Gastritis Diet: 10 Foods To Avoid
Gastritis is a condition that’s related to the inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which may cause very unpleasant symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting. However, it may also be asymptomatic. For patients with gastritis, eating the proper foods is important. Depending on the etiology of the gastritis, it will help them avoid frequent flareups.
There are a couple different kinds of gastritis, the two main differentiating factors being whether the gastritis is acute (meaning it only occurs once in a while) or long-term, which means it will persist. For either condition, consulting with a gastroenterologist should always be the first step to determine the underlying cause of the disease. In most cases, the food consumed by patients will have an important role in treatment. If they don’t modify their diet and, they will be much more likely to develop complications associated with gastritis such as peptic ulcers or gastric malignancies.
If you or someone that you know is suffering from gastritis, then you’ve probably already heard about the ideal diet for gastritis. Basically, for most people it means avoiding spicy, acidic, and fatty foods. Tracking your intake and making connections between offending foods and symptoms might help you identify the best diet for your needs. That’s what we’re going to be discussing today.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #1: Tomatoes
When you think of tomatoes, you probably think of them as bright, shiny healthy foods - and you’re right. Unfortunately, people who are at risk of developing gastritis or who already suffer from it should exclude tomatoes from their diet because they’re too acidic. We probably don’t have to explain this but having more acid in your stomach isn’t going to help the situation if you’re already suffering from an inflammation of the stomach lining.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #2: Fruit Juice
Fruit juice isn’t a good idea for people suffering from gastritis - especially citric fruit juices, like orange juice or pineapple juice. The citrus in these types of juice can be too much to handle if your stomach is already sensitive.
Most fruit juices also contain a high amount of sugar, which should be avoided when you’re suffering from gastritis.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #3: Alcohol
Alcohol’s not really a food, but it’s definitely something that you shouldn’t be consuming if you’re suffering from gastritis. Alcohol can actually lead to gastritis in the first place, so it should be assumed that people already suffering from it should avoid alcohol as well.
Not only alcohol can irritate the gastric mucosa, but it can prevent your stomach from functioning properly. Depending on the ethanol content among other factors, it can alter acid production by diminishing or increasing it. This may harm important defense mechanisms of the stomach’s cell wall (mucous production), and/or affect its ability to destroy harmful microorganisms within. Thus, inducing or worsening the inflammation in gastritis. In addition, most alcoholic beverages delay stomach emptying, which can cause bacterial degradation of food and abdominal discomfort. Finally, alcohol can relax the lower part of the esophagus (lower esophageal sphincter), making it easier for your stomach acid to back up into your esophagus and cause heartburn.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #4: Coffee
This is another item that’s not actually a food, but nonetheless is something that many people include in their diet plans on a daily basis. Coffee, unfortunately, isn’t a good idea for someone who has gastritis.
Coffee is well-known for stimulating gastric acid secretion. Having excessive stomach acid can lead to inflammation which can make the symptoms of gastritis worse. Coffee- specifically a substance called methylxanthine- can also promotes gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms (heartburn) because it can relax the lower esophageal sphincter. Individual tolerance to coffee should be determined.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #5: Spicy Foods
In several studies, spicy foods have been used to prevent ulcers (yes, that’s a thing). Eating “capsaicin”- a compound found in most spicy ingredients- actually decreases acid secretion, promotes mucus production in the stomach, (protecting it from acid), and decreased proinflammatory cytokines in gastric mucosa.
However, they are other components found in those foods that act as irritants for people suffering from gastritis or ulcers. Individual tolerance should be determined. Some people with gastritis will find it extremely uncomfortable and even painful to eat spicy foods. They may find that they develop inflammation and they can find that their ulcers get worse.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #6: Carbonated Drinks
You know how carbonation feels on your tongue, right? It’s bubbly, a bit abrasive, and quite intense. Imagine that feeling inside of your stomach, when you’re already fighting inflammation and excessive stomach acid, and possibly even an ulcer. Carbonated beverages may serve as an additional acid load and thus raise gastric acid volume, possibly leading to inflammation and increased likelihood of gastro‐esophageal reflux.
These drinks can produce heartburn mainly because the gaseous distention of the stomach causes relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Moreover, if these beverages have a high content of sugar, they may slow gastric emptying as well. Not a good situation - get your beverages non-carbonated.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #7: Refined Grains & Sugar
Refined foods are already notorious for being unhealthy, and they can be particularly so for people with gastritis. Refined grains and sugar may also decrease gastric motility and retardation of stomach deflation.
Neither of these foods are ideal to improve symptoms in people with gastritis.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #8: Meat
This can be a tricky one for most people because not everyone’s vegetarian. A diet high in both red or processed meat is likely to induce oxidative stress in the gastrointestinal tract and produce inflammation. Also, it can increase acid production and slow gastric emptying. Moreover, high contents of salt in meat are known to erode the mucosal barrier of the stomach, thereby also leading to inflammation. However, these effects can be limited if meats are consumed in moderation and combined with a high intake of fruits and vegetables, with limited intake of refined sugars. If you need even more convincing, preserved meats are rich in N-nitroso compounds, which are carcinogenic and therefore should be consumed in moderation
If you absolutely can’t get rid of meat, then try to avoid getting it processed. You should look for organic, farm-raised, and healthy meat. These meats have less saturated fats and are higher in protective fats such as omega 3. If that’s not an option, you should still be fine eating fish and enjoying all its health benefits.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #9: Caffeinated Tea
Even though we’ve already checked coffee off the list of gastritis-friendly foods, we have some more bad news: tea is also off the list. It’s not just the acidity of coffee that makes it bad for people with gastritis: it’s the caffeine content, as well. Caffeine is a digestive stimulant (in addition to being an overall stimulant) and promotes the stimulation of digestion. One of the ways that it does this is by promoting the secretion of stomach acid, which is really the last thing that someone with a digestive issue would want.
It’s important to note that we’re only talking about caffeinated tea here. There are lots of kinds of tea that don’t contain caffeine that can be suitable or even beneficial for people with gastritis: fennel and ginger tea, for example, are fantastic for soothing stomach upset.
Gastritis Diet Foods to Avoid #10: High fat foods
For some people with gastritis, fatty foods can be a problem, but this is a bit more variable from person to person. We have all been there: bloated and with horrible heartburn after a heavy meal of fried chicken! This is because these foods have been found to delay gastric emptying and decrease the lower esophageal sphincter pressure thus prolonging the esophageal exposure time to stomach acid and the volume available for reflux.
Eating healthy fats (fish, avocado) in moderation may even be beneficial and have antioxidant effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
