, the concentration and acidity of hydrochloric acid are reduced. Therefore, food is poorly digested, large pieces of food enter the intestines, which leads to severe strain on the intestines. This negatively affects the entire condition of the digestive tract. Typically, people aged 40 and over suffer from such gastritis.
If the pathology is not treated in a timely manner and a diet is not used, the following complications arise:
- atrophic condition of the gastric mucosa;
- thinning of tissue;
- reduced parietal cell function.
Gastritis with low acidity is one of the most dangerous and difficult to treat diseases. It is therefore important to start treatment early, before a precancerous condition develops.
To correct the pathology, you need to eat foods that 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 burden the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it is forbidden to eat fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods, fast food and alcohol, even if they increase acidity.
In case of illness, gastroenterologists advise adhering to certain nutritional principles:
- Before eating, drink 200 ml of lightly carbonated mineral water;
- Chew the food thoroughly and consume each piece little by little; the entire meal takes at least 30 minutes.
- It is advisable to eat fruits that increase acidity between meals; you can pre-bake them to avoid stress.
With the development of hypoacid gastritis, it is necessary to consume the following types of food or dishes:
- lean meats - chicken, turkey, rabbit, young veal;
- all fruits and vegetables that do not have a coarse fiber structure (citrus fruits, white cabbage and cauliflower are recommended);
- vegetable and meat broths;
- a low concentration of carbohydrates in the form of sweets and baked goods;
- all kinds of fermented milk products;
- Canned goods;
- Herbal decoction, tea, berry and fruit compote.
Since milk in any form reduces the acidity of gastric juice, its consumption when preparing a diet is prohibited.
Gastritis is one of the most common digestive problems among the population. The disease can affect patients of all ages. It can be prevented if you apply the rules of prevention. However, if the pathology has already developed, it is important to undergo diagnosis and start treatment in a timely manner to prevent the development of complications. Therapy is based on proper and high-quality nutrition, improving lifestyle and avoiding bad habits. The diet is selected individually for each patient, depending on the degree of damage and the acidity of gastric juice.