Gastritis refers to the inflammation in the lining of the stomach, which can be chronic or acute. Acute gastritis happens suddenly, and it accompanied by severe pain, which remains for some time. This type of pain stays for a temporary time. Whereas, chronic gastritis occurs gradually, and remains for a long time. It makes you feel continued, dull pain that is difficult to ignore. It causes ulcers and cancer.

The best thing is that you can treat the gastritis condition with healthy lifestyle changes.

What is Gastritis?

Gastritis occurs when inflammation happens in stomach lining with swelling and irritation. This condition can be treated in mild condition with medication and lifestyle. Such conditions require to manage symptoms.

Here are the symptoms of gastritis.

Nausea
Gas
Bloating
upset stomach
Abdominal pain
Heartburn
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Indigestion
Continuous hiccups
Black stools (blood in stools)
A burning stomach

Causes of Gastritis

Helicobacter Pylori Bacteria (H. pylori)

Pylori is one of the general causes of gastritis in the whole world, but it affects more in emerging countries. Many people get affected in childhood, but not all people have symptoms. The H. pylori caused both chronic and acute gastritis. However, infection is rare and linked with erosive gastritis. Many researchers think that H.pylori increased from bodily liquids such as enzymes and infected water and food.

These bacteria exist in the mucous of the stomach wall. If this disease is left untreated, then it will induce ulcers and stomach cancer.

Autoimmune Disease

Some people have an autoimmune disease and parietal cells. The parietal cells are present in the stomach wall that release gastric acid.

When the parietal cells get attacked, it will cause hypochlorhydria, which means no or low production of hydrochloric acid inside the stomach and another digestive part. It will reduce the intrinsic factor production, which is a type of protein that requires to absorb vitamin B12 in the body. This condition causes autoimmune metaplastic atrophic gastritis. It also raises the gastric adenocarcinoma risk.

When the stomach unable to produce IF, it can result in the reduction of red blood cells in your body. This condition also referred to as pernicious anemia. Generally, it is an immune system problem in which the immune system attacks its cells.

In a healthy body, the vitamin B12 helps to connect the intrinsic factor (IF) for absorption. However, because of malfunctions, multiple autoimmune reactions happen and create inflammation in the stomach lining and leads to gastritis.

Major Illness or Injury

Any major health condition of the body, such as critical illness, stress, severe burn, traumatic injury, and major surgery induces gastritis. However, in some rare conditions, it can also lead to superficial hemorrhages and mucosal erosions, which can be mortal.

Stress triggered gastritis, also referred to as stress ulcer syndrome, stress linked mucosal disease, and stress erosive syndrome.

Damage in The Stomach Lining

The stomach lining contains important glands to produce stomach acid that helps to break down the pepsin and foods in an enzyme called digestion protein.

A healthy body contains a firm layer of mucus that covers the entire stomach lining and stops the damage of stomach tissues from acidic juices.

However, inflamed stomach lining produces less mucus and other liquid to protect the stomach lining and result in gastritis. It can happen both erosive or non-erosive.

The above condition causes stomach lining inflammation and results in mild to severe discomfort and pain. As a result, it can lead to tearing down tissues and ulcers.

Food Allergies

Another major cause of gastritis is allergies from food. Some people are hypersensitive to certain foods. Over build-up of white blood cells also cause eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract.

Most of the people get relief from food allergies symptoms caused by extremely processed foods such as soda, sweets, coffee, and alcohol. Some foods containing trans-fat also cause food allergies.

Gastritis also causes radiation exposure to medications such as steroids, non-steroids inflammation-reducing medicines, iron supplements. Drinking alcohol, smoking, and drugs also increase the disease.

How Does Gastritis Diet Help?

The main aim of a gastritis diet is to manage the growth of H.pylori. Having a diet rich with fiber, anti-inflammation, foods with rich flavonoids helps to lower the symptoms.

Also, following a diet containing rich probiotic like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus helps to relieve gastritis symptoms. These helpful bacteria promote the intestinal tract, digestive healing, and stomach lining.

People with gastritis are recommended to consume foods with high vitamin A. The vitamin A is important to heal tissue damage and promote mucous membrane functions.

Some foods are naturally known to cause inflammation, such as sugar and highly processed foods that require to avoid. Avoid such foods helps to prevent gastritis.

