Gastritis is the name given to inflammatory processes in the gastric mucosa, which inevitably lead to digestive problems. A person begins to digest food poorly, as a result of which his health deteriorates and weakness and lethargy appear. According to statistics, approximately half of all residents of our country to one degree or another experience painful symptoms of gastritis.
Diet for gastritis
Many people wonder: what diet should you follow for gastritis? This is a very important question, since proper nutrition is a major part of the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. If you have gastritis, you should always follow a gentle diet, and if your health improves, you can return to normal eating habits only gradually. In some cases, doctors prescribe an individual diet for gastritis.
It is also necessary to remember that enzyme deficiency develops with gastritis, 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 gastritis: acute and chronic. In different people, these forms can be accompanied by both high and low degrees of stomach acidity. Acute gastritis is of the following types:
- fibrinous (it worsens with the onset of infectious diseases);
- catarrhal (accompanied by a violation of the integrity of the outer shell of the stomach);
- phlegmonous (causes purulent inflammatory processes on the stomach walls);
- corrosive (one of the side effects of poisoning).
The chronic disease, in turn, manifests itself in the following forms:
- superficial;
- hypertrophic;
- polyposis;
- bacterial;
- granulomatous;
- autoimmune.
Another form of chronic gastritis is characteristic of those people whose stomach walls are damaged due to systematic intake of alcohol in large quantities.
Basic principles of a diet for gastritis
Remember that proper nutrition in gastritis is the key to successfully overcoming the symptoms. If the acidity of the gastric juice is increased, then you should eat foods that help reduce its activity. Follow three rules:
- Mechanical principle. Avoid foods that contain coarse fiber. Such products include onion crops, meat with veins and bran. In addition, dishes cooked in butter are strictly prohibited.
- Chemical principle. Avoid foods that can increase gastric secretions. This list includes alcohol, carbonated water, citrus fruits (including citrus juices), coffee, black bread, cabbage and rich meat broth.
- Thermal principle. Do not eat foods with very high or very low temperatures. They irritate the esophagus, and cold food, among other things, lingers longer than usual in the stomach.
What foods can you eat if you have gastritis?
Include lean meat (such as rabbit) in your diet. Duck, lamb and goose are not allowed, but chicken can only be eaten without the skin.
Other acceptable foods and meals include:
- river fish;
- Seafood;
- egg white omelette;
- oatmeal and buckwheat porridge;
- milk;
- zucchini, squash, tomatoes, carrots, various vegetables;
- fruits with a high sugar content;
- cooked and pureed fruit.
What should be missing from the diet?
If you are diagnosed with gastritis caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, then it is not advisable to prescribe a diet. Do not forget to consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist so that the treatment of gastritis is consistent and effective.
With this disease, the menu should not include:
- Fresh baked goods, especially rye bread, as well as puff pastry. Instead, it is better to eat white bread, plain biscuits and pies.
- Soups with rich broth, 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 stewed meat (cutlets, meatballs). Allowed types of meat are chicken and lamb.
- Hard-boiled eggs and fried omelettes. They should be replaced with soft-boiled eggs and steamed omelets.
- Any salty and spicy dishes, marinades, chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee and kvass.
- Alcohol.
