Gastritis and Health

Stomachache?Gastritis is an inflammation in the stomach produced when it is weakened or damaged. There are two types of Gastritis, non-erosive, the most common, or erosive, which may cause ulcers or erosions in the stomach lining that can bleed.  It can present it self as acute, when lasts for short periods, or chronic, when it last for long periods of time. Gastritis can be caused by a bacterial infection, regular use of painkillers, old age, stress, excessive use of alcohol, reflux, or other health problems.Not treating gastritis, could lead to stomach cancer.    SymptomsThey could be as common as upper abdominal discomfort, burping, bloating or loss of appetite. Or more serious symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in vomit or stool, feeling pain in the belly and under rib area, weakness, low blood levels or hemoglobin…. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all.

What to eat?
First of all, if you have been already diagnosed, you must avoid gastritis irritants, like spice, or strong herbs, citric or acidic fruits, food with caffeine or theine, alcohol, tobacco/cigarettes and aspirin. Everybody responds to foods differently, so you’ll also want to avoid any foods and beverages that irritate your specific condition, which could be different from the classic ones, and this takes trial and error.

Eat 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day. And respect meal times, so you eat at the same time daily. Your stomach is indifferent about your busy workday or the grilled meats that will be at the party in 1 hour… it will release the acids exactly on time…always, damaging the lining if there is no food to digest. Your last supper should be 2 hours before bedtime.
Eat slowly and chew your food at least 10 times before you swallowed.

More about food
Water: maybe you are not aware, but water is the best and most cheap medicine you can get! It help with every single illness, I cannot name a single illness that does require an increase of water intake. Scientifics from Holland did a research study in which 3000 people were treated of gastric ulcers with water, and they were cured! In our charming weather, we lose around 3300ml every day, so this is the minimum we should be drinking but you should also take into consideration any intensive exercise, hard work or just intake of sun in very hot areas.

Carbohydrates: Eliminate processed goods, like cookies, crackers, donuts, cakes and white bread. Non-processed carbohydrates, like fruits, beans and grains, will actually help with gastritis. You just have to be more cautious about the sources of your carbs. On days you don’t have enough time to sit down and eat, have fruits on hand for treats throughout the day.

B-12 Vitamin: Have a daily intake of vitamin B-12, this will help your immune system to fight back or avoid the problems cause by Gastritis. If the stomach lining is weak or already hurt, the absorption of vitamins will decrease leading to… more problems. Having and extra intake will avoid this to happen, you can find B12 in clams, beef liver, salmon, tuna, shrimp, soymilk, fortified cereals, lamb, Swiss cheese, mozzarella, feta, egg and more.

Glutamine: Has been shown to help in Gastritis as a natural remedy because of its anti-inflammatory properties. You can find it in powder, capsules and tablets or as part of foods like, beef, poultry, milk, yogurt, spinach, grains and cabbage.

You want to know more about this? Call us for an appointment or drop a line at mdmeals@gmail.com or (507) 62305539 / (507) 68912050.