Influence of food on inflammation of the gastric mucosa
Since food is the greatest stimulus for the production of gastric acid, optimal nutrition can have a great influence on the course of gastritis. For the first painful days of an inflammation of the gastric mucosa, either complete fasting or a very easily digestible, low-fat full diet is recommended. Oatmeal, bananas, rusk and vegetable juices are very well suited for these days.
A gentle diet should be continued during the entire course of therapy. Foods that are difficult to digest and high in fat remain in the stomach for much longer and lead to more stomach acid production than light products that can be digested quickly in the rest of the digestive tract. The list of foods that should not be eaten includes sour citrus fruits (which maintain the harmful pH value of the stomach acid due to the fruit acid), cheese, cream, fatty sauces, fried foods, cream, but also sweets.
Flatulent foods such as lentils or cabbage should also be avoided, as the stomach expansion due to the gases that form is another stimulus for the production of gastric acid. When eating vegetables, choose digestible varieties such as carrots, zucchini or salad instead of legumes. Vegetables cooked beforehand are also more digestible.
Bananas, apples, pears and apricots should also be preferred to acidic oranges or lemons. Meals should be divided into several small rather than a few large meals to reduce the stretching as a stimulus to stomach acid production. If the inflammation lasts longer, this diet should be maintained.
Various drinks can also increase the production of gastric acid and should therefore be avoided. First and foremost are the drinks alcohol and coffee, which have already been mentioned several times. Similar to flatulent cabbage, carbonated drinks should not be drunk, as the gas stimulates the production of gastric acid by stretching the stomach.
Highly acidic fruit juices, such as orange juice, lower the pH value in addition to the stomach acid and should therefore be avoided. In principle, anything that does not cause any discomfort can be eaten. According to this simple principle, the diet can later be changed to a normal diet.