Diet for increased acidity
With this form of gastritis, you should not overdo it with fruits and vegetables, as they can worsen your health. However, you should not completely remove these products from the menu. Avoid foods that can stimulate the production of stomach acid and choose foods that reduce acidity. By eating right, you're more likely to lose weight than gain weight. Below is a table of permitted and prohibited products:
| Vegetables: carrots, pumpkin, potatoes, beets. Light vegetable salads. Tomatoes: ripe, chopped. Cucumbers without skin. | Greenery. |
| Fruits: non-acidic, ripe, without skin (banana, pear, apple). It is best not to eat the fruits raw, but roasted. Watermelons and melons – in very limited quantities. | French fries, pickled foods, sauerkraut. |
| Milk (cow or goat), cream, yogurt. Fresh cottage cheese. | Sour cream, kefir, hard cheese. |
| Soup with diet broth. | Cabbage soup and borscht in a rich broth. |
| pasta | Legumes |
| Boiled chicken or rabbit meat, lean river fish. | Smoked meats, fish and meats with a high fat content, canned goods. |
| Oatmeal and buckwheat | Dried fruit |
| Soft-boiled eggs. | Chocolate |
| Crackers, white bread (that has been out for a few days), dry biscuits. | Hard-boiled eggs, fried omelette. |
| Weak tea and coffee, cocoa with added milk. | Rye and freshly baked bread. Cakes, confectionery with cream filling. |
A low-acid diet
Under such conditions, you need to eat differently than in the previous case. You should eat foods that promote gastric secretion. The table below shows meals that are suitable for remission. If you have severe pain in the stomach, then you should exclude from the menu dishes that irritate the stomach tissue.
Vegetables: baked potatoes, tomatoes, greens, carrots, beets, pumpkin, pickles.
Diet for gastritis - general recommendations
Patients with gastritis should exclude spices used in the cooking process from the menu. You can improve the taste of food with fresh herbs (parsley, dill, celery). Greens will also help you add vitamins to your diet: try to spice up as many of the dishes you eat with finely chopped greens.
You should eat small portions, but avoid snacks; thus, the stomach will not have difficulty in digesting the food. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly. Food eaten in haste can worsen your health and worsen gastritis. Chew your food until it turns into an easily digestible paste.
Remember 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 symptoms and pain associated with this disease within 4 weeks.
Important: before use, read the instructions or consult your doctor.
What to eat with gastritis of the stomach?
Characteristics of gastritis
Gastritis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the stomach lining that causes pain, loss of appetite and other symptoms. Of all pathologies of the digestive tract, most patients suffer from this disease.
Many people underestimate the importance of timely diagnosis of gastritis and consider it a minor deviation that does not require treatment. They believe that the disease will not harm and will gradually disappear by itself, without treatment. But if the methods of treatment and diet are not applied in a timely manner, the pathology can gradually develop into peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum and malignant transformation.
Etiological factors
Many studies have been conducted, statistical data have been collected, according to which the basis for the development of inflammatory pathologies of the stomach is Helicobacter pylori. This is a bacteria 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 multiply actively, causing pathology. It is Helicobacter pylori that over time can lead to the development of atypical cells of the mucosa, which will cause malignant degeneration.
- Eating poor quality food. It includes fatty, fried, spicy, smoked and excessively salty foods. This type of food aggressively affects the walls of the stomach, causing an inflammatory process. Due to the damage, Helicobacter pylori begins to multiply actively.
- Smokede. Nicotine and smog during smoking spread to the respiratory tract and digestive system. It negatively affects the mucous membranes, causing irritation and increased inflammation.
- Drinking large amounts of alcohol. This has a toxic effect on every tissue of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. Leads to the occurrence or intensification of inflammation.
- stress. Strong physical and psycho-emotional stress. These factors cause an active production of cortisol. Leads to increased secretion of hydrochloric acid. If it acts on the walls of the stomach in the absence of bolus food, damage occurs.
If the patient is simultaneously affected by several factors, the disease develops faster.
Clinical signs
In the early stages, the patient and the doctor may not notice visual signs. The greater the damage, the more actively the inflammatory process develops.
- pain in the epigastric region, aggravated by stress, eating, hunger;
- nausea, vomiting, which occurs regardless of food intake;
- constipation, diarrhea.
There are signs by which it can be determined whether the patient has a gastroenterological pathology.
- frequent occurrence of epigastric pain;
- point pain in the middle of the abdomen;
- heartburn;
- frequent belching;
- constipation, diarrhea;
- occasional nausea;
- vomiting for no reason;
- the presence of any gastroenterological diseases in close relatives;
- presence of bad habits (smoking, frequent drinking of alcohol, overeating);
- periodic application of a strict diet.
