Gastritis Diet Guide: What to Eat and Avoid
Diet for gastritis: nutritional features
Gastritis often causes severe stomach pain, which may worsen after eating fatty or spicy foods. Other common symptoms include nausea, bloating, and heartburn.
One of the main recommendations of doctors is to follow a gastritis diet, which will help you deal with the symptoms. The basis of the gastritis diet lies in simple principles: avoid acidic, spicy food, reduce sugar consumption, prefer simple, few-ingredient dishes with minimal heat treatment.
Why do you need to follow a diet for gastritis?
If you have gastritis, your doctor will likely suggest making some dietary changes.
Reducing or eliminating foods that can irritate the lining of the stomach can alleviate unpleasant symptoms. A gastritis diet can help prevent further tissue damage and give them time to heal.
When the mucous membrane is inflamed, it cannot produce enough gastric juice needed for digestion. Also, the amount of mucus that protects the walls of the stomach from gastric acid, which can further damage the tissue, is reduced.
The main goal of the gastritis diet is to reduce inflammation. There are general recommendations from which you can start. For example, avoid foods and drinks that often cause stomach irritation (such as coffee and sour fruits). But it's better to consult a specialist and make a diet that suits your individual needs and preferences.
How long to follow a gastritis diet?
Gastritis can be a temporary or chronic condition. The period during which you need to follow the diet will depend on a multitude of different factors, including the symptoms and their duration, the causes of stomach inflammation and other treatments prescribed by the doctor.
In some cases, it will be enough to give up consuming a certain trigger to alleviate the symptoms of gastritis. For example, if you were taking ibuprofen or other over-the-counter pain medications and you have gastritis, you may feel better if you stop taking these medications.
If your gastritis is caused by other reasons, you may need a longer treatment.
Food features for gastritis
Fruits and vegetables: Very acidic foods, especially citrus fruits and tomatoes, should be avoided. It is worth excluding vegetables that are used as spices and flavorings, for example, onions, garlic.
Instead, choose fruits and vegetables with low acid content, preferably those that are a good source of fiber. For example, apples, berries, pumpkin, and carrots.
Grains: You can consume whole grain bread, brown rice, pasta, and other grains. In small portions, you can eat white rice or potatoes.
Oats, barley, and quinoa are permitted grain options. If you don't eat wheat bread, avoid its analogs made from cornflour, which is prohibited for gastritis.
Dairy: You should exclude fatty dairy products, but Greek yogurt with low sugar content and probiotics can be a useful addition to the gastritis diet. Some hard cheeses with low salt content can be consumed in small amounts. Avoid sauces, creams, and puddings made from fatty creams.
Protein: Eggs, egg whites, and egg substitutes can be an excellent source of protein. However, it is better to cook them soft-boiled, poached, or as an omelet rather than fried. Avoid combining eggs with salty, processed meat for breakfast, such as sausage or ham.
Red meat is prohibited. Prefer lean parts of turkey or chicken, as well as seafood.
Desserts: During the gastritis diet, avoid any food high in fat and sugar. Baked goods, pastries, ice cream, or pudding can irritate the inflamed stomach (especially if they are made from dairy products). Chocolate is also prohibited.
Use natural honey, ginger, mint, and turmeric as sweeteners, which soothe the digestive system.
Drinks: Some people with mild forms of gastritis may drink weak tea or coffee with a small amount of low-fat milk or cream. You can also add honey to tea. However, these drinks are very acidic and are not approved for the gastritis diet.
Cold drinks with a high sugar content, such as carbonated drinks and energy drinks, are also prohibited. Sour juices (for example, orange juice or other citrus fruits, as well as tomato juice) are prohibited. Some fruit juices can be consumed in moderation, but choose varieties with low sugar content.
Avoid alcoholic beverages, including wine, beer, and cocktails.
Allowed gastritis foods
Beans and legumes
- Eggs, egg whites, or egg substitutes (not fried)
- Seafood, shellfish (not fried)
- Honey
- Low-acid vegetables (cucumber, white potato, carrot)
- Fruits low in sugar and acid (pumpkin, blueberry, strawberry, apples)
- Soft cheese with low salt content
- Oats, barley
- Peppermint, ginger, turmeric
- Plain low-fat yogurt
- Foods rich in probiotics (sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha)
- Rice
- Lean poultry without skin (chicken, turkey)
- Whole grain bread and pasta
Prohibited gastritis foods
- Sour fruits (citrus) and vegetables (onions)
- Alcohol
- Chocolate
- Coffee and tea
- Corn and corn products (pasta, bread)
- Dairy products
- Energy drinks
- Fatty foods, fast food, spicy foods
- Fried or hard-boiled eggs
- Garlic
- Ice cream, cakes and pastries, baked goods
- Pickles, salsa, mayonnaise, creamy sauces
- Nuts and nut butter (a small amount is allowed)
- Potato chips, packaged snacks
- Processed meats (sausages, hot dogs)
- Red meat, duck, goose
- Refined grains, fresh bread, pasta from purified flour
- Smoked meats
- Soda, carbonated drinks
- Spices, herbs, spices (especially black pepper)
- Tomatoes and tomato products (juice, paste, sauce)
Recommended meal times for gastritis
When your digestive system is under stress, the amount of food and the time between meals can cause irritation.
If you are prone to an upset stomach, you may find it helpful to change the times of your meals and snacks.
Try to eat small portions more often throughout the day. No more than 3 main meals per day. If you don't feel satiated, add some small snacks to your main meals.
You can choose the time according to your daily routine.
Cooking tips for gastritis
The most important rule in treating gastritis is to exclude fried, heavy, spicy, sweet and fatty foods. Also, fast food should be excluded from the diet.
You should spend more time on proper food preparation. To not irritate the stomach, you can steam, boil and bake food.
It's better to temporarily abstain from spices, dressings, and marinades. For taste, you can add some natural herbs and salt.
Oil can also be irritating. If necessary, replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil.
Grocery list for gastritis for a week
To make it easier for you to diet with gastritis, we have prepared for you a ready-made template of products that should be in your refrigerator. You can edit the shopping list based on product availability and your preferences.