Why should your Diet stress you out?

You may have picked up by now that we are fairly laid-back and not big on rules - as a result we are NOT in favor of a strict day-by-day diet for ulcers at all - diets are so hard to stick to and who needs the stress of 'breaking your diet' anyway?

In the past, doctors were advising all patients with ulcers to get their stress levels down and gave them a really bland stomach ulcer diet which had no spicy, and fatty or acidic foods. Years ago it was proved that an ulcer diet like this was actually ineffective for treating or avoiding stomach ulcers. Good news for the chili lovers!

Note that while a bland diet may be ineffective as a treatment, it is also completely harmless - so if bland is your flavor and it makes you feel better, then stay with it by all means.

Our stomach ulcer diet really focuses on you in a loose kind of way - the reason for this is that there are no hard and fast rules here. Various foods affect various people in various ways, even if those foods are actually recommended in an ulcer diet

• To keep you well nourished
• To keep neutralizing gastric acid
• To stop excessive acid production

Basic Ulcer Diet Guidelines

GOLDEN RULE NO. 1
Stay within these guidelines and use only the foods that you are not reacting to - eat in moderation, excess is dangerous!

To achieve the 3 main goals of your stomach ulcer diet, take note of the following, most of them are common sense;

DO's

• Chew your food properly
• Eat SLOWLY. Many people find it so hard to do this. Taking meals 'on the run' is a no-no
• Chew and swallow food slowly. Be relaxed when you are eating
• Sit upright or even stand up when you eat
• Choose low fat foods rather than fatty foods
• Finish eating at least two hours before you go to bed.
• Drink Water - lots of it! In most cases, a glass of water can relieve abdominal pains within ten minutes. A glass of water a half hour before and two to three hours after each meal can relieve ulcer pain continuously.
• Eat three small meals plus three snacks per day. Eat regularly to avoid periods of hunger.
• Monitor other food sources like dairy products, cola beverages, fatty and fried foods, tomato products, and hot spices. Some may be marginally aggravating - you can experiment with these and then adjust your intake to suit what is comfortable for you.

DON'T's

• Try not to drink too much tea or coffee - caffeine raises acid levels.
• try abstaining from alcohol - it also raises acid levels
• Smoking - nicotine also raises acid levels. Smoking is known to delay ulcer healing.
• Try not to use any form of aspirin (check those packaging inserts!)
• Painkillers and arthritis medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID's) which contain ibuprofen (again, check those packaging inserts)can cause ulcers and delay the healing process
• Antacids should be used sparingly or avoided - most antacids contain magnesium and can cause diarrhea.
• Stop eating any food that causes discomfort - even if it tastes nice!!

Food Types and Quick Fixes

It is important to remember the main cause of ulcers is H. pylori and the continuous use of NSAIDS. An ulcer diet alone is not going to fix your ulcer - it is only a supplement to the ulcer treatment prescribed.

There are some foods that can really aggravate ulcer symptoms and delay the healing process. The level of aggravation differs from person to person. For instance, you may not have any reaction to a particular food that is really affecting someone else badly.

Also remember that over-the-counter drugs and antacids only offer short term relief. They only mask the symptoms of ulcers, they do not repair the damage caused by the ulcer, which is the real problem.

Short term fixes usually do more harm than good - in that short window period where you get some relief, you will be under the impression that your ulcer is cured or under control. This is usually when you tend to 'let go', relax, light up a smoke and have a glass of wine.

GOLDEN RULE NO. 2
Rather try a vegetarian diet for a while to reduce inflammation and stop consuming ANY food that you can feel is aggravating your condition.

FOODS - FEED YOUR ULCER CORRECTLY!

The Good Stuff - This is a short list of foods that have commonly been found to be well tolerated by ulcer patients.

• Vegetables - Fresh, frozen, or canned. Vegetables, Okra, sweet potatoes, squash, yams, broccoli, brussel sprouts, bean sprouts, carrots and carrot juice, potatoes, cabbage juice.
• Fruit - Papaya, avocados, bananas, Blue grapes, almonds and almond milk and any other fresh, frozen, and canned fruits.
• High-fiber foods - Brown rice, barley, oats, are helpful as they can naturally coat and soothe your stomach lining.
• Eggs - 3-4 egg yolks per week maximum
• Smooth peanut butter # Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits
• Meat in small 6oz portions at most - lean beef, pork, lamb, veal, crispy bacon, lean ham, and skinless poultry.
• Fish - All fresh, frozen, or canned fish packed in water

The Bad Stuff - The bad stuff in short is anything that hurts you. The most common of these are;

• abrasive roughage - like bran, nuts, popcorn, and seeds.
• red meat in large quantities - animal proteins are high in acids.
• High-fat breads and cereals such as croissants, biscuits and crackers, and granola-based cereals. Also breads with nuts or dried fruit, or seeds.
• Wild rice
• Raw vegetables, corn, tomatoes and tomato based products
• Berries, figs, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, and tangerines
• Orange, pineapple and grapefruit juice
• Highly processed or seasoned meats or poultry or fish - such as corned beef, polonies, sausages, sardines and anchovies
• All fried or fatty meat, poultry, or fish
• Snacks - Highly seasoned salad dressings, cakes, cookies, pies, pastries, chips, doughnuts, fried potatoes and buttered popcorn, Coconut, chocolate. Also sweets and desserts containing nuts, coconut or fruit should be avoided.

Recommended - Vitamins

Including vitamins in your ulcer diet is an option, but we do recommend this. Vitamins and minerals are always beneficial regardless of what the big pharmaceutical companies tell you in the media. At worst, vitamins are harmless, so there is no harm in trying them out.

At best they could be the key to a speedier recovery. Give these a go to start with and also speak to your local health shop to see if there is anything else available in your area that they can recommend.

• Vitamin A - promotes healing of damaged issue
• Vitamin B complex - for general healing
• Vitamin C and bioflavonoid - heal ulcers
• Vitamin E - assists with pain relief and stomach acid reduction
• Vitamin K - prevents bleeding.
• Calcium, magnesium, Potassium, Zinc are all helpful in the healing process.
  

Recommended - Herbs

We are big fans of herbs and herbal remedies that will assist in the healing of stomach ulcers. You can safely use these in conjunction with the ulcer diet. This is a short list of herbs and other natural foods that can be easily found in most health shops around the world.

• Cabbage juice - a quart of fresh green cabbage juice daily can help your ulcer to heal more rapidly
• Alfalfa - the herbal version of vitamin K, controls bleeding
• Pau d'arco - a natural antibiotic for bacterial infections
• Calcium/Magnesium - (preferably in a chelate form) - relieves stress and soothes nerves
• Aloe Vera Juice - the herbal equivalent of Vitamin A in that it promotes healing of damaged issue
• Chamomile and Golden Seal - use with caution and do not use on a continuous basis
• Licorice - a natural anti-inflammatory for protecting the stomach wall.It is used extensively in Chinese medicine's herbal formulas. It has to be used with caution because it can elevate blood pressure. DGL (also known as deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is safer because it does not have the ingredients that affect blood pressure.

Herbal remedies are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. Herbal remedies provide new and safer ways to improve your health, not only for the treatment of ulcers but for most other conditions as well.

Stomach Exercises & Fitness offers many more tips on diet and exercise for achieving a flatter and healthier stomach. Also features common stomach problems and disorders as well as their treatment.