Foods That Help With Gastritis

With gastritis there are foods that make the condition worse – but oh, those that can relieve symptoms.

Anyone who suffers from gastritis usually knows very well which foods unnecessarily aggravate their symptoms and delay healing. But there are also foods that can support the healing of gastrits  and alleviate the symptoms. 

How does gastritis occur?

Gastritis is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach, which is mostly of bacterial origin. Your doctor will prescribe you important drugs to help fight the bacteria, but you can also use natural remedies to help your body cure the gastritis.

It is important that you only use these natural remedies in a supportive manner, because if gastritis remains untreated, it can lead to stomach ulcers and stomach cancer.

Typical symptoms of gastritis are pain that gets better after eating and then comes back violently. The pain is located in the upper abdomen, roughly behind the breastbone and is often mistaken for heart problems and is therefore often diagnosed as gastritis too late.

Gastritis usually only heals with the right medication prescribed by a doctor, but Mother Nature has provided some means to support this recovery process and to alleviate the symptoms of gastritis and thus improve it.

Which foods are unsuitable for gastritis?

It is important to adjust your diet to aid treatment. The best medicine is of no use if you constantly counteract the healing of gastritis with the wrong diet!

The following foods should be removed from the menu and avoided during this illness:

• Coffee: When the coffee beans are roasted, acids are produced that can additionally irritate the gastric mucosa. Until your gastritis has completely healed, coffee is completely forbidden for you!
• Some spices irritate the stomach. Lovely spices include: pepper, chilli, mustard, paprika and horseradish.
• Smoking promotes the production of stomach acid at night. Especially at night, the stomach has the chance to let the inflammation heal. Gastritis is caused by gastric mucosa damaged by gastric acid. A reduction in stomach acid is necessary for healing. Anyone who smokes does exactly the opposite!
• Alcohol in large quantities can lead to an inflammation of the gastric mucous membranes and thus also favor, aggravate or hinder healing. If you have gastritis, please completely avoid alcohol until it has healed!
• Some drugs are extremely irritating to the lining of the stomach and should never be taken while a stomach ulcer is healing. Some “everyday medicines” like aspirin are included. Please be sure to read the package insert – if stomach problems are mentioned there: stay away from them!

• Animal protein promotes inflammation. A stomach ulcer is inflammation that needs to heal. Therefore, try to eliminate animal proteins from your diet until you have recovered completely: no meat, no eggs, no dairy products. Legumes, soy milk products and nuts are ideal vegetable proteins.

But there are also foods that help relieve symptoms of gastritis, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. These include the following foods:

ginger tea

Ginger is anti-inflammatory and can reduce the stomach acid that irritates your stomach lining. For a ginger tea, chop fresh ginger root or grate it over a vegetable grater. Now boil the ginger in water for about 10 minutes and then pour the stock through a sieve.

Honey also has a healing effect, so you can use it to sweeten. Drink the warm tea in small pieces.

Camomile tea

Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes healing. Take small sips of a strong mixture of chamomile flowers throughout the day. The strong tea infusion should be lukewarm if possible, so as not to strain your stomach with additional heat or cold stimuli.

Fennel tea

For generations, fennel tea has been used to treat digestive problems. It has an antispasmodic effect and can help regulate digestion despite the pain. Stomach pain often leads to cramped food and gas, which fennel can counteract. The more concentrated the tea infusion, the better!

Rice water

Rice water is the water that is left over after you’ve cooked rice with more water than necessary. What’s left in the pot after you’ve cooked rice in boiling bags. And what you never get to see if you use the right ratio of water to rice.

Rice water is said to be good for gastrointestinal disorders, as some of the minerals contained in rice migrate into the cooking water and can help prevent mineral loss when drinking.

porridge

Porridge is nothing more than porridge. In exceptional cases, porridge can also be made from other types of grain, but it is usually made from fine oat flakes. Porridge can be prepared sweet or salty, we recommend the sweet version for breakfast.