Gastritis is the name given to inflammatory processes that occur in the gastric mucosa and inevitably lead to digestive problems. A person begins to poorly digest food, as a result of which his health deteriorates, weakness and drowsiness appear. According to statistics, about half of the inhabitants of our country experience painful symptoms of gastritis to one degree or another.
Diet for gastritis
Many people wonder: What diet should you follow for gastritis? This is a very important question, since proper nutrition is an important part of the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. If you have gastritis, you should always follow a bland diet, and if your health improves, you can only gradually return to normal eating habits. In some cases, doctors recommend an individual diet for gastritis.
It is also important to remember that enzymatic deficiency develops in gastritis, so in some cases it is worth using enzyme preparations such as Micrazim in combination with a diet to improve digestion.
There are two types of gastritis: acute and chronic. In different people, these forms may be accompanied by both high and low degrees of stomach acidity. Acute gastritis is of the following types:
- fibrinous (aggravated with the occurrence of infectious diseases);
- catarrh (with violation of the integrity of the outer membrane of the stomach);
- phlegmy (causes purulent inflammatory processes in the walls of the stomach);
- corrosive (one of the side effects of poisoning).
Chronic disease occurs in the following ways:
- superficial;
- hypertrophic;
- polyposis;
- bacterial;
- granulomatous;
- autoimmune
Another form of chronic gastritis is typical for people whose stomach walls are damaged due to systematic intake of large amounts of alcohol.
Basic principles of diet in gastritis disorders
Remember that a proper diet for gastritis is the key to successfully overcoming the symptoms. If the acidity of your gastric juice increases, you should eat foods that will help reduce its activity. Follow three rules:
- Mechanical principle. Avoid foods containing coarse fiber. Such products include onion plants, veined meat, and bran. In addition, dishes cooked in oil are strictly prohibited.
- Chemical principle. Avoid foods that may increase gastric secretion. This list includes alcohol, mineral water, citrus fruits (including juices derived from them), coffee, black bread, cabbage and rich broths.
- Thermal principle. Do not eat foods that are too high or too low in temperature. They irritate the esophagus and, among other things, cold food remains in the stomach longer than usual.
What foods can you eat if you have gastritis?
Add lean meat (like rabbit) to your diet. Duck, lamb and geese are not allowed, but chicken can only be eaten without skin.
Other acceptable foods and meals include:
- River fish;
- Sea products;
- egg white omelet;
- oatmeal and buckwheat porridge;
- milk;
- zucchini, squash, tomatoes, carrots, various greens;
- fruits with high sugar content;
- boiled and pureed fruits.
What should be missing in the diet?
If you have been diagnosed with gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, it is not recommended to prescribe yourself a diet. For gastritis treatment to be consistent and effective, be sure to consult a gastroenterologist or nutritionist.
With this disease, the menu should not include:
- Freshly baked goods, especially rye bread and puff pastries. It is better to eat white bread, plain cookies and pies instead.
- Soups with rich broths, including mushroom soup, cabbage soup, and borscht. Such dishes should be replaced with light vegetable soups containing potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions.
- Fatty and veiny meats, as well as smoked dishes. 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 omelette. They should be replaced with soft-boiled eggs and steamed omelettes.
- All kinds of salty and spicy dishes, marinades, chocolate, carbonated drinks, coffee and kvass.
- Alcohol.
Diet for high acidity
With this type of gastritis, you should not overconsume fruits and vegetables, as it can worsen your health. However, you should not completely remove these products 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 some weight rather than gain weight. Below is a table showing allowed and prohibited products:
Vegetables: carrots, zucchini, potatoes, beets. Light vegetable salads. Tomatoes: ripe, chopped. Cucumbers without peel. | Greens. |
Fruits: non-acidic, ripe, without peel (bananas, pears, apples). It is best to eat fruits cooked, not raw. Watermelons and melons - in very limited quantities. | Fried potatoes, pickled foods, sauerkraut. |
Milk (from cow or goat), cream, yoghurt. Fresh cottage cheese. | Sour cream, kefir, hard cheese. |
Soup with diet broth. | Cabbage soup and borscht in rich broth. |
Pasta | legumes |
Boiled chicken or rabbit meat, lean river fish. | Smoked meats, fish and meats with high fat content, canned foods. |
Oatmeal and buckwheat | dried fruits |
Soft boiled egg. | Chocolate |
Crackers, white bread (that's been sitting for a few days), dry biscuits. | Boiled eggs, fried omelette. |
Weak tea and coffee, cocoa with milk. | Rye and freshly baked bread. Cakes, confectionery products with cream filling. |
low acid diet
In such cases, you need to eat differently than in the previous case. You should eat foods that increase gastric secretion. The table below shows meals suitable for remission. If you have severe pain in your stomach, you need to exclude from the menu dishes that irritate the stomach tissue.
