Gastritis is a widespread disease that causes inflammation of the gastric mucosa. Statistics show that almost 90% of the world's population is familiar with the symptoms of this disease: heartburn, vomiting, stomach discomfort, bad breath.
There are several types of gastritis, as well as a number of reasons that lead to its development: consuming poor quality or inadequate food, the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori. One of the most important conditions for an effective treatment process is a proper diet for gastritis. It is very important to diagnose the disease on time, consult a doctor and go on a diet immediately.
Types of gastritis and symptoms
Some forms of the disease develop without the manifestation of special signs until gastritis begins to actively progress. For this reason, symptomatology should be considered based on specific disease types.
- Chronic form. You can recognize it by the dull pain that occurs about half an hour after eating. At first the feelings are insignificant, but over time they become stronger. To identify the disease, it is necessary to pass tests in the hospital and undergo endoscopy.
- Erosive form. It is accompanied by severe pain that appears unexpectedly, regardless of meals. This is due to the formation of erosive neoplasms on the gastric mucosa. In some difficult situations, bleeding occurs, diarrhea or vomiting with bloody streaks occurs.
- Atrophic form. It develops in the presence of significant thinning of the mucosa. If quality treatment is not started on time, it threatens to cause ulcers. It is characterized by bleeding, fever, pain, vomiting. In the initial stages, this form of gastritis has virtually no symptoms. Discomfort after drinking fizzy drinks is considered the only sign.
- Hypertrophic form. It is characterized by thickening of the stomach walls, which leads to inadequate digestion of food and the formation of growths. A person with this type of disease suffers from heartburn, constipation, pain that occurs during meals.
- Decreased gastric secretory activity. This form is considered the most common. It is accompanied by problems with the formation of hydrochloric acid and some essential enzymes. This type of gastritis is manifested by nausea, diarrhea, specific taste in the mouth, stomach pain.
It is important to remember that symptoms can be more severe if treatment is not available. Other, more unpleasant and dangerous for the human body, are sometimes added to the described signs.
Basic principles of nutrition
The peculiarities of the diet for gastritis are not only in what a person should eat, but also in the way he does it. It is important to follow a few simple rules.
- Food should be eaten in small portions, at least 5 times a day. Such a diet restores digestive activities to normal and prevents overeating.
- At least 3 to 4 hours must pass between meals.
- It is important to always eat at the same time.
- You chew food thoroughly and many people forget about it too often.
- You can't ignore breakfast, limiting yourself to just a cup of tea or water. It must be complete.
- It is worth eating at least 3 hours before a night’s rest.
- Proper nutrition completely eliminates snacks on the go or dry food.
- In order not to disturb the digestive process, you can drink only half an hour after a meal.
- Lunch and dinner menus are not complete without hot soups.
- Consumption of soda, coffee, hot spices, fatty foods and alcohol should be completely reduced.
- It is important to quit the habit of smoking.
- It is worth using fresh, high-quality products for cooking, and ready meals should be stored properly.
These rules will be useful not only to people suffering from gastritis, but also to all who care about their own health. The transition to a new way of life should take place gradually. Over time, your body will get used to the changes, and you will feel much better.
How to develop the right diet?
After discovering the first symptoms of gastritis, you should immediately consult a qualified doctor and, even without waiting for the test results, you should change your menu. Consider the main foods and dishes, the possibility of their use in the presence of gastritis.
Soups
Vegetable soups with additives in the form of noodles, rice, permitted foods or mashed potatoes are excellent for every day. For example, a soup based on a decoction of potatoes or carrots. It is necessary to give up strong soups of mushrooms and vegetables, borscht, okroshka.
Flour products
Such food is forbidden, but there are certain reserves. It is allowed to use bread from allowed grains. However, the pastry should be a little dry. It is imperative to completely exclude from the menu black and all other varieties of fresh bread, puff and rich flour.
Groats
Gastricists will benefit from buckwheat porridge, rice and oatmeal. The dishes should have a semi-viscous structure, they should be ground before use. Chopped cereal cutlets are a good alternative. Rice and oatmeal are especially helpful.
Patients with increased production of gastric juice should definitely include rice in the menu. Cereals contain a large amount of vitamins and complex carbohydrates. If you have a tendency to constipation, you need to give up porridge and start making rice soups.
Oatmeal is an indispensable ingredient in gastritis. This product is characterized by a high fiber content, protects the stomach walls from various negative influences. Oatmeal contains acids and vitamins necessary for the human body. Porridge and jelly are prepared from cereals. It is important to use plain oatmeal, not instant products.
Vegetables
The products are pre-steamed or boiled and then ground. You can use potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, but only cauliflower, sometimes green peas. It is allowed to eat fresh zucchini and pumpkin without grinding. Finely chopped fresh dill is gradually added to soups. Only ripe tomatoes that are not too sour varieties are allowed, no more than 100 g.
It is forbidden to eat mushrooms, spinach, sorrel, beets, onions, cabbage. Experts do not recommend consuming sauerkraut, pickled fruits, pickles and canned food.
Sweets
You can eat baked and cooked fruits and berries, jellies, jellies and purees from them, but all products must be thoroughly grated. The use of honey is acceptable.
You cannot eat sour, unripe fruit. Dried fruit is allowed to eat only in grated form. Chocolate is a forbidden sweetness.
Sauces and spices
Fruit sauces are moderately acceptable. Vanilla, cinnamon, parsley, dill are allowed in small doses. Spicy spices, ketchup, horseradish, mushroom sauces must be removed from the menu.
Drink
Gastritis and diet are closely related, but the drinks consumed by a person suffering from the symptoms of this disease also deserve great attention. Sweet juices and rosehip decoctions are not allowed. You can't drink yeast, soda, coffee.
Recommendations
When choosing a product it is necessary to take into account some nuances of the diet for gastritis.
- Try to drink plenty of fluids between meals. You cannot drink with meals because water or juice can trigger fermentation processes that interfere with normal digestion. In order not to be thirsty at meal time, it is enough to include soups and stews in your diet.
- During the week there should be 1-2 days for unloading. At this point, you can only drink juices and still water. Experts recommend taking activated charcoal - 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight. This tool will help cleanse the body of pathogens and toxins.
- The diet in the presence of a chronic form of the disease deserves the most attention. Fried in oil as well as fatty foods are unacceptable. A diet with an atrophic type of disease also implies a ban on such food, but such a measure must be unquestioningly followed, otherwise the mucosa will become even thinner. The healthiest dishes are soups.
- We will have to reduce the use of spices, especially those that contain a lot of dyes and preservatives. Only natural spices are allowed to be added to food as they will not worsen the symptoms of the disease.
- In the presence of gastritis, regardless of the form, you should not drink alcohol, soda, very cold drinks. The best option would be herbal teas, juices and they should not be too sweet or sour.
Dietary features for gastritis are of great importance for the effective treatment of the disease.
Strict adherence to all dietary rules helps to reduce the manifestation of severe symptoms, helps to improve the patient's condition.
It is equally important to consult a doctor about this problem and avoid self-medication. Following the wrong advice can make the situation worse and worsen gastritis, complicate therapy and intensify pain.