We should eat food when we are hungry and drink water when we are thirsty; otherwise, there are many chances of our health becoming uneven. If we don't eat enough when we are hungry, the hydrochloric acid secreted by our body starts to erode our intestines.
Hydrochloric acid can digest food and the intestines are more
likely to be affected when food is not consumed at that time and continuous
consumption of highly acidic foods like eating acidic foods on an empty stomach
is more likely to cause intestinal ulcers.
Humans have been aware of this intestinal ulcer disease since
ancient times. People who lived in those times prescribed various foods to cure
ulcers through diet. After the discovery of medicines in modern times, the
details about which type of food should be taken for ulcer diseases are not
known.
Dietary advice along with medication has long been used in
ulcer patients. There have been many changes in the medical system and about
50% of the hospitals have hired dietitians to guide the patients with this type
of stomach ulcer but now many medicines have been discovered for gastric
problems, so many changes have taken place in the diet for these patients.
As early as the 1st
century AD, people living in Rome suggested that stomach ulcers should be
treated with a mildly acidic diet and that all acidic foods should be avoided.
In a study at the University of Oslo, ulcer patients were
given four weeks of complete bed rest and only light work for the first 14 days
before being given a diet such as milk, egg, and white bread. They then decided
that ulcer patients need not stay as in-patients and advised them to take
medicine and eat non-acidic food. Ulcer patients were given three meals a day
to six meals a day.
Intestinal ulcer disease is caused by those who consume too
much rice food.
It occurs 30 per cent more in men than in women.
Ulcers are more common in young people between the ages of 20
and 30.
Hydrochloric acid is secreted in excess in our body and can
cause ulcers.
There is also another cause of stomach ulcer, the bacteria
called helicobacter pylori are likely to cause stomach ulcer.
Irregular eating and consumption of highly acidic spicy foods
can also lead to ulceration.
People with ulcerative colitis are often O blood group.
Ulcers can also occur in people who take high doses of
headache and joint pain medications.
Ulcers are most commonly found in the first part of the
anterior small intestine, lower back of the stomach, and lower part of the
oesophagus.
People suffering from intestinal ulcers will experience
sourness in the mouth, chest irritation, upper middle stomach pain and nausea.
Which type of food should be avoided by people with ulcers?
More important than what kind of food to take for ulcer disease is what kind of food not to take because continuous consumption of high-acid food will not cure the disease. So first you need to know which type of food to avoid.
Milk
Milk
has long been thought to neutralize stomach upset. Fat in milk increases acid production
in the stomach due to its protein and calcium content. A pre-small bowel ulcer
patient drinking a glass of milk increases acid production by 30 per cent
increases the cholesterol level in the body and increases the risk of heart
disease.
People who take antacids with milk are also
prone to some diseases that cause alkalinity in the body and kidney failure and
the lactose in milk can cause allergies in some people.
To
investigate how much dairy can help ulcer patients, people with ulcers were divided
into two groups, one was given milk fruits and the other was given normal food.
When the two groups were examined by gastric endoscopy, the doctors found no
difference in recovery. Until this study, doctors thought that dairy was best
for peptic ulcers.
Coffee
Gastric
ulcer patients have recently found coffee to be beneficial. Coffee,
decaffeinated coffee, and tea can increase acid secretion, and drinking sugar
and unsweetened black tea increases acid secretion.
Similarly,
some fizzy drinks can cause allergies and irritation in the oesophagus. In
general, these patients are advised to avoid large amounts of coffee and soft
drinks.
Salt and spices
People who overeat salt are prone to stomach
ulcers. Consuming too many spices like pepper, chilli, mustard etc. can cause
gastric inflammation and problems with the walls of the stomach.
What types of foods can people with
peptic ulcer eat?
High intake of vegetables can lead to the healing of ulcer disease. Nuts and greens contain fibre for easy digestion and the vitamins in them protect the intestines from ulceration.
Cabbage can cure ulcers by eating it, which is
why this food item is given as a permanent diet to peptic ulcer patients in
Eastern Europe. After the discovery of medicine, no one gave much thought to
dietary habits.
Every disease has its own medicine. Some
diseases can be treated with medicine and food. Similarly, patients with
stomach ulcers need to pay attention to their diet as much as they pay attention
to medicine.
Avoid
eating acidic foods on an empty stomach. Consuming coconut milk can help heal
stomach ulcers. Consuming coconut regularly in the diet of people suffering
from peptic ulcer can lead to recovery from ulcer disease.