Vegetables: baked potatoes, tomatoes, greens, carrots, beets, zucchini, pickles.
Diet for gastritis - general recommendations
Patients with gastritis should exclude spices used in cooking from the menu. You can improve the taste of the dish with fresh herbs (parsley, dill, celery). Greens will also help add vitamins to your diet: Try flavoring most of the meals you eat with finely chopped greens.
You should eat small meals but avoid snacks; Thus, the stomach does not have difficulty digesting food. Chew your food thoroughly and eat slowly. Food eaten hastily can worsen your health and aggravate gastritis. Chew your food until it becomes an easily digestible paste.
Remember that proper and balanced nutrition is the key to gastritis treatment. Many patients who follow a strict diet during treatment say that this diet helped them successfully overcome all the symptoms and pain associated with this disease within 4 weeks.
Important: Read the instructions or consult your doctor before use.
What to eat for stomach gastritis?
Statistics on gastritis and stomach ulcers in children and adults are increasing day by day. This also applies to other inflammatory diseases of the digestive system. Patients experience constant pain that affects their quality of life. It is necessary to contact a gastroenterologist in a timely manner to make a comprehensive diagnosis and determine the source of the lesion. With adequate and timely treatment, the risk of complications decreases. It is important not only to take medications, but also to create proper nutrition under the supervision of your doctor and nutritionist. This is the basis of prevention and treatment.
Features of gastritis
Gastritis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the stomach lining, leading to pain, loss of appetite and other symptoms. Most patients with all pathologies of the digestive system 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 think that the disease will not cause any harm and will gradually go away on its own without the need for treatment. But if treatment methods and diet are not applied in a timely manner, the pathology can gradually turn into a peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum and malignant transformation.
Etiological factors
Many studies have been conducted and statistics have been collected, according to which Helicobacter pylori is the basis for the development of inflammatory pathologies of the stomach. This is a bacteria that attacks the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Most people are only carriers of the bacterium, but under the influence of adverse factors it begins to actively multiply and cause pathology. It is Helicobacter pylori that, over time, can lead to the development of atypical cells of the mucous membrane, which can cause malignant degeneration.
Doctors have identified the main harmful factors that can cause gastroenteritis:
- Eating poor quality food. It includes fatty, fried, spicy, smoked and excessively salty foods. Such food aggressively affects the walls of the stomach, causing an inflammatory process. Due to damage, Helicobacter pylori begins to actively multiply.
- Kurenito. Nicotine and smoke during smoking spread into the respiratory tract and digestive system. It negatively affects mucous membranes, causing irritation and increased inflammation.
- drinking large amounts of alcohol. This has a toxic effect on any tissue of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. It causes inflammation to occur or intensify.
- Stress. Great physical and psycho-emotional stress. These factors cause active cortisol production. It leads to increased release of hydrochloric acid. If the bolus acts on the stomach walls in the absence of food, damage occurs.
If the patient is affected by more than one factor at the same time, the disease develops faster.
clinical signs
In the early stages, the patient and doctor may not notice visual symptoms. The more damage occurs, the more actively the inflammatory process develops.Therefore, over time, 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 has gastroenterological pathology.It is recommended to contact a gastroenterologist if a person has more than 4 symptoms:
- frequent occurrence of epigastric pain;
- pinpoint pain in the middle of the abdomen;
- painful burning sensation in the chest;
- frequent burping;
- constipation, diarrhea;
- occasional nausea;
- vomiting for no reason;
- the presence of any gastroenterological disease in close relatives;
- the presence of bad habits (smoking, frequent drinking of alcohol, overeating);
- periodic use of a strict diet.
