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Recommended Diet for Ulcers

Although ulcers are not caused by eating spicy food and drinking soda, people should avoid them while their ulcer is healing. However. certain foods can increase stomach acid, slowing healing time and increasing pain and discomfort. Follow this guide and stick to mild, easy-to-digest foods and always chew thoroughly. This allows the stomach to produce less acid to break down food.

  1. Limit Meals

    • Eat three meals per day and not five or six smaller meals, because it worsens ulcer pain. According to drugs.com, eating too often, even in small amounts, increases acid production in the stomach.

    Limit Dairy

    • Limit dairy products to three or less servings per day. When possible, eat low-fat or fat-free dairy products, which helps control acid production in the stomach, reducing pain and discomfort.

    Avoid Foods That Increase Acid

    • Avoid eating ground black pepper, chili powder, citrus fruits, fried food, foods that contain tomatoes, chocolate and peppermint. People should also avoid drinking caffeinated drinks and citrus juices. According to Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology, these all increase the likelihood of additional pain and discomfort.

    Drink Water

    • Drink six to eight cups of water every day. Other beverages, such as apple and grape juices, decaffeinated drinks and herbal tea are also gentle enough on the stomach to drink. Avoid hot or alcoholic drinks.

    Follow the USDA Pyramid

    • Follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) pyramid eating guide (for the full guide, see resource 1). Eat the recommended amount of food from all groups, except restrict your intake to three or less servings for dairy. Avoid artificially or naturally flavored foods with ingredients that increase acid production, such as peppers, tomatoes, chocolate, citrus fruits or fried breading.

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