What Foods to Eat

While consuming other drugs or antacids to lower the stomach acids to relieve symptoms.

Consuming over medication causes hypochondria or osteoporosis. It will reduce the problem, but it will not cure the condition.

The best way to manage gastritis is a healthy diet, which includes foods to eat and certain foods to avoid.

Broccoli

According to research published in the journal of Cancer-Prevention-Research, broccoli sprouts consumption reduces the symptoms of gastritis. As broccoli contains sulforaphane, which is a chemical containing antibacterial properties. It also prevents the risk of cancer.

Consuming one cup of broccoli sprouts Every day for 8-weeks got reduced stomach inflammation than those who did not eat.

Garlic

Adding raw garlic is the best food for treating gastritis. It provides powerful antifungal and antimicrobial properties, which kills the H. Pylori bacteria and makes it the best excellent food. It is often recommended with gastritis medicine.

Additionally, garlic promotes the liver and bladder functions and treats stomach ailments like diarrhea. It activates the appetite and digestion. Eating garlic prevents stress, which is the main cause of acid reflux happens due to nervousness.

Adding garlic in your diet helps to detoxify your body. It is a portion of strong food for cleansing the inner system. According to expert views, garlic is a strong herb that it helps to prevent worms and parasite and prevent ailments like diabetes, typhus, depression, and cancer.

Additionally, garlic helps to prevent gastritis in people with pneumonia, tuberculosis, catarrhs, chronical bronchial, bronchitis, asthma, lung congestion, and whooping cough.

Yogurt and Curd

Curd and yogurt provide an active environment of good bacteria, which promotes the ability of the body to reduce bad bacteria available in your stomach.

According to a study issued in the American-Journal-of-Clinical-Nutrition, eating a cup of yogurt comprises of probiotics every day with different antibiotics effectively work to control H.Pylori. The study discovered that the elimination of H.pylori was an active participant who was had medications and yogurt as compared with those who only consumed medication.

Kefir

Kefir is made from fermented milk products similar to dairy products like buttermilk and yogurt. It is prepared differently with kefir grains and milk. Kefir grains are not grains but tiny and rubbery cell structures of yeast and bacteria of kefir.

Whole milk kefir provides Bifidobacterium Bifidum, which are good bacteria found in fermented milk products. It helps to promote the immune system response and treat gastritis by preventing inflammation.

Sauerkraut

Saurekraut is prepared from fermented cabbage. The fermentation process helps to promote probiotic growth. A study discovered that L.plantarum helps to make food more digestible. It promotes the ability of the gut to absorb vitamins and minerals.

Ginger

Ginger is a popular anti-inflammatory agent. According to one study, phytotherapy research discovered that ginger was effective for reducing H.phlori from your stomach. Ginger also helpful for limiting gastric ulcers triggered by non-steroidal inflammation-reducing drugs and H.pylori in the laboratory of animals.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is prepared from fermented apples. It is a good drink for reducing acid reflux, gastritis symptoms, and heartburn. Some individuals may experience acid reflux problems. However, consuming apple cider vinegar with dilution helps to relieve the condition.

Turmeric

Turmeric is another good herb to include in gastritis diet. Its compound called curcumin helps to reduce inflammation and limit carcinogenic in the condition of gastritis caused by H.pylori.

However, some people are sensitive to turmeric should avoid it to prevent side effects. Talk to your doctor in such conditions to avoid problems.

Oregano

Oregano is the best herb to reduce gastritis pain and its symptoms. It works effectively to lower the bacteria, fungi, and viruses. According to research, oregano contains effective microbial properties that kill H.pylori.

It also has anti-spasmodic qualities that help to reduce vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and indigestion. Take your doctor’s advice to lower the complications and reactions before taking oregano.

Cranberry Juice

According to studies, cranberry reduces the growth of H.pylori inside the stomach. You can consume cranberry with other foods containing flavonoids if you experience gastritis. Flavonoids help to reduce bad bacteria in your stomach. However, avoid crane berry as it affects sensitive people by citric acid. People with a sensitive stomach should always take doctor’s advice before consuming cranberry juice.

Pineapple

Pineapple is another best fruit to include in the diet of gastritis. It works positively and manages acid refluxes according to your sensitivity and tolerance. The presence of bromelain in pineapple provide anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic, and anticancer properties. Even though it is an acidic food, some expert believes that it provides alkalizes during digestion in the stomach. It helps to reduce gastritis symptoms. Bromelain also helps to relieve pain effects.