It is impossible to independently determine the diagnosis, as symptoms may be present in transient disorders or other acute, chronic diseases. It is important to be examined and diagnosed by a doctor who will recommend conservative or radical treatment depending on the developing lesion.
Diet
The diet is prescribed by 2 doctors:
- gastroenterologist;
- dietitian.
It is better for these doctors to work together to provide quality treatment.But first they undergo examination and diagnostic tests to determine the following factors:
- degree of damage to the mucous membrane;
- the degree of spread of the lesion to different parts of the gastrointestinal tract;
- reasons for defeat.
Once complete information is collected, a nutritional regimen is prepared. This is one of the main methods of treatment that reduces the load on the gastrointestinal tract.There are 2 diets for the development of inflammatory pathologies of the stomach:
- high acidity;
- low acidity.
Regardless of the type of diet chosen, the gastroenterologist should remind you of the basic principles of proper nutrition during the disease.
- Separation. The total volume of products that the patient should consume in 1 day is determined. The meals are divided into 6 parts, distributing them evenly throughout the day. In other words, the patient needs to eat every 3 hours. You should not overeat or starve, as these factors negatively affect the condition of the stomach. One serving of food is approximately the size of two palms.
- Chewing. Consumed food begins to be digested in the oral cavity under the influence of enzyme-containing saliva. Therefore, it is important to chew each piece for a long time.
- Rest after meal. In order for the digestive process to begin unhindered, you need to sit and lie down for 30 minutes.
- Heat. If there is a suspicion of an inflammatory process, eat hot food. It should not be excessively hot or cold.
- water mode. To maintain a stable water-electrolyte balance and prevent the development of dehydration, drink at least 2 liters of water per day. Drink water little by little throughout the day.
- Mandatory protein intake. Proteins are the foundation on which the body is built. Thanks to them, damaged tissues after gastritis heal faster.
- Prohibition of eating excessively hard foods. It should not contain parts that could damage the affected structure of the mucous membrane.
- Correct cooking. It is boiled, steamed, baked. Frying or smoking is prohibited.
- Prohibition of alcohol consumption, caffeine, energy drinks, soda.
- Maintenance of vitamin concentrations. If normal, metabolism and metabolism improve, the nervous system and digestive system become stronger. If there is not enough nutrients, multivitamin preparations are used.
Following these rules reduces the burden on the stomach during treatment.
High acid fruits
Gastritis accompanied by normal or high acidity requires special nutrition. It is necessary to monitor the temperature of food: it is not recommended to consume food with a temperature above 40-50 ⁰C. Fruits can be consumed pureed, steamed, boiled, baked or stewed, or in the form of puree, mousse, jelly, jelly or compote. It is not recommended to consume fruits with high organic acid content (pomegranate, citrus fruits, fresh apricots), unripe or sour fruits. During an exacerbation, all fruits should be used only in puree form. The rest of the time it is better to use:
- sweet apple varieties;
- avocado.
Low acid fruits
For the opposite of gastritis, where acidity decreases, doctors recommend other fruits:
- citrus fruits - prevents the formation of malignant cells, keeps acidity normal;
- pomegranate and its juice help regenerate the gastric mucosa;
- Peaches - stimulate 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 adhere to the diet prescribed by the doctor.
Diet for gastritis with high acidity
If a patient develops this type of gastroenteritis, the following processes occur:
- excessive production of hydrochloric acid;
- increase in acidity of hydrochloric acid.
Normally, hydrochloric acid is intended to break down stomach contents. However, it must be within certain limits in order to prevent damage to the body's own tissues.If its pH increases, irritation of the stomach walls begins, leading to the following stages:
- 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 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, it is forbidden to take these drugs on your own. It has contraindications and side effects.
In order to achieve success while dieting, it is important to follow certain rules.
