Felt a burning sensation in your stomach, usually after eating or drinking something? That probably is gastritis carousing in your tummy. Gastritis is the umbrella term given to conditions arising due to an inflammation of the stomach lining and it can be acute or chronic.
No matter what causes gastritis, one factor remains the same – what you eat. A healthy, balanced diet and a good lifestyle can keep just about every disease at bay. So here we give you 8 entities you need to stay away from to prevent and reduce any kind of gastritis issues.
1. Spicy Foods
Spicy foods might not be the root cause of your gastritis issue, but they can definitely make it worse. In gastritis issues, your stomach is already sensitive and overpowering spices can irritate it much much more. So whether it’s your favorite curry or the mouthwatering pepper chicken, stay away from them all! These include pickles, peppers, chilis, and hot sauces.1
2. High-Fat Foods
You might have noticed that eating a lot, at a single stretch, makes you feel really uncomfortable. This is because your digestive system cannot handle that much work. This applies to high-fat foods as well, which might cause the stomach lining to inflame. Studies have even shown that eating fatty foods for as little as 3–4 months can result in gastritis!2
However, there are particular fats, such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 fatty acids), that might heal your guts. Food products that contain these fats include peanut butter, seeds, nuts, and olive oil.
3. Coffee And Other Caffeine Drinks
Most mornings, all you need is a strong cup of coffee to get going. But drinking coffee on an empty stomach, especially late in the day, can actually trigger gastritis. Any caffeine-containing drinks can worsen an already present gastritis issue, (even decaf coffee). This also includes carbonated drinks, which can induce gastritis.
If you have no gastrointestinal issues, reduce the number of cups of coffees you down. Go for green tea instead. Studies show that the tea might lower the risk of gastritis as it is anti-inflammatory and has less caffeine.3 4
4. Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption is the most common cause of gastritis.5 Alcohol contains certain toxins that can irritate your stomach lining and cause inflammation when you drink in excess and constantly. And if the stomach is already inflamed, drinking alcohol will cause it to bleed and lead to more severe conditions like stomach ulcers.6
Moderation is the key because, as per studies, limited drinking might even prevent gastritis by fighting the H. pylori bacteria.7
5. Refined, Processed, And Fried Foods
Refined foods such as white bread and pasta, those that contain sugar, and processed foods with artificial flavorings are potential irritants that can trigger gastritis. Frequent consumption of processed junk foods with red meat can increase the severity enough to cause gastric cancer.8 So, no matter how tempting the food is, eat healthily and at home as much as possible.
6. Dairy Products
High-fat dairy products, such as milk cream, trigger gastric juice secretion, worsening your gastric condition. Some even believe that regular milk, with calcium and proteins, can cause increased acid production. However, it all depends on how your body works.
Try the dairy products in small quantities and see how it works out for you; retain them in your diet if they don’t affect you. Dairy foods such as fermented yogurt (probiotics) can soothe stomach irritation and reduce any gastrointestinal issues.9
7. Smoking
Smoking is one of the main lifestyle habits that might worsen gastritis. It is a major risk factor in the development of various stomach-related issues. While studies haven’t yet found a direct relation to gastritis, smoking might slow down the healing of gastric mucosa and lead to stomach ulcers.10
8. Foods You Are Allergic To
If you’ve always had a gastritis issue, certain vegetables might cause irritation and make things worse. Most people complain of a burning pain in the stomach after eating onion, garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes. Observe what veggies you’re allergic to and decide on your diet.
References
| ↑1 | Gastritis. National Health Service, UK. |
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| ↑2 | Laurila, Aino, Sheri P. Cole, Shiva Merat, Marygorret Obonyo, Wulf Palinski, Joshua Fierer, and Joseph L. Witztum. “High-Fat, High-Cholesterol Diet Increases the Incidence of Gastritis in LDL Receptor–Negative Mice.” Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology 21, no. 6 (2001): 991-996. |
| ↑3 | Chen, Quansheng, Zhiming Guo, Jiewen Zhao, and Qin Ouyang. “Comparisons of different regressions tools in measurement of antioxidant activity in green tea using near infrared spectroscopy.” Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis 60 (2012): 92-97. |
| ↑4, ↑6 | Gastritis. University of Maryland Medical Center. |
| ↑5 | Roberts, D. M. “Chronic gastritis, alcohol, and non-ulcer dyspepsia.” Gut 13, no. 10 (1972): 768-774. |
| ↑7 | Gao, Lei, Melanie N. Weck, Christa Stegmaier, Dietrich Rothenbacher, and Hermann Brenner. “Alcohol consumption and chronic atrophic gastritis: Population‐based study among 9,444 older adults from Germany.” International journal of cancer 125, no. 12 (2009): 2918-2922. |
| ↑8 | Zhu, Hongcheng, Xi Yang, Chi Zhang, Chen Zhu, Guangzhou Tao, Lianjun Zhao, Shaowen Tang et al. “Red and processed meat intake is associated with higher gastric cancer risk: a meta-analysis of epidemiological observational studies.” PloS one 8, no. 8 (2013): e70955. |
| ↑9 | Pantoflickova, D., I. Corthésy‐Theulaz, G. Dorta, M. Stolte, P. Isler, F. Rochat, M. Enslen, and A. L. Blum. “Favourable effect of regular intake of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus johnsonii on Helicobacter pylori associated gastritis.” Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics 18, no. 8 (2003): 805-813. |
| ↑10 | Namiot, A., A. Kemona, and Z. Namiot. “Smoking habit and gastritis histology.” Advances in Medical Sciences (De Gruyter Open) 52 (2007). |