It is impossible to independently determine the diagnosis, since symptoms can be present in temporary disorders or other acute, chronic diseases. 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
- gastroenterologist;
- nutritionist.
It is better if these doctors work together to provide quality treatment.
- degree of mucosal damage;
- the degree of spread of the lesion in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract;
- reasons for the defeat.
After collecting complete information, a diet is drawn up. This is one of the main methods of treatment that reduces the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.
- with high acidity;
- with low acidity.
Regardless of the type of diet chosen, the gastroenterologist should remind you of the basic principles of proper nutrition during illness.
- Separation. The total volume of products that the patient should consume in 1 day is determined. It is divided into 6 parts, with meals distributed evenly throughout the day. That is, the patient should take food every 3 hours. You should not overeat or starve, as these factors negatively affect the state of the stomach. One portion of food is approximately the volume of two palms.
- Chewing. The consumed food begins to be digested 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 meals. You need to sit and lie down for 30 minutes so that the digestive process can start smoothly.
- temperature. If an inflammatory process is suspected, eat warm food. It should not be too hot or cold.
- Water mode. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day to maintain a stable water-electrolyte balance and prevent the development of dehydration. Drink water little by little throughout the day.
- Mandatory protein intake. Proteins are the building blocks of the body. Thanks to them, damaged tissues recover faster after gastritis.
- Prohibition of eating too coarse food. It should not contain particles that can injure the affected mucosal structure.
- Proper cooking. Boil, steam, bake. No frying or smoking.
- Prohibition of alcohol consumption, caffeine, energy drinks, soda.
- Maintaining the concentration of vitamins. If they are normal, metabolism and metabolism are improved, the nervous system and the digestive tract are strengthened. If there are not enough nutrients, multivitamin preparations are used.
Applying these rules reduces the load on the stomach during treatment.
Fruits with high acidity
Gastritis accompanied by normal or high acidity requires special nutrition. It is necessary to monitor the temperature of the food: it is not recommended to eat food with a temperature above 40-50 ⁰C. The fruits can be eaten pureed, steamed, boiled, roasted or stewed or in purees, mousses, jellies, jellies or compotes. It is not recommended to consume fruits with a high content of organic acids (pomegranates, citrus fruits, fresh apricots), unripe or acidic fruits. During an exacerbation, all fruits should be used only in puree. The rest of the time it is better to use:
- sweet varieties of apples;
- avocado.
Fruits with low acidity
For the reverse form of gastritis, when acidity is reduced, doctors recommend other fruits:
- citrus fruits - prevent the formation of malignant cells, maintain normal acidity;
- pomegranate and its juice help restore the stomach lining;
- peaches - promote the production of gastric juice, but they can be eaten only by patients who are not allergic to fruits.
attention! With any gastrointestinal pathology, it is important not to overload the stomach and follow the diet prescribed by the doctor.
Diet for gastritis with increased acidity
- excessive production of hydrochloric acid;
- increasing the acidity of hydrochloric acid.
Normally, hydrochloric acid is meant to break down the contents of the stomach. But it must be within certain limits so as not to damage the body's own tissues.
- inflammation;
- erosion;
- ulcer;
- perforation.
Gastritis can develop at different ages. Prolonged exposure to a damaging factor is sufficient for the development of an inflammatory process. If the acidity of the gastric juice increases, you must follow a certain diet that reduces these indicators.
attention! Many patients know that taking antacids reduces the acidity of gastric juice. However, it is forbidden to take these drugs alone. They have contraindications and side effects.
When using a diet, it is important to follow certain rules in order to achieve success.
- Avoiding foods that cause or worsen damage to the stomach walls. It is a food containing fiber and solid elements. For example, cereals, buns, bran, stringy meat. All food should be as gentle and easily digestible as possible.
- Rejection of any foods and drinks that cause an increase in the acidity of hydrochloric acid. For example, citrus fruits, canned goods, coffee, alcohol, soda.