Carrot or Beet Juice

Consuming carrot and beet juice shown to provide benefits in reducing H. Pylori. The vitamin A found in carrot juice helps to limit the gastric mucosa breakdown. You can consume mixed fruit juice by combining carrot and beets to get more benefits.

Green Tea

Green tea is another healthy option to prevent gastritis. It provides analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. According to UCLA-School-Of-PublicHealth-and-Jonsson-Comprehensive-Cancer-Center at UCLA, green tea provides rich antioxidants that prevent the growth of chronic gastritis.

Potatoes

Drinking raw potato juice helps to treat chronic and severe gastritis symptoms for more time. According to the study of the University of Manchester, potato extracts helps to prevent H. pylori growth.

Natural Honey

Honey is a powerful ingredient containing exceptional compounds that help to lower inflammation linked with the gastrointestinal tract and promote healing of ulcers, which happen in the mucous membrane. It also reduces the antibacterial effects against H.pylori and treats gastritis.

Foods to Avoid

Dairy

Avoid consuming dairy products such as cheese, milk, cream, and processed yogurt. These products contain high calcium, and amino acid, which causes increase the stomach acid and leads to acid refluxes. Milk can cover the stomach lining for a temporary time and buffer the acid release. This temporary relief may still increase acid reflux and cause discomfort.

Citrus Juices & Fruits

Citrus juice and fruits provide vitamin C, which helps to reduce the ulcer formation. It also lowers the inflammation and free radical damage that occurred by H.pylori. However, you should eat it in the starting stages of the ailments and make it part of your regular diet. If you already suffer from gastritis, then acid present in citrus fruit may increase the irritations in the stomach lining and raise the acid reflux and pain in the stomach. Therefore, reduce the citrus juices and fruit consumption.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are high acidic vegetables that quickly irritates the stomach lining and increase the chances of ulcer formation and gastritis. Try to reduce acidic foods, which can worsen the symptoms of gastritis and increase stomach pain.

Fermented Soy

Consuming more fermented soy foods also causes to raise in the risk of gastric problems. You need to reduce the intake of soy products such as miso, natto, and tempeh.

Alcohol

Alcohol also affects the whole gastrointestinal tract, including your stomach. It causes to damage the stomach lining. Leaving the stomach lining unprotected against corrosive acids such as hydrochloric acid released by the stomach for food digestion. This acid damage the stomach and mucous lining.

Thankfully, you can reduce this gastritis by stopping the drinking alcohol. Drinking more alcohol causes us to form stomach cancer and ulcers.

Spicy Food

Generally, spicy foods do not cause gastritis, but it may affect the people suffering from gastritis. Even it can become worse. Spices can irritate the stomach lining, which causes them to inflame the gastritis conditions. Avoid foods like garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper, black pepper, and other hot spices.

Corn

The cellulose present in corn is more, which can affect gastrointestinal issues. The human digestive tract may not break down the cellulose, and it transfers right from the system as undigested. It may even stay in the stomach and rot, which produces a bad bacteria environment. However, consuming steer clear food of corn for gastritis can be helpful.

Gluten

Starches and grains like wheat germ, wheat, barley, rye, farina, graham flour, bulgur, Kamut matzo, spelled, semolina, couscous, and triticale with gluten. These starchy food cause inflammations in the intestine and stomach. People with gluten sensitivity may prevent gastritis by stopping a gluten-free diet.

Processed Foods

Highly processed foods like readymade meals, burgers, deep-fried foods may induce stomach pain because of acute gastritis. These foods also cause an acidic environment in the stomach, which can harm people with gastritis.

Sweets

Sweets also increase irritation in people with gastritis. All sweets are prepared from sugar that can increase the bad bacteria growth and creating an unfavorable environment in the stomach.

After eating sugar, the enzyme will breakdown in the small intestine and get absorbed in the bloodstream quickly. These enzymes are produced by the pancreas.

Unluckily, if your pancreas is unable to generate enough enzyme to assist in the break down more sugar, it can impair the bacterial balance. Overgrowth of bacteria causes to disrupt the nutrient absorption, which results in bloating, gas, and acidity in your gut.

