Diet and Gastritis 🆙

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What is gastritis

Gastritis is an acute or chronic inflammatory process of the gastric wall.

Symptoms

The classic symptoms of gastritis are:

Stomach acidity
Heartburn
Stomach cramps
Nausea
He retched.

The medical approach to chronic gastritis involves the execution of in-depth diagnostic investigations and targeted drug therapies.
On the contrary, for the milder and / or sporadic forms the following are sufficient: rest and reduction of nervous stress, assisted by a light and adequate diet; a pharmacological approach is rarely recommended.

Causes of mild gastritis

Gastritis is often caused by bad eating habits and more generally by a bad lifestyle:

Excess of some condiments and foods irritating to the gastric mucosa
Alcohol abuse
Excess of hot spices
Smoking
Excessive or poorly performed intake of certain drugs with gastrically damaging effects (aspirin and the like).

Dietary Principles

What are the basic principles to follow in the gastritis diet?

In the presence of gastritis, it is very important to avoid all products that further insult the already inflamed gastric mucosa for the ailment.
These dietary and behavioral rules are indicated in both sporadic and chronic forms:

In the first case they are by themselves capable of resolving the inflammation
In the second case, specific medicines are needed.

In both cases, it is necessary to contact the attending physician to make a diagnosis and establish the specific treatment.

Medical check-up: what is it for?

Medical supervision is used to monitor the progress of gastritis.
However, while for the sporadic and / or mild forms medical control is recommended above all to identify any complications early (ulcers, Helicobacter pylori infection, stomach cancer, etc.), for the severe forms it primarily assumes the role of monitoring progress in treatment (dietary, behavioral and pharmacological).

Medicines for chronic gastritis?

The specific medicines for the treatment of gastritis are: antibiotics, gastroprotectors and drugs able to regulate the motility of the digestive tract (prokinetics). For further information, read: Drugs to Treat Gastritis

Important Tips

What are the most relevant diet tips for gastritis?

The gastritis diet is based primarily on compliance with some very simple rules; for example respecting behavioral rules, changing the composition and size of meals, respecting the list of recommended foods and limiting / avoiding products not recommended.

Eat your meals in an environment that promotes relaxation. Chewing, digestion and gastritis improve as nerve tension decreases
Prevent the consumption of meals in conditions of significant nervousness and fatigue
Eat at regular times, never skipping a meal or excessively delaying it
Properly distribute meals throughout the day
Consume at least two, or rather three, snacks a day; mid-morning and mid-afternoon are essential, because they help to buffer stomach acid, preventing it from rising too much due to prolonged fasting
Avoid a big dinner; it must always be quantitatively less than lunch
In general, it is good to limit binges, because too abundant meals require a very long gastric stay, strain the stomach and require an acid secretion so significant as to cause discomfort to the already irritated mucosa.
Chew slowly, because a correct and complete chewing makes digestion easier, reducing the gastric residence time of food
Pay close attention to chewing the most stubborn or complicated foods (especially when the teeth do not allow it)
It is advisable to remain in a sitting position for at least ten minutes at the end of the meal.

What to eat

What foods and cooking methods are recommended and not recommended in case of gastritis?

Recommended	Not recommended
Light foods with a low fat content: white meats, lean fish, non-fermented low-fat cheeses	Cooking techniques that require a lot of fat: especially frying, but also those in a pan or pan with a lot of fat
Recipes prepared with light cooking methods: boiling, sautéing in a pan with extra virgin olive oil or grilling, taking care not to burn parts of the food	Foods rich in fat: cured meats - especially sausages - fatty cheeses - especially fermented ones such as gorgonzola and pecorino
Regarding milk and yogurt, consume them in moderation and preferring partially skimmed ones	Greasy seasonings and various dips
Do not consume in the same dish proteins of different origins such as eggs and legumes or meat and cheeses: obviously in small doses such as a sprinkling of parmesan on the lean pasta ragù such associations are allowed	Preserved foods: salted, in oil, smoked etc.
Fruit juices, except for very acidic ones (grapefruit or other citrus fruit juice	Alcoholic drinks (especially spirits), tea, coffee, carbonated drinks
Cooked vegetables, artichokes, cabbage, nettles, potatoes, bananas	Cold foods (frozen drinks, ice cream, slushes) especially on an empty stomach
	Undercooked foods
	Sour fruit (lemons, mandarins, oranges, cedar, pineapple, currants, pomegranate) and dried fruit (too rich in fat and protein), white wine, vinegar, tomatoes, peppers, tomato juice
	Spices (especially pepper, garlic, chilli), pickles, brines, pastry products based on creams.

Further Advice

Drink more water: saliva and fluids protect the esophageal muscles from gastric juices.

If the symptoms of gastritis are particularly intense and result in vomiting and / or diarrhea, it is important to prevent dehydration by increasing the consumption of liquids: water or specific drinks that can be purchased at the pharmacy; instead, avoid tea, coffee and sugary drinks.

A walk at the end of the meal can be helpful in promoting digestion.

Milk, being an alkaline food, has an immediate positive effect as its basicity counteracts (buffers) the acidity of the gastric contents. Especially the whole one, however, is also rich in fats and proteins that increase gastric acidity and slow down the emptying of the stomach. It therefore has a beneficial effect immediately but, especially if you overdo the quantities, after the initial relief it can cause a quick reappearance of symptoms.

Out of respect for subjectivity, listen to your body and avoid foods and drinks to which you attribute past episodes of indigestion. When the acute phase of gastritis has passed, experiment with ingesting small amounts of certain foods. In fact, there is a certain individual variability due to which some foods that are contraindicated for some may be well tolerated by others, and vice versa.