The right menu for an ulcer: the principles of healthy eating

Stomach ulcers are one of the most common diseases in the world. When it is detected, the first thing to do is to radically revise the diet. And today on the agenda — a diet for ulcers, recipes for every day and general recommendations.

Who is to blame and what to do?

Scientists have found that the main culprit of the ulcer is the bacterium helicobacter pylori, which attacks the cells of the gastric mucosa and provokes erosion. However, often the cause of the disease is poor nutrition, smoking and alcohol abuse, constant stress and some medications. In any case, you should first consult a doctor to accurately determine the cause and the necessary medication. The next important step is to make the right menu for the ulcer.

First, you’ll have to change some of your eating habits. In case of stomach ulcers, it is important to avoid prolonged fasting. The interval between meals should be a maximum of three hours. Ideally, you should follow the formula: three main meals plus three snacks in between. The last appointment should be completed no later than two hours before bedtime. Along with this, you need to consume a large amount of water. It is advisable to drink a glass of water half an hour before a meal and an hour and a half later.

Food that is harmful

What products can not be consumed by an ulcer in any case? At the top of the list are fried, fatty, spicy and coarse foods. Oddly enough, this definition includes not only your favorite fried potatoes, ruddy chops or hot seasonings. Red meat, even cooked without frying, is also a threat. Animal protein increases the acidity in the stomach, and its coarse fibers can further damage the mucosa. You will also have to say goodbye to offal, sausages, smoked meats, sausages and other semi-finished products.

Raw vegetables are strictly contraindicated. For all its usefulness, tough fiber can cause harm to an already vulnerable mucosa. Fried vegetables are also fatal for ulcers. The best solution is a mild steam heat treatment. Fruits and berries must pass a strict selection. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pineapples, kiwis, grapes, sour berries, as well as natural juices with their participation are excluded from the diet without delay. As, however, and high-calorie sweets: cookies, chocolate, sweets and cakes, abounding in trans fats. The same fate must befall nuts, seeds and chips, the rough structure of which does not promise the stomach anything but suffering. Tea and especially coffee are strictly prohibited, as they have an irritating effect.

Food as medicine

From forbidden fruits, we move on to the permitted ones. The menu for an ulcer for a week must necessarily include enveloping porridge: oatmeal, rice or barley. You can eat veal, rabbit, or chicken several times a week. At the same time, the latter should be removed from the oily skin. Boiled eggs are recommended to be consumed no more than three times a week.

As already noted, vegetables in the diet are allowed only if they are boiled, stewed or steamed. The most useful vegetables for ulcers are carrots, beets, pumpkins, zucchini and cauliflower. Among the fruits and berries, the ulcers also have friends. First of all, these are bananas, sweet apples and pears without skin, steamed quince, sweet plums without skin, black currant. Blueberries, which have anti-inflammatory properties, will relieve pain. And sea buckthorn oil will effectively heal mucosal damage.

Be sure to add yoghurts with live cultures to your diet. They inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in the stomach, and the so-called bioavailable protein accelerates the recovery of the mucosa. In case of exacerbations and during the prevention period, it is better to drink ordinary or mineral water, selected on the advice of a doctor.

Medical menu

To simplify the task of creating a menu, we offer you some recipes for dishes for ulcers. Boil potatoes with beets, cut them into strips and season with vegetable oil with a small amount of greens — you will get a delicious and very healthy salad. For lunch, prepare a diet pumpkin soup. To start, boil 2 tablespoons of semolina in 3 cups of milk (about 15 minutes). Separately, boil 300 g of pumpkin cut into pieces in water, chop it in a blender and mix with semolina. Put the soup on a slow fire, add salt and sugar to taste and bring it to a boil.

Recipes for ulcers in a slow cooker are an excellent choice for a therapeutic diet. With a slow cooker, it is easy to cook a healthy chicken with vegetables. Cut into cubes a small carrot and zucchini, drown them in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add to it 300 g of cauliflower disassembled into inflorescences and chicken breast cut into pieces, 1 cup of water and a pinch of dried herbs, turn on the desired mode.   

We hope that our recommendations will be useful for you. However, before you take up the preparation of a proper diet, consult a specialist. 

Be healthy and take care of yourself!