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Diet for Healing an Ulcer

If you are suffering from an ulcer, medication prescribed by your supervising physician is usually your best bet for a speedy recovery. However, you can buttress the effects of medication by adherence to an ulcer-friendly diet. A diet designed to deal with ulcers will afford you some relief, minimizing symptoms and encouraging successful healing.

  1. Ulcers

    • Ulcers are simply holes in the lining of your stomach that are created where the protective lining of your stomach has failed, allowing stomach acids to cause damage. One major cause of ulcers is the presence of a type of bacteria called H. pylori. H. pylori acts by facilitating the weakening of your stomach lining, allowing the conditions for the development of an ulcer to manifest. Common symptoms of an ulcer include burning pain in your abdominal region, fatigue and loss of appetite.

    Ulcer Diet Theory

    • Optimal healing requires the elimination of unnecessary irritants. Just as you abstain from heading to the gym when ill, so too should you abstain from consuming certain "trigger" foods while suffering from an ulcer. Consumption of trigger foods can cause of flare-up of symptoms, delaying the healing process and decreasing your quality of life. Adhering to an ulcer-healing diet can help you avoid this situation.

    Ulcer Diet Foods to Avoid

    • While trigger foods can vary from person to person, the most common foods to exclude from your diet are: coffee, spicy foods, alcohol, fatty and fried foods, citrus fruits and tomatoes. All of these foods are natural irritants that are acidic in nature, further exacerbating the symptoms of an ulcer. Other potential trigger foods include gravy, sausage, whole dairy products, nuts and thick soups.

    Foods to Consume

    • Natural foods should not present too great a difficulty for your body to assimilate while on an ulcer diet. These foods include lean protein sources like seafood, chicken and turkey, fresh non-citrus fruits, veggies, whole grains, fat-free dairy and soy products like tofu and miso. Building your diet around consumption of a lean protein source, a non-citrus fruit, a veggie and a whole grain is a good way to keep your ulcer under control while simultaneously managing your weight for the better.

    Other Considerations

    • Aside from paying meticulous attention to your food intake, you should also pay attention to your emotional state while attempting to heal an ulcer. Excessive stress can trigger the production of stomach acid, increasing symptoms and delaying healing. Therefore, try to find ways to minimize stress, either by practicing stress-avoidance techniques like meditation or by removing optional sources of stress from your life. Although often overlooked, stress management can be a crucial step toward relieving the symptoms of an ulcer.

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