Can I Eat Salmon With Gastritis? A Complete Guide

Although many Americans experience indigestion because of the typical American diet, you may have gastritis if you have burning feelings in or above your stomach, stomachaches or pains, feeling sick or throwing up, or constantly burping. In this case, you may want to start the gastritis diet treatment plan.

People who have gastritis have damage and inflammation in the gastric mucosa, which is the lining of the stomach and GI tract. When the lining of the stomach wears away, acid leaks out and causes burning and pain in the digestive system. Sometimes, nutrients aren’t absorbed properly. Several of the signs and symptoms of gastritis are the same as those of stomach ulcers. However, gastritis only affects the stomach, while ulcers can also hurt parts of the intestines and esophagus. Long-term gastritis is also more dangerous than ulcers, and it can sometimes lead to problems like anemia or even stomach cancer.

There is good news: gastritis can often be treated and even cured by making healthy changes to your diet and way of life. Now, let’s look at how your diet can cause gastritis and how the gastritis diet treatment plan can help you get rid of this painful and possibly dangerous condition.

How Your Diet Contributes to Gastritis

Adjusting your diet is one important step in helping the stomach lining heal and preventing inflammation from developing in the first place — or from returning. That’s why you want to follow a gastritis diet treatment plan if you have this condition. Acute gastritis and stomach ulcer symptoms usually go away within several weeks when someone removes the irritants that cause stomach inflammation and erosion to develop. Studies suggest that other steps to reduce gastritis and stomach ulcers include limiting or eliminating use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), quitting smoking, lowering alcohol consumption, reducing stress, and improving immune function. (1)

When you’re on a gastritis diet, you should stay away from foods that make your symptoms worse so you can get better faster. These include very acidic foods, spicy or hot foods, alcohol , caffeine, and processed/packaged foods. (2) On the other hand, foods that are high in fiber, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B12, and antioxidants like vitamin C can help reduce swelling and improve digestive health.

A gastritis diet that is mostly made up of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and high-quality proteins can help you deal with your painful symptoms, keep your weight in check, and keep you from falling short on important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can cause more problems in the future.

Facts About Gastritis:

• A lot of people say that foods that are spicy, very hot, naturally acidic (like oranges and tomatoes), and hard to digest make their gastritis and stomach ulcer symptoms worse because they cause inflammation or the release of stomach acids.
• Gastritis can happen if you eat poorly, don’t get enough nutrients, smoke, are overweight, drink a lot of alcohol, or have a history of autoimmune disorders or viruses. (3).
• People with gastritis or ulcers often take over-the-counter antacids or antibiotics to treat their symptoms. However, these drugs can cause long-term problems like changes in electrolyte levels, constipation, and diarrhea, and they don’t get rid of the inflammation that’s causing the symptoms in the first place.

Gastritis Diet Plan & Natural Treatments

Different people with gastritis or peptic ulcers react to different foods in different ways. To start your gastritis diet, it’s best to do an elimination diet to see which foods hurt the most or help the most. First, try cutting out all of the following common trigger foods for a while, like a few weeks. Then, add one food back at a time to see how it affects you.

By slowly adding just one or two trigger foods to your diet at a time, you can tell if you need to stay away from them permanently to manage your symptoms.

To get the most benefits from following a gastritis diet plan, use these tips to help manage symptoms:

