Good nutrition will help treatment

Advice from Dr. Zhukova

‘Is it necessary to stick to a diet when one has gastritis or an ulcer? If yes, what diet is best?’

P. Korzhenevsky, Vitebsk

At the present time, one of the main causes of chronic gastritis and stomach or duodenal ulcers is helicobacter infection. Blocking treatments, that provide the destruction of HP (Helicobacterpylori), should be considered. However, observance of certain dietary rules will help improve a patient’s condition.

Basic dietary rules:

1. Offer the maximum amount of ‘rest’ to the mucous membranes of the stomach and duodenum.

2. Exclude products that have a strong irritant influence on mucous membranes.

3. Avoid eating to excess at one sitting.

4. Smaller, frequent and split meals — food intake every 3-4 hours is recommended.

5. Exclude very cold or very hot food.

6. Limit table salt consumption to 10g a day (2 teaspoons) or less.

7. Eat products with a high nutritional value, containing enough protein, fat, carbohydrates, mineral salts and vitamins, mainly A, B and C.

Diets should contain not only animal, but also vegetable fats (refined sunflower or olive oil) as these contribute to a better healing of the ulcer and are also better for the activity of healthy internal bacteria.

The daily composition of a diet should be as follows: Protein-100g, fats — 90-110g (from them 1/3-vegetable oil), carbohydrates — 350-400g, caloric value — 2,800-3,000.

I. Permitted products

● Bread and breadstuffs: white bread, baked goods produced on the previous day or dried bread — 300g a day, (also in the form of dried crusts, biscuit, biscuits);

● Soups: strained milk soups with cereals, thick milk soups with strained vegetables (except cabbage), milk soups with crumbled vermicelli or home-made noodles; strained vegetable soups (except cabbage soup);

● Eggs: soft-boiled eggs or steamed omelette (no more than 2 eggs a day);

● Milk and dairy products: milk, cream, not too sour (fresh) sour cream, not sour fresh cottage cheese, Dutch and Russian cheeses;

● Dishes from meat and poultry: low-fat grades (beef, veal, chicken — better fresh without tendons), boiled or steamed (cutlets, dumplings, meatballs, soufflй, mashed potatoes, roll), periodically, it is possible to take non-coarse boiled meat;

● Fish dishes: various low-fat grades of fish, it is better to eat freshwater fish (perch, pike) boiled, steamed, minced or jellied fish;

● Dishes and garnishes from vegetables: potatoes, carrots, beets, pumpkin, white vegetable marrows in the form of purйe, steamed puddings without crust;

● Dishes and garnishes from cereals and pasta: porridges, semolina, buckwheat, oat, pearl-barley, rice. Porridge made with milk or with milk and water, semi-liquid, boiled vermicelli and macaroni;

● Fats: dairy butter — 15-20g in a pure state and 20-25g for preparation of dishes. Vegetable oil — 25-30g.

● The total amount of fat in a diet should not exceed 100g. It is necessary to realise that approximately 40g of animal fat is contained in products included in a diet.

● Sauces: sour cream and dairy (bйchamel).

● Sweet berries: strawberries, wild strawberries.

● Fruit: soft, sweet, steamed, strained or baked.

● Sweet dishes: creams and jellies, kissels, strained compotes from sweet grades of berries and fruits.

● Drinks: raw vegetable and not sour berry juices, dog-rose broth, broth from wheaten bran.

II. Forbidden products

● Meat, fish, cabbage and mushroom broths;

● Fried meat and fish, suet and hard-melting fats (beef and pork fat and mutton fat);

● Raw vegetative fibre;

● Pickles and spicy snacks;

● Tinned food and smoked sausage;

● Sweet dough, pies, ice-cream and brown bread;

● Very cold drinks;

● Very hot drinks.

III. Limited products

● Sugar and starch dishes. It is better to replace sugar with sweetener and bread with crusts;

● Green onions, turnips, radishes, grape juice, melon.