Diet for stomach ulcers

A diet for a stomach ulcer is a prerequisite for a full-fledged therapy and prevention of recurrent cases of the disease.

General principles of diet for stomach ulcers

Knowing and adhering to the general principles of the diet used for stomach ulcers, it will be possible to draw up your own menu as correctly as possible and not aggravate the course of the disease.

Among them are:

• Balance. You can not deprive the patient in terms of caloric content of dishes. The daily menu should be balanced, and the energy value should not be less than 3000 kcal.

• Fractionality. Breaks between meals should not be more than three hours.

• Minimum serving size. Ideally, each serving of food should fit in the palms folded in a handful.

• A ban on fried and baked foods until golden brown.

• Avoid very hot or very cold food. Dishes that have a temperature above or below 30 ° C inhibit the function of enzyme formation, slow down the process of restoring the epithelial tissue of the stomach. This rule is especially true at the time of exacerbation of stomach ulcers.

• Refusal of products that increase gas formation.

• Complete refusal or minimizing the amount of salt consumed.

• An increase in the volume of water up to 2 liters, in the absence of thyroid diseases and pathologies of the urinary system.

• Exclusion of carbonated drinks and alcohol.

• Refusal of any products that enhance the production of gastric juice.

• Thermal processing of dishes is allowed: stewing, boiling, steaming, blanching.

• Priority sparing food that does not irritate the walls of the stomach.

• The principle of mercy. Mechanical sparing of the stomach consists in the selection of certain foods eaten at a time. Chemical sparing is the exclusion of products that cause irritation of the digestive secretion.

• The principle of zigzag nutrition. He assumes that for short time intervals the patient is allowed products from the prohibited list (within reason), and then he is returned to the diet menu. A similar principle is intended to serve as a kind of training for the gastrointestinal tract and is used only at the recovery stage.

• The principle of individuality. That is, when compiling the menu, one cannot be guided by the same principles for all. Much depends on what stage the disease is at, where the ulcer is located, what is the age of the patient, what is his body weight, whether there are concomitant diseases, etc.

• Calculation of the time of digestion of food. So 200 ml of water, tea or broth will stay in the stomach for an average of 1,5 hours. After three hours, meat, boiled vegetables, apples and bread will leave him. The longest time is oily fish, fried meat – up to 5 hours.

As for the timing, the diet must be followed for at least one year after an attack of exacerbation of the disease. The main goal of dietary nutrition in this case is to accelerate the regeneration of the mucous membrane lining the stomach and normalize the digestive process.

What can not be eaten with stomach ulcers?

All products that irritate the gastric mucosa, increase gas formation, digest for a long time, and contain a large amount of salt are prohibited.

It is essential to avoid:

• Meat and fish broths of primary boiling and soups prepared from them;

• Any dishes from any mushrooms;

• Okroshka and cabbage soup from sauerkraut;

• Any fatty meat and fish are prohibited, this also includes lard and caviar;

• Smoked foods, most sausages (sometimes, during the recovery phase, it is allowed to eat a little boiled sausage or ham);

• Canned foods, as well as pâtés;

• Dairy products with acid, for example, ayran, tan, etc. (Kefir is prohibited only during the period of exacerbation and +5 days after the attack stops);

• Fatty dairy products: buttermilk, condensed milk and milk over 2% fat, cream, yogurt, cheeses;

• Hard-boiled eggs, as well as scrambled eggs (soft-boiled eggs are allowed);

• Of the cereal dishes, barley, wild rice and corn, as well as bran in granules and muesli, are prohibited;

• It is worth limiting the use of cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as tomato paste;

• Herbal products that can irritate the mucous membrane of the damaged organ: sorrel and rhubarb, garlic and onions;

• Berries and fruits with acid: gooseberries, figs, grapes, currants, lemons, oranges, limes, tangerines, pineapples, etc.;

• Under the ban are nuts, dried fruits and apricots;

• Any hot, salty and spicy sauces: mustard, horseradish, ketchup, vinegar;

• Ice cream and chocolate;

• Strongly brewed drinks (strong tea, coffee);

• All carbonated drinks;

• Alcoholic drinks;

• Rye bread, sweets.

When processing meat products, cartilage and veins should be removed from them.

What can you eat with a stomach ulcer?

The list of those products that are allowed for use in gastric ulcer is quite extensive, so the patient does not have to starve:

• Bread made from wheat flour. But it is important that it is not freshly baked. It is better if a day has passed since its manufacture.

• Baking from unleavened dough (not with yeast) in a small amount. The filling for such pies can be: fish, apples, cottage cheese or lean meat.