• Eat smaller meals: Instead of eating fewer meals a day but bigger amounts of food at each one, try eating smaller amounts more often. Like, instead of three big meals a day, plan to eat five or six smaller ones every few hours. Eating less often can help the stomach get more blood, which speeds up the healing process. Eating smaller amounts of food can also help protect against the effects of stomach acid. (4).
• Don’t eat too close to bedtime. Give your body three to four hours to fully digest what you ate.
• Drink enough water. Aim for at least six to eight glasses of water every day. Other drinks, like coffee, tea, alcohol, or sweetened drinks, don’t seem to help control gastritis symptoms. When your symptoms start, try drinking a full glass of water. Also, eat a glass of water with every meal. Water, unlike milk, alcohol, and caffeine, won’t make your stomach make more acid or burn.
• Lower your stress. Stressful emotions aren’t thought to cause stomach erosion, gastritis, or ulcers on their own anymore, but they do make symptoms worse. Stress can cause your stomach acid to rise and inflammation to get worse. It can also weaken your immune system and make other digestive problems worse. Along with following a gastritis diet, use natural stress relievers to help your body heal.
• Quit smoking and lower your exposure to toxins. Living an unhealthy life and smoking are two of the main things that can cause stomach damage and gastritis. It takes longer for the stomach lining to heal when you smoke, ulcers are more likely to come back, and you’re more likely to get infections.
• Take good supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, vitamin C, adaptogen herbs, vitamin B12, and a daily food-based multivitamin can all help your stomach heal from gastritis.

Here are the foods that experts say you should avoid and eat on the gastritis diet treatment plan to help ease the pain of gastritis and lower your risk of getting it again:

Foods to Avoid that Worsen Gastritis

• Citrus fruits and juices: Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit are all citrus fruits. They are high in natural acids that are usually good for you, but they can hurt people with ulcers or gastritis. Citrus fruits may cause pain-causing chemicals to be released in people who have stomach inflammation, according to research.
• Tomatoes: Some people have trouble digesting tomatoes because they are acidic, like citrus fruits. But some people should stay away from all tomato products, even if it’s just a small amount.
• Milk and other dairy products: For many years, doctors told people with gastritis and ulcers to drink milk to coat the stomach and help stop acids from hurting it. But this advice isn’t thought to work anymore. Experts now think that the calcium and amino acids (proteins) in milk can make gastritis symptoms worse by making the body make more acid. Try out how you react to yogurt, kefir, raw cheese, and raw milk by yourself. If these foods don’t make your symptoms worse, you can choose to keep eating them because they are good for you in other ways. Probiotics, which are found in large amounts in fermented probiotic yogurt, have been shown to help soothe upset stomachs and ease GI issues. (5).
• Alcohol: Too much alcohol can damage the lining of the stomach and make inflammation worse. Some people with gastritis don’t notice their symptoms getting worse when they drink alcohol in moderation (one drink a day or less), while others can’t drink any alcohol at all without their symptoms getting worse. In most cases, you don’t have to give up alcohol completely. In fact, studies have shown that moderate drinking might even help protect against gastritis. (6).
• Coffee: Most of the time, coffee won’t give you stomach problems or ulcers, but it will make gastritis symptoms worse. Even when coffee is decaffeinated, it can sometimes still make pain worse. Coffee is naturally acidic, which may make you feel like you’re on fire. Caffeine can also make GI problems worse for some people. Several studies, on the other hand, show that drinking green tea regularly is linked to a 40% lower risk of gastritis. This is because it lowers inflammation and contains less caffeine, which helps you avoid caffeine overload while healing the gut.
• Spicy foods: Hot or spicy foods won’t give you gastritis or ulcers, but they can make your symptoms worse. These include chili, cayenne, red and black pepper, curry, hot sauce, and hot peppers. All of these can make gastritis symptoms worse. (7).
• Some foods that can cause allergies or inflammation are white bread, pasta, products with added sugar, factory-farmed meat, trans fats, refined vegetable oils, fried foods, and pasteurized dairy products. Eat less of these foods. All of these can make you more likely to get infections, cause food allergies, and make your gut more inflamed.

Foods to Consume that Help You Overcome Gastritis

• Foods high in antioxidants: Berries, for example, are a good example of a food that is high in flavonoids, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Research has shown that these foods can help lower stomach inflammation and lower the risk of digestive disorders or complications. Fresh fruits and vegetables that are brightly colored are the best places to get antioxidants that help the body. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, onions, garlic, squash, bell peppers, leafy greens, artichoke, asparagus, celery, fennel, sea vegetables, ginger, turmeric, cruciferous vegetables, berries, apples, and cranberries are some of the best fresh fruits, herbs, and spices for gastritis. (8).