- Avoiding foods that damage the stomach walls or make them worse. This is a food that contains fiber and solid elements. For example, cereals, buns, bran, fibrous meat. All food should be as soft and easily digestible as possible.
- Refusal of foods and drinks that cause increased acidity of hydrochloric acid. For example, citrus fruits, canned food, coffee, alcohol, soda.
- Eating food at hot temperatures. Do not consume boiling water, hot liquids or food. Cold foods are also unacceptable. Optimum limits are 25-35 degrees.
If the patient's gastritis is seriously aggravated and causes unbearable pain, it is necessary to immediately start a strict diet. This will help significantly reduce the inflammatory process and allow tissues to heal. Already on the 3rd day, the person will feel relieved. But this is only possible with the additional use of drugs prescribed by the doctor.
The following foods and dishes are recommended when prescribing a strict diet:
- low-fat chicken or vegetable broth with crackers, which can be replaced with soft porridge (for example, oatmeal);
- milk pasta soup (hard pasta is allowed);
- boiled young potatoes without cream or salt;
- Milk with 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 severe exacerbation and acute pain, each product is gradually added in small portions. This will allow the digestive system to get used to it and will not cause negative reactions. But if food causes nausea or increased pain, it is better to replace it with other types of food.
The diet is resumed as soon as the acute period passes.It is expanded with the following types of products and dishes:
- boiled, baked eggs contain a high concentration of protein (yolks can be removed 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 containing large amounts of omega-3, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and nervous system;
- milk, which must be boiled first;
- soups with added grains (any grains are allowed, except semolina);
- Vegetables sold in the store according to season;
- Fruits that are recommended to be consumed between main meals in order not to create stress on the gastrointestinal system but not to leave the stomach empty;
- quality sausages;
- olive, sunflower oil;
- meatballs and similar products prepared at home from natural minced meat and a thin layer of dough;
- Offal has the most positive effect on the liver, as it contains a large amount of microelements and vitamins;
- soft cheeses;
- honey, weak tea, herbal decoction, dried fruit compote.
The following types of products need to be limited:
- bakery products, cakes, fresh pastries;
- candies, chocolate;
- Dairy products.
All of these foods increase stomach acidity. Carbohydrates negatively affect any part of the digestive system, causing strong acidity. This is a favorable environment for Helicobacter pylori to proliferate. In addition, they refuse to chew gum, since hydrochloric acid is actively produced during its use. If there is too much, acid gastritis will be exacerbated. This can lead to erosion and ulcer formation.
Diet for gastritis with low acidity
With this type of inflammatory process of the stomach, the concentration and acidity of hydrochloric acid decreases. Because of this, food is poorly digested, large pieces of food enter the intestines, which creates a heavy load on it. This negatively affects the entire condition of the digestive system. Typically people aged 40 and above suffer from this type of gastritis.
If the pathology is not treated in time and the diet is not followed, the following complications occur:
- atrophic state of the gastric mucosa;
- thinning of tissues;
- decreased parietal cell function.
Low-acid gastritis 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 pre-cancerous 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 the acidity of the food bolus for it to be processed.
Attention! It is necessary to simultaneously increase acidity and not put pressure on the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the consumption of fatty, spicy, fried, smoked foods, fast food and alcohol is prohibited, even though it increases acidity.
In case of illness, gastroenterologists recommend adhering to certain nutritional principles:
- drink 200 ml of slightly carbonated mineral water before a meal;
- Chew food thoroughly, consume each piece slowly; the entire meal takes at least 30 minutes;
- It is recommended to consume fruits that increase acidity between meals, you can cook them in advance to avoid 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, young veal;
- all kinds 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 amount of carbohydrates in the form of sweets and baked goods;
- all types of fermented milk products;
- canned food;
- herbal decoction, tea, fruit and berry compote.
Milk in any form is prohibited to consume when preparing a diet, as it reduces the acidity of gastric juice.
Gastritis is one of the most common digestive problems in society. The disease can affect patients of all ages. It can be prevented if you use prevention rules. But if the pathology has already developed, it is important to make a timely diagnosis and start treatment to prevent the development of complications. The basis of therapy is proper and 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.