• Also allowed to eat crackers, cookies, but not sweet, biscuits.

• Meat soups, but the most important rule in their preparation is the use of secondary broth. That is, after boiling, the broth is drained, the meat is again poured with clean water, and soup is prepared from this. As for the meat itself used for cooking soup, you can take either chicken or beef.

• Cereal soups without meat component.

• Cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, ryazhenka. You can also eat cheese, but it is better to grind it. Preference should be given to fresh cheeses.

• Second courses from lean meat containing a minimum number of veins. You can take rabbit meat, turkey, beef, chicken. As for the dishes themselves, the priority is zrazy, meatballs, cutlets, soufflé, meatballs, but not fried ones. It is best to steam them.

• Fish, but not fatty varieties. An excellent solution is minced fish dishes. Only the fish needs to be boiled or steamed (can be in the oven, in foil)

• The patient needs to include eggs in his diet. You can make an omelet from them, or boil them soft-boiled.

• Useful boiled cereals and pasta. You can consume semolina, barley, rice, oatmeal or buckwheat porridge.

• Berries and fruits must first be peeled and ground to a puree state. You can also bake apples and pears.

• As for desserts, you can diversify your own menu with marmalade, honey, marshmallows, marshmallows, jam, preserves. Kissels, mousses, jellies, creams do not harm the damaged gastric mucosa.

• Rosehip and wheat bran decoctions, freshly squeezed juices half-diluted with water, teas brewed not strong, and compotes are suitable as drinks.

• In a small amount, you can consume olive and sunflower oil, not refined, as well as unsalted butter.

• White milk sauce can be used as a dressing for dishes.

• Sweet milk (up to 2% fat), curdled milk, fresh white cheese (low-fat and semi-skimmed), sweet cream, homogenized cheese – in limited quantities.

What should you eat with a stomach ulcer?

Here is a list of foods that will help you speed up your recovery:

• Cauliflower

• White cabbage

• Radish

• Apples

• Blueberries

• Raspberry

• Blackberry

• Strawberries

• Cherry

• Bell pepper

• Carrots

• Leafy greens

• Lakrica

• Foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir (kefir is prohibited during an exacerbation)

9 healing foods for stomach ulcers

The most useful foods for stomach ulcers are:

1. Cabbage juice. Cabbage has been a popular natural remedy for stomach ulcers for decades, and as it turns out, for good reason! Cabbage is rich in anti-ulcer vitamin U. In one study in which participants took 950 ml throughout the day. cabbage juice, the ulcer healed in 7-10 days, which is 6 times faster than with conventional treatment ^[1]

   Another study was conducted on 100 patients whose ulcers were difficult to treat. All of them also took 950 ml during the day. cabbage juice, as a result, 81% did not experience any symptoms of an ulcer during the week. ^[2]

2. Fermented foods have shown promising results in clinical trials for the treatment of ulcers. These foods, such as miso (Japanese food fermented with soybeans, rice, wheat), sauerkraut, kimchi (Korean food, spicy pickled vegetables), and kombucha, can prevent reinfection. ^[3]

   Beneficial bacteria increase the effectiveness of traditional treatment by about 150%, while reducing diarrhea and other side effects associated with antibiotics by up to 47%. ^[4]

3. Green tea. Scientists at Meiho University in Nagoya, Japan published a study in the Bio-Pharmaceutical Bulletin in November 2006 that catechins from green tea promote healing of stomach ulcers and also protect them from recurrence of the disease.

4. Honey. Scientists believe that honey’s antibacterial properties may help fight H. pylori. ^[5], ^[6]

5. Garlic. Garlic can speed up the recovery from ulcers and even reduce the likelihood of developing one, and prevents the development of H. pylori. In a recent study, consumption of two cloves of raw garlic per day for three days helped to significantly reduce bacterial activity in the gastric mucosa in patients suffering from H. pylori infection. ^[7]

   * Garlic is prohibited during the exacerbation of the ulcer, after, it is allowed only after heat treatment.

6. Turmeric. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and has tremendous therapeutic potential, especially in the regeneration of stomach ulcers. As many as 2 human studies have been conducted, all patients received 500-600 mg. turmeric 4-5 times a day. As a result, after a month, about 50% were cured, and after 2-3 months the figure reached 76% -87%. ^[8], ^[9]

7. Broccoli – This vegetable contains sulforaphane, a compound that is active against H. pylori (more on broccoli).

8. Olive oil. Some studies show that the fatty acids found in olive oil may also help treat Helicobacter pylori. ^[10]

9. Aloe vera. Aloe Vera is an effective remedy for stomach ulcers, which is equal in effectiveness to omeprazole (a common anti-ulcer drug). ^[11]

Can I eat, drink…?

