Gastritis Tips

I'm beginning to think that gastritis is practically a trick to eating healthy. The diet is a little strict, but it's very similar to what we are always told is a healthy diet. First, you can only eat a few meals a day. No three squares or you will be very unhappy. Second, you have to drink a lot of water. No caffeine and no sodas. You can drink non-acidic fruit juices and herbal tea, but that's it. Third, you're supposed to exercise 5 days a week for at least thirty minutes. Fourth, you can't eat anything greasy, processed, refined, or fried. No junk food. You can cook protein differently, but the best way to eat vegetables is to steam them. You must be shocked to hear this, but I've already lost weight. 


It's actually not as hard as it sounds. After the pain I was in, it's a relief to eat something and feel fine afterward. One trick is not to eat too much. This means that you snack a lot, but you snack on healthy stuff, like fruit. I don't know if this is common, but it doesn't take much to fill me up anymore. This means that if you have gastritis, one thing to do is make something like chicken salad or deviled eggs, because you can snack on it whenever you need to and it will last a couple days.


Eating out is difficult. Right after I was diagnosed Serrano and I went to the Starling Diner in Long Beach, where I had a very exciting breakfast of scrambled eggs, chicken cooked with herbs, and brown rice. At first I was discouraged because that was about the only thing I could eat, but afterwards I was happy because I wasn't in pain. 


The real trick is in following my doctor's advice. He told me to eat bland food, wear loose clothing, take Prilosec twice a day and Pepto Bismol if I need it, drink lots of water, no caffeine or foods containing it, not to lie down thirty minutes after eating, to eat small meals throughout the day, and not to eat anything acidic like tomatoes or citrus. 


Before I come up with recipes, I knew I needed to do a bit more research. After looking at a few websites (which I'll post below), I came up with three lists of ingredients. What to Eat, Avoid, and Be Careful of. What to Eat and Avoid is simple. But under Be Careful, many of these ingredients vary. Things like barbecue sauce and chili peppers you should obviously eat sparingly, but things like bell peppers, beans, and almonds might give you gas or other problems. But that's a might. Not will. 


The main trick is to figure out what does and doesn't work for you. If you make a list, that really helps. I know from experience that tomatoes build up the acid in my stomach, so I'm staying away from them completely. Everyone's body is different, so it's important to listen to yours.


So here are my guiding lists of what to Eat, Avoid, and Be Careful of.


Eat     

Apples, Juice & Sauce

Bananas

Blueberries

Celery

Cherries

Chicken

Cranberries & Juice

Fish

GF Dry Toast

Grape Juice

Grapes

Green Tea

Kale

Kiwi

Melon

Mild Herbal Teas

Onions

Pasta

Peaches

Peanut Butter

Pear Juice &Pears

Rice

Sea Vegetables

Seafood

Soft Cooked Eggs

Squash

Steamed Green Beans

Steamed Spinach

Steamed Zucchini

Tofu

Turkey

Water (lots)

Avoid

Alcohol

Black Pepper

Broccoli

Cabbage

Caffeine

Canned Foods

Carbonated Drinks

Chocolate

Cocoa

Cola

Dairy

Fried Food

Gluten

Grease

Junk Food

Lemons

Limes

Oranges

Pasta

Peppermint

Processed/Refined Food

Red Pepper

Sugar

Tomato-based soups

Tomatoes

Be Careful

Almonds

Barbecue Sauce

Beans

Beef Jerky

Bell Peppers

Chile Peppers & Powders

Chili or Bean-Based Soups

Cinnamon

Cloves

Crisp Bacon

Fatty Foods

Garlic

Horseradish

Lemonade

Limeade

Peanuts

Pickled Vegetables

Pickles

Seasoned and Cured Meats

Steak or Worcestershire Sauce

Walnuts

Following that, there is only:

What to Do

Eat small meals throughout the day

Drink lots of water

Eat Fiber

Don’t lie down for 30 minutes after eating

Eat bland food

Stop doing things that irritate your stomach, like: 

    Smoking Cigarettes

    Drinking Alcohol

    Taking Ibuprofen or Aspirin (Acetaminophen is ok)

    Drinking coffee, caffeine, carbonated drinks, citrus drinks

Eat foods containing flavanoids and antioxidants

Eat foods high in B vitamins and calcium

Exercise at least 30 min a day 5 days a week

Also will help to take daily:

     A multivitamin

     Probiotics

     Omega 3 fatty acids

Here are the websites I looked at for advice. They have information about the disease, along with food suggestions. 

Drugs.com Diet for Ulcers and Gastritis

University of Maryland Medical Center 

WebMd.com