Sodas

People with gastritis require to avoid consuming soda regularly. Excessive soda consumption causes to irritate the esophagus and stomach lining and leads to acid reflux.

Soda does not provide any nutrients and continues to irritate the lining of the stomach. Most of people think drinking soda helps to relieve gastritis discomfort, but it can give temporary relieve and increase the harm for the long term.

Coffee

Drinking coffee also causes to increase gastritis, whether, it is caffeinated or decaffeinated, it affects your digestive system. It causes to raise acidic environment in your stomach and damage the stomach lining. Consuming caffeinated drinks for long term causes to raise the acid reflux and impair digestion process.

Energy Drinks

Energy drinks contain high caffeine. Consuming a high amount of energy drinks cause to affect the digestive system. It will also increase the pain, bleeding, inflammation, and ulcers in the stomach. These conditions occur because caffeine increases acid reflux and heartburn. It also causes to irritate the gut lining. Completely stop the energy drink consumption in severe cases of gastritis. Healthy people can drink only one cup of caffeine every day.

Trans Fats

Avoid consuming foods containing trans fats, which increase the inflammation in the stomach and gut. There are different types of trans fats, such as naturally occurring that present in animal products and artificial trans fats, which is added from hydrogen in liquid oils during the process of making.

But, meat and dairy eater need not be concerned as the moderate amount of trans fat with other healthy food can be manageable. However, trans fats present in processed and fried foods also affect the digestive system. Avoid foods, including French fries, crackers, cookies, cakes, onion rings, margarine, and donuts.

Gastritis: Treatment options

You can treat severe gastritis with medical health, including antacids. Gastritis occurred by H.pylori needs antibiotics. While consuming these antibiotics, avoid taking other medication pain killers, aspirin, and alcohol.

Here are some treatment options for gastritis medications.

Antibiotics

Your doctor will recommend the 10-14 day of the antibiotic course, which directly prevents H.pylori. It includes clarithromycin.

Proton pump inhibitors

These treatments include lansoprazole and omeprazole. The proton pump inhibitors limit acid production and assist in healing.

Histamine (H-2) blockers:

Histamine blockers like famotidine and ranitidine medication help to reduce acid production.

Antacids

The antacids help to neutralize the acid of the stomach.

Coating agents

Coating agents provide misoprostol or sucralfate helps to protect the stomach lining.

Anti-nausea medications

This kind of medication helps to lower the sickness symptoms.

The treatment of gastritis depends on the specific cause. If the bacteria are not the cause of gastritis, then antibiotics will not work.

Combine the above treatments with dietary foods to treat gastritis.

Expert Views

Does Having gastritis leads to ulcers?

Yes, it can slowly develop an ulcer. People with gastritis are more likely to develop peptic ulcer which is linked with H.pylori infection

Does gastritis lose weight?

Yes, gastritis pain cause to increase the indigestion of food and lose weight. Make sure to avoid foods that irritate your stomach.

Does eating banana helpful for gastritis?

Bananas are the best food for gastritis. They contain enough potassium, which helps indigestion. Bananas are the perfect food for a bland gastritis diet. Eating banana helps to coat the stomach lining with thick mucus and prevent stomach acids. Regular consumption of banana helps to restore gastric pH and removes harmful bacteria. People with gastritis can eat a banana before eating other solid foods.

Does gastritis cause tiredness?

Gastritis also causes stomach lining erosion. It can cause a painful ulcer and bleed inside the stomach. Eventually, it will lead to anemia, fatigue, and tiredness.

Risk factors

A person is at more risk of getting atrophic gastritis if they get H.pylori bacteria. This global ailment is common among most areas of the world, especially in overcrowded and extreme poverty areas.

Gastritis linked with autoimmune atrophic is less common. It mostly happens in people of Asia, Africa, America, Northern Europe, and Hispanics.

Here are the other medical conditions which increase the risk of autoimmune atrophic gastritis.

Type-1 diabetes
Thyroid disease
Vitiligo (Pigmentation disorder)
Addison’s disease

Atrophic gastritis is a harmful condition to increase stomach cancer risk.

Gastritis takes a long time to cure the condition depending on the type, severity, and cause. In some, it will cure in a short time after starting the treatment. Make sure to talk with your doctor before taking any food or medications.