It would seem that the list of permitted and prohibited foods for use with a stomach ulcer is quite clear. However, after visiting a doctor, most patients have a number of questions regarding this or that unspecified product.

Therefore, it is worth answering in more detail the most popular questions that arise in people suffering from an ulcer:

• Is it possible to drink kefir, fermented baked milk, yogurt? It is worth separately dealing with each of these dairy products. So kefir is prohibited during the period of exacerbation of the disease, as well as 5 days after the attack passes. After this time, you can consume kefir, but it is important that it is fresh and non-acidic. The main thing is to slightly warm it up before ingestion. Yogurt is one of the priority foods for the treatment of ulcers, since the bifidobacteria contained in it have a detrimental effect on Helicobacter pylori. As for fermented baked milk, it is also allowed for this pathology of the stomach. However, it is worth buying this fermented milk product with a minimum fat content.

• Can you eat cucumbers and tomatoes? When the disease is in the acute stage, vegetables such as cucumbers are forbidden to be consumed. After the remission stage has begun, you can gradually include them in the diet, but in small quantities and without skin. This vegetable is added to salads in various forms, but it is best to chop it on a grater. Tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, are prohibited at the time of an exacerbation of the disease. This is due to the fact that they help to reduce the rate of ulcer healing and slightly increase the acidity of gastric juice. When the exacerbation of the disease is eliminated, you can use the fruits of tomatoes in the daily menu, but after dousing them with boiling water and removing the skin.

• Can you eat a banana? Bananas are approved for use by patients with stomach ulcers. Once in its cavity, they envelop the organ, thereby reducing the acidity of gastric juice. This helps to eliminate the pain syndrome, the speedy healing of the existing ulcer. In addition, bananas have a high nutritional value.

• Is it possible cheese, cottage cheese? Fatty cheeses are banned, only white cheese or homogenized cheese is allowed. Cottage cheese is a useful product for a patient with a stomach ulcer. It does not include anything that could provoke an attack of the disease or aggravate the patient’s condition. In fact, cottage cheese is a coagulated milk protein, without whey, which is endowed with vitamins B, PP, A, and iron. Therefore, it has undoubted value for sick people. Moreover, cottage cheese can be purchased both in the store and cooked at home. You can use the product for cooking many dishes: casseroles, soufflés, mousses, creams, etc. It is worth choosing cottage cheese that has a low percentage of fat content.

• Can I have eggs? Eggs are among those products that have high nutritional properties and provide an excellent opportunity to compensate for the lack of vitamin A, B6, B2, D, E, phosphorus, calcium, cobalt, iron and other trace elements in dietary nutrition. The protein that makes up the egg is perfectly absorbed by the human body, but it is important to prepare it correctly. Do not boil or fry eggs for a long time; patients with an ulcer are shown to use this product cooked soft-boiled or in the form of an omelette. A raw egg will be useful, however, in this case, the risk of salmonellosis infection increases.

• Can I have a watermelon? Patients with stomach ulcers are forbidden to eat watermelon. This is due to the fact that it causes an increased secretion of gastric juice, increases its acidity, which will exacerbate the disease. During the remission period, you can include a small amount of fresh watermelon in your menu, but you should not do this on an empty stomach.

• Can seeds? Seeds are prohibited with a stomach ulcer, as they irritate its mucous membrane, can additionally injure it and aggravate the pathological process. In addition, they contain indigestible fats, which negatively affect the course of the disease. After the seeds enter the stomach of a person with an ulcer, he will begin to experience pain, as the level of acidity will increase, flatulence and complications from the gallbladder are often observed. You should not consume seeds even during remission, as this can exacerbate the ulcerative process.

• Can you use garlic? For the period of exacerbation of the disease, such a product as garlic is under the strictest ban. When the patient’s condition reaches a stable remission, it is allowed to eat. However, patients with a history of an ulcer should first steam the garlic, or add it to the mashed dishes: mashed potatoes, boiled cereals, etc. .

• Can I have coffee? During an exacerbation of the disease, any coffee drink is prohibited. You can not consume either natural or instant coffee. When the disease is in remission, you can sometimes add a small cup of natural coffee to your menu, provided that it is not strongly brewed. However, remember that the reason for avoiding this tonic in the presence of peptic ulcer is that it affects the production of hydrochloric acid, increasing its production. This, in turn, affects the development of the disease, provoking its exacerbation.

