Stomach ulcer has become a global health challenge. A lot of people are suffering from chronic stomach ulcer, more unfortunate is the fact that often times, they don’t know what kind of food to be eating so that it doesn’t increase their pains or make healing more complicate. Doctors and health officers give different advise to patients on the kind of foods to eat and the one they shouldn’t eat, sometimes, the patients get more confused, and other times, for some people, their body also react negatively to even the ones their doctor recommend they should be eating.
There has been a lot of perception about the true causes of stomach ulcer, some believe that it is caused by hunger, i.e inability of people to feed properly or at the right time, thereby causing the digestive worms in the stomach to start biting on the walls of the stomach and gradually inflicts injuries on the stomach walls. It has also been said that stress often causes stomach Ulcer, but there hasn’t been reasonable scientific evidences to back up these ascertions. For the sake of clarity, I will go ahead to define stomach ulcer, the true causes and then list a very helpful food guide, for people suffering from Stomach Ulcer which will help during the treatment of the disease or that will aid it’s management.
Definition of Stomach Ulcer.
Stomach Ulcer is defined as a painful sore in the the stomach lining. It is also refered to as gastric Ucler. It is a form of peptic ulcer because it affects both the linings of the stomach and the small intestine. Stomach Ulcer isn’t actually caused by hunger or stress as a lot of people especially as Africans speculates. It has medically been proven to be caused by a certain Gram +ve Bacteria known as Halicobacter Pyroli. This bacteria gets into the body through the foods that are not thoroughly washed and cleaned before consumption.
Another proven cause of stomach ulcer is habitual intake of anti-inflammatory drugs, some of these drugs contains some chemical compounds that are capable of inflicting sores on the stomach linings. Therefore, it is safe to say that hunger parsay, doesn’t cause stomach Ulcer, nevertheless, Those who already have the bacteria in their system and do not feed properly or at irregular times are predisposed to suffering stomach ulcer because that will give the micro organisms the chance to begin to attack the walls of the stomach each time they have nothing to feed on. Some of the symptoms associated with stomach Ulcer are: pains in the stomach, heart burn, nausea and vomiting, loss of Appetite, etc. Having explained all these, it is then imperative to list various helpful foods for Ulcer patients. Below are some of those foods and the most appropriate times to take them.
HELPFUL FOODS FOR STOMACH ULCER PATIENTS.
(1) Probiotics, Eg. Probiotic yoghurt; This is the type of yoghurt that contains life beneficial micro organisms in it. Probiotic yoghurts contains a particular strain of Lactobacillus Species and Streptococcus species or a strain of Saccharomyces species. These micro organisms are capable of inhibiting the growth and multiplication of the disease-causing H. pylori in the stomach and small intestine. This is because of their capability of converting the milk sugar (lactose) into lactic acids, Thereby making the medium acidic which greatly suppresses the activities of the Halicobacter Pylori in the stomach. Therefore, patients should endeavor to take glass of Probiotics first thing in the morning during treatments of stomach Ulcer. It is very helpful. But then, this might not work if the ulcer has gotten to it’s very chronic stage or if a patient has lactose allergies.
(2). Patients should improve on the consumption of leavy vegetable, and other vegetables very rich in fibre, such as, pumpkins, cabbages, cauliflower, etc. This is very essential in the management of Stomach Ulcer.
(3.) Fermented foods; A lot of fermented foods contains some beneficial micro organisms especially of the saccharomyces spp. It’s presence in the foods inhibits the free activities of the Ulcer causing bacteria. Some of such fermented foods are Paps, yoghurts, saukrauts , cheese etc.
(4) Consumption of fruits less acidic fruits such as Banana, avocado peas, watermelon, carrots, berries and cucumbers especially in smoothies form. This greatly reduce the heart burns often experienced by some patients.
(5). Reduction in the intake of spicy foods or use of some spices during the treatment of stomach Ulcer. In as much as spices are very beneficial to our health apart from the taste, Flavour and aroma it add to our foods, some spicies such as pepper, ginger and garlic contains some chemical compounds that is capable of instigating what is called “Acid Reflux” in the stomach of some Stomach Ulcer patients which is the reason for the severe pains and heart burns that the often experience.
Please note that these food tips cannot not be used to replace treatments for patient(s) diagnosed with stomach Ulcer, but following this food tips/guildlines during the treatment will greatly help in arresting and eliminating the ailment.
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