- Eating food at a warm temperature. Do not consume boiling water, hot liquids or food. Cold foods are also unacceptable. The optimal limits are 25-35 degrees.
If the patient's gastritis has worsened greatly and causes unbearable pain, it is necessary to immediately start a strict diet. This will help significantly reduce the inflammatory process and allow the tissues to recover. Already on the third day, a person will feel relief. But this is possible only with the help of additional use of drugs prescribed by a doctor.
- 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 new potatoes without cream, salt;
- milk with a reduced fat content, so as not to cause an increased load on the gastrointestinal tract due to the appearance of a high concentration of lactose.
If there is a severe exacerbation and sharp pain, each product is added gradually, in small portions. This will allow the digestive tract to get used to it and will not cause negative reactions. But if the food causes nausea or increased pain, it is better to replace it with other types of food.
Immediately after passing the acute period, the diet continues.
- boiled, baked eggs, they contain a high concentration of protein (the yolk can be removed to limit the amount of fat);
- lean chicken, rabbit, beef, which can be baked, boiled, stewed (remove the skin before cooking);
- fish and seafood, which contain a large amount of omega-3, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive tract and nervous system;
- milk that must first be boiled;
- soups with added grains (any grains are allowed, except semolina);
- vegetables that are sold in the store according to the season;
- fruits, which are recommended to be consumed between main meals, in order not to burden the gastrointestinal tract, but also not to leave the stomach empty;
- quality sausages;
- olive oil, 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 trace elements and vitamins;
- soft cheeses;
- honey, weak tea, herbal decoctions, dried fruit compote.
- bakery products, muffins, fresh pastries;
- candy, chocolate;
- dairy products.
All of these foods increase stomach acidity. Carbohydrates negatively affect every part of the digestive tract, causing strong acidity, which is a favorable environment for the spread of Helicobacter pylori. In addition, chewing gum is avoided, as hydrochloric acid is actively produced during its use. If there is too much of it, acid gastritis will increase. This can lead to the formation of erosions and ulcers.
Diet for gastritis with low acidity
In this type of inflammatory process of the stomach, the concentration and acidity of hydrochloric acid is reduced. Because of this, food is poorly digested, large pieces of food enter the intestine, which causes a large load on it. This negatively affects the entire state of the digestive tract. People over the age of 40 usually suffer from such gastritis.
- atrophic condition of the gastric mucosa;
- tissue thinning;
- decreased parietal cell function.
Gastritis with low acidity is one of the most dangerous diseases that is difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to start treatment at an early stage, before a precancerous condition develops.
To correct the pathology, you need to consume foods that will stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. You also need to increase its acidity so that the food bolus is processed.
attention! It is necessary to simultaneously increase acidity and not burden the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it is forbidden to use fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods, fast food and alcohol, regardless of the fact that they increase acidity.
- before meals, drink 200 ml of slightly carbonated mineral water;
- chew food thoroughly, gradually consuming each piece; the entire meal takes at least 30 minutes;
- Between meals it is recommended to eat fruits that increase acidity, you can bake them in advance so as not to cause stress.
- lean types of meat - chicken, turkey, rabbit, young veal;
- all types of fruits and vegetables that do not have a coarse fiber structure (citrus fruits, white cabbage and cauliflower are recommended);
- vegetable and meat broths;
- a small concentration of carbohydrates in the form of sweets and baked goods;
- all types of fermented milk products;
- canned foods;
- herbal decoctions, tea, compote of berries and fruits.
Since milk in any form reduces the acidity of gastric juice, it is forbidden to consume it when preparing a diet.
Gastritis is one of the most common digestive problems in the population. The disease can affect patients of any age. It can be prevented if you follow the rules of prevention. But if the pathology has already developed, it is important to undergo a timely diagnosis and start treatment to prevent the development of complications. Therapy is based on a proper and high-quality diet, 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.