• Can i drink soda? With heartburn and belching, many people use soda to stop unpleasant symptoms. This substance is really able to have a neutralizing effect on hydrochloric acid, which is formed in excess in diseases of the stomach. However, after a very short time, when the soda leaves the organ and moves into the duodenum, the body will throw out a new portion of the acid, but in an even greater amount. In addition, the interaction of acid and soda contributes to the release of carbon dioxide, which, in turn, presses on the walls of the stomach. Where there is an ulcer, there is an increased risk of perforations. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to drink soda with this pathology.

• Can I smoke? Smoking and stomach ulcers are two incompatible concepts. Firstly, tobacco smoke provokes the development of this pathology, has an unnecessary stimulating effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract. Secondly, getting into the stomach with swallowed saliva, nicotine enhances the existing inflammation, inhibits regeneration processes, and prevents the ulcer from scarring. Thirdly, according to the latest data, smokers die from stomach ulcers 5 times more often than non-smokers with a similar disease. In addition, tobacco smoke provokes an increase in the symptoms of the disease, in particular heartburn, belching and pain. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon this addiction, especially if an ulcer has been diagnosed.

• Can I have vodka, cognac? Gastroenterologists unequivocally agree that it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol with stomach ulcers. This is justified by the fact that any alcohol, including vodka and cognac, provokes inflammation of the walls of the stomach, increases the acidity of its juice, and slows down the process of digestion. All this, in turn, leads to an exacerbation of the pathological process and can even cause gastric bleeding. If it is not possible to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, then in small quantities and not during an exacerbation of the disease, it is worth giving preference to strong, but high-quality drinks, best of all vodka. In this case, you must first have a tight lunch, but the food should be gentle and enveloping the stomach. Thus, it will be possible to some extent protect its walls from the harmful effects of alcohol.

The benefits of milk for stomach ulcers are a myth!

For many years, people with peptic ulcers have been advised to drink plenty of milk, as it soothes the stomach and helps the ulcer heal. However, this is not quite true. Milk can help for a few minutes while it wraps around the stomach. But milk is a powerful product that stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid, which aggravates the course of the disease.

Menu for a week with a stomach ulcer

It is important to remember that during an exacerbation of the disease, it is worth adhering to a special diet, which is called table number 1. Subsequently, when the attack is eliminated, you can switch to a more varied diet.

Monday

• You can start the day with a couple of soft-boiled chicken eggs and buckwheat porridge in the amount of 250 gr. Weak tea is used as a drink.

• For second breakfast, you can use a baked apple, which can be washed down with a glass of low-fat yogurt.

• For lunch, a patient with a stomach ulcer is offered chicken soup with boiled rice grits. For the second, you can cook mashed potatoes with beef meatballs. As a dessert, fruit jelly is suitable. Rosehip decoction is used as a drink.

• The afternoon snack should consist of green tea and a couple of crackers.

• For dinner, you can steam pike perch and supplement it with cabbage inflorescences, also cooked in a double boiler. As a drink, you can use weak tea.

• End your day with green tea or yogurt.

Tuesday

• For breakfast, you can use egg porridge, which is prepared on the basis of 2 eggs, milk and butter. You can drink strawberry jelly.

• As a second breakfast, the patient can be offered buckwheat porridge mashed with milk. Weak tea is used as a drink.

• For lunch, a man is served zucchini soup. The second course is an appetizer of fish pate (any lean fish), as well as a potato and beef casserole cooked in foil with sauerkraut. Apple mousse can be used as a dessert.

• In the afternoon, you can eat a banana and drink it with slightly warmed fresh kefir.

• For dinner, chicken meatballs and mashed potatoes are served. As a dessert, sour cream spread on stale bread is used. You can drink weak tea.

• Drink green tea or yogurt before bed.

Wednesday

• For breakfast, you can cook rice porridge mashed with milk, drink apple compote. The second breakfast may consist of cottage cheese and oatmeal jelly.

• For lunch, you can serve vermicelli soup cooked in vegetable broth. As an appetizer, beetroot salad with vegetable oil is acceptable. For the second, you can use crumbly buckwheat porridge with greens and Polish-style pike perch with sauerkraut. You can drink weak black tea.

• In the afternoon, the patient is served biscuit crackers and a glass of low-fat yogurt.

• Dinner consists of pilaf with boiled beef, vegetable risotto and vitamin kissel. As a dessert, you can cook apple nests.

• End the Wednesday day with green tea and fruit jelly.

Thursday

• For breakfast, you can offer semolina porridge, crackers and milk jelly.

• As a snack, snowballs and warm weak tea are used.

