Can you eat lettuce with gastritis? Lettuce is one of the most versatile and consumed vegetables. With vitamins A, B, C and E and minerals such as calcium and sodium, lettuce helps our immune system, as well as providing us with part of the daily amount of vitamins we need and water. Its high fiber content has also made it stand out as a good option in diets for constipation problems, among other benefits.
So, is lettuce good or bad for gastritis? As far as this digestive problem is concerned, opinions about lettuce are divided. That is why it is normal that, if you suffer from the symptoms of gastritis , you wonder if you can eat lettuce to relieve the discomfort or if it will make it worse. The answer is still not unanimous on the part of the specialists. Many of them agree that the consumption of this vegetable raw can cause irritation in the stomach, which is already sensitive, and generate a greater amount of acid, which is why they discourage the consumption of lettuce if you have gastritis [2] .
However, many other specialists defend the consumption of lettuce for its nutritional properties as long as the patient's body tolerates it and consider it one of the perfect foods to help heal our weakened stomach due to its fiber content.
Our recommendation that, if you suffer from gastritis, consult your doctor before making any decision since, in this specific matter, it depends on the tolerance to raw foods during gastritis and the general picture presented by the affected person. Therefore, it is always advisable to listen to the doctor. However, below we show you some foods and guidelines that are confirmed as favoring gastritis, as well as those that you should definitely eliminate from your diet on those days.
What is good for gastritis
The most recommended for gastritis, at first, is to be able to determine what the cause is in order to eradicate it as soon as possible. As we said before, the continuous use of alcoholic beverages, stressful situations, diets rich in fats and hot sauces or medications such as anti-inflammatories can cause this annoying pathology. The main thing in these cases would be to completely eliminate or reduce these factors as much as possible. We leave you tips to recover from gastritis :
- Drink plenty of water: staying hydrated is one of the keys to helping our stomach heal and reduce annoying inflammation. According to the general recommendation, you should drink a maximum of 2 liters of water a day in small sips. Apart from drinking plain water, you can ingest this liquid through broths, juices and infusions. In these other articles we show you The best infusions for gastritis and Juices for gastritis .
- Chew well and do not eat quickly: we must save our stomach from making unnecessary efforts. That is why, at mealtime, we will have to take time to chew food well.
- Know what to eat when you have gastritis: ideally, during the days that the problem lasts, follow a diet for gastritis, that is, as light as possible and with foods rich in fiber, such as rice or pasta in moderate amounts , some fruits (raw and boiled apple being very good), boiled vegetables, as well as lean meats, white fish, boiled eggs and dairy products (always skimmed). The best thing is that they are soft raw foods or well cooked, ironed or baked. Here you can learn about the Fruits that are good for gastritis .
What you should not eat when you have gastritis
The most advisable thing in these cases, if the gastritis is prolonged and does not improve, is to go to your doctor to receive a personalized treatment adapted to your needs and tolerances. However, until then, and for information purposes, we leave you a list of what you should not eat when you have gastritis and other factors to take into account to avoid worsening:
- Avoid alcohol, coffee and soft drinks: their consumption will only end up further irritating the lining of the stomach and prolonging the symptoms. The best liquid intake for gastritis is water.
- Avoid fatty and highly seasoned foods: as we already mentioned, these types of foods are very difficult to digest if we have an inflamed stomach. Fatty meats, organ meats, sausages or spicy condiments should disappear from the diet for a while. In this other article we will indicate in more detail the subject of Forbidden Foods for gastritis .
- Be careful with aspirin: the use of certain medications can lead to the development of gastritis. For example, aspirin should be decreased whenever possible, as they have irritating effects on the stomach.
- Manage stress: if you are going through a difficult time, you have to know that stress directly affects the stomach. Try to manage stress with breathing techniques, meditation and quality of sleep.