• Probiotic foods: A review of studies shows that eating probiotics may help keep H pylori bacteria and treat infections in the GI tract that cause ulcers and gastritis (9) Probiotic foods, like cultured vegetables, kombucha, yogurt, and kefir (if you can handle dairy), are good for your health in many ways. They lower inflammation, keep bowel movements regular, help manage reactions to food allergies or intolerances, and do a lot more. Probiotic foods and supplements with good bacteria like Lactobacillus bulgaricus may help control how much acid the stomach makes and lower inflammation by stopping the production of cytokines and chemokines in a big way.

• Garlic: This natural cure for stomach problems has been used for thousands of years. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Garlic naturally reduces swelling and pain and may even help fight infections. Some experts think that eating raw garlic might even help lower H pylori bacteria and stop the growth of other microbiome bacteria that are bad for you (2010) The National Cancer Center Research Institute in Tokyo did a study that looked at what happened when 1%, 2%, and 4% garlic extract were given to animals. The stronger the effects were, the higher the dose. H. pylori-induced gastritis in the animals was significantly reduced over the course of six weeks, with a decrease that depended on the dose. According to other research, eating about two cloves of garlic every day is the best way to protect against stomach inflammation. However, eating less garlic or taking concentrated garlic extract supplements is also helpful.

• Licorice, fennel, or anise: Licorice has been used for a long time to treat stomach problems like ulcers and acid reflux. Licorice root has a special chemical in it called glycyrrhizic that is known to calm the stomach and make the internal digestive tract stronger. This chemical is so great that it has been shown to have “anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties.” (11) Licorice extract may help the most, but eating fennel and using anise spices can also help. Different people should take different amounts of licorice extract, but most people feel better after taking about three grams a day for four to six weeks. Talk to your doctor, though, if you’re on any medicines that might not work well with licorice exact, like those for high blood pressure.

• Soaked or sprouted nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes are high in fiber. Eating a lot of fiber has been shown to help with gastritis and other digestive problems. According to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, eating a lot of fiber was linked to a 60% lower risk of getting stomach ulcers. (6) Nuts like almonds, seeds like chia or flax, soaked legumes or beans, and sprouted whole grains (oats, quinoa, wild rice, buckwheat, and amaranth are some of the best gluten-free ancient grains) are some of the best places to get fiber.

• Good fats and proteins: Lean proteins help fix the gut wall and treat digestive problems like leaky gut syndrome, which can cause swelling. Grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, cage-free eggs, and pasture-raised chicken are all good sources of clean protein. Fish like salmon and sardines are especially good for people with gastritis because they are high in omega-3s, which reduce inflammation and help the body heal. Coconut or olive oil, avocado, grass-fed butter, and ghee are some other healthy fats that are easy to digest.

Meals for Gastritis, GERD, Acid Reflux | What I eat in a day

FAQ

Is salmon good for gastritis?

What seafood can I eat with gastritis?

What meat can I eat with gastritis?

What can I eat with inflamed gastritis?

What can I drink if I have gastritis?

Water, herbal tea, non-dairy milk, and light apple or cranberry juice are your best options. Some studies suggest that peppermint, ginger, and turmeric tea are especially useful in easing gastritis symptoms. A teaspoon of honey can also help ease inflammation. You also need to cut out alcohol, including beer, wine, and spirits.

What are some foods that one should eat if they have gastritis?

Foods indicated for individuals with gastritis are those that do not irritate the gastric mucosa, such as pear, papaya, guava, and banana, vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, carrots, and cooked spinach, and lean meats such as chicken, turkey, and cooked or grilled fish.

Can diet cause gastritis?

Though diet is not generally the cause of gastritis, certain foods may trigger more symptoms, such as high-fat and spicy foods. Experts recommend a high-fiber, anti-inflammatory diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats for people with gastritis.

Can you eat eggs if you have gastritis?

Yes, you can eat eggs if you have gastritis. Eggs are usually included in a bland diet, which is what is recommended in cases of gastritis. What else can you eat on a bland diet for gastritis?