• For lunch, rice soup with pumpkin is prepared, as a second course, you can serve rabbit meat soufflé and boiled pasta with sauerkraut. For dessert, apples and pears in syrup are used, which can be washed down with grape jelly.

• The dinner of a patient with an ulcer consists of a salad of beets and potatoes, pumpkin and squash puree, jellied turkey. Green tea.

• As a snack before a night’s rest, you can use cottage cheese pudding with apples and a glass of fermented baked milk. 

Friday

• For breakfast, prepare buckwheat porridge with jam. Tea is used as a drink.

• As a snack, you can offer lazy dumplings with cottage cheese and a strawberry cocktail.

• For lunch, the patient is offered a salad of greens with sour cream, soup with dill and dumplings, as a second dish – zucchini stuffed with meat and sauerkraut.

• In the afternoon you can eat fruit salad and drink strawberry jelly.

• For dinner, the patient is served boiled tongue with mashed potatoes and a pudding of oatmeal and apples. You can drink weak black tea.

• The evening ends with green tea or yogurt.

Saturday

• Breakfast may consist of milk soup with boiled vermicelli and warm tea.

• The second breakfast consists of a glass of fermented baked milk and beetroot puree.

• For lunch, you can eat apple soup with prunes and herring soaked with vegetables. Dessert – biscuit on squirrels

• For an afternoon snack, the patient can afford a cocktail of kefir and strawberries with apple pudding.

• Supper on Saturday can be baked cod and barley crumbly porridge and sauerkraut. You can complement the evening meal with a fruit jelly dessert.

• As an evening snack before going to bed, green tea with crackers is used.

Sunday

• You can start the morning with boiled vermicelli with cheese and butter and weak tea.

• You can have a snack before dinner with cottage cheese and potato casserole and vitamin jelly.

• For lunch, boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes are used, and boiled meat with sauerkraut, as well as cauliflower soup and cheese mass with carrots. Grated apple compote is used as a drink.

• As an afternoon snack, you can offer an apple baked with honey.

• For dinner, homemade kefir, beef stroganoff with soy oil and boiled beef, supplemented with mashed potatoes are used. You can drink berry compote.

• As a snack before bed, you can drink green tea and eat one soft-boiled egg.

Gastric Ulcer Recipes

There are many recipes for dishes that can be prepared for a patient with a stomach ulcer.

Many of them are quite simple, but there are some that can be a bit difficult:

• Pike perch in Polish. In order to cook pike perch in Polish, the fish will need to be cleaned, washed and boiled with the addition of 1 carrot and 1 bunch of parsley. As a sauce, an oil-egg filling is used, which is laid out on a side dish: on buckwheat, rice or boiled mashed potatoes.

• Risotto. To prepare a dietary risotto for a patient with a stomach ulcer, it will be necessary to peel carrots, celery root and parsley and lightly stew them in a small amount of water. Rice in the amount of 4 tablespoons is boiled in slightly salted water, then mixed with vegetables and transferred to a mold greased with sunflower oil, poured with milk and an egg and baked in the oven. 

• Recipe for diet snowballs. To prepare them, you will need to take a couple of eggs, about half a glass of pasteurized skim milk, a little flour and three tablespoons of powdered sugar. Proteins are separated from the yolks and whipped, powdered sugar is added there. Proteins are dipped into boiling milk with a spoon and boiled, but no more than 5 minutes. Then the sauce is prepared. To do this, the yolks are mixed with powdered sugar and hot milk and boiled in a water bath. The resulting sauce is poured over protein snowballs and served.

• Jellied turkey. In order to prepare aspic from turkey, the meat must first be boiled and cooled, get rid of the skin and cut into small slices. While the carrots are being boiled, you can prepare the jelly by filling it with water 1 to 8 (for half an hour). Then jelly and salt are added to the boiling carrot broth, after which the mass is filtered. Parsley and dill are cut coarsely, poured into the gelatinous mass along with turkey and chopped boiled carrots. All this is removed in the refrigerator for solidification.

Other recommended diets for stomach ulcers

1. The DASH Diet: Also known as the High Blood Pressure Diet. The focus is on fruits and vegetables, offering 8 to 10 servings per day. The DASH diet also includes low-fat dairy, beans, lentils, nuts, fish, and poultry, and limits oils, sugary drinks, and desserts.

2. Mediterranean Diet: There is also an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, grains, nuts and seeds. The diet also includes some olive oil and wine. Restricts dairy products, fish and poultry.

[Video] Dr. Berg – Causes of stomach ulcers, how to get rid of them? What you can eat + diet: