Gastritis Support Group
Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis has many underlying causes, from infection with the bacterium H. pylori, bile reflux, or excessive consumption of alcohol or certain foods or drugs like aspirin.
Can anyone help me understand this? So no tomatoes, no citrus, no acidic stuff. All a part of the bland diet. But, when I google ideas of other non acidic foods I keep getting information for the Alkaline Diet, which says that things are acidic but are digested as different levels of alkaline or acidic. I'm sure some of you have come across this.
http://alkalife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Acid-Alkaline-Food-Chart-ph-Balance-Alkalife.pdf
If I understand it correctly, it goes into our stomach whatever the base pH is, but then once digestion happens it alkalizes then? So many things that have been deemed good for gastritis are on the acidic side of the chart, and so many of the things I was told not to eat are on the alkaline side? I am struggling, on my fourth month now and just want to ensure I am in fact eating all the right things. This low fat, high carb, cook all the nutrients out of all your vegetables, flavorless diet is wearing me down (it is literally SO unhealthy), and I'm at a place with no inflammation but still pain...I feel like I've hit a wall.
Have any of you discussed diet with a doctor or nutritionist and had this conversation?
I am just trying to find out the appropriate information for my ailment. I still am on a waiting list of unknown length for my first GI appointment.
http://alkalife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Acid-Alkaline-Food-Chart-ph-Balance-Alkalife.pdf
If I understand it correctly, it goes into our stomach whatever the base pH is, but then once digestion happens it alkalizes then? So many things that have been deemed good for gastritis are on the acidic side of the chart, and so many of the things I was told not to eat are on the alkaline side? I am struggling, on my fourth month now and just want to ensure I am in fact eating all the right things. This low fat, high carb, cook all the nutrients out of all your vegetables, flavorless diet is wearing me down (it is literally SO unhealthy), and I'm at a place with no inflammation but still pain...I feel like I've hit a wall.
Have any of you discussed diet with a doctor or nutritionist and had this conversation?
I am just trying to find out the appropriate information for my ailment. I still am on a waiting list of unknown length for my first GI appointment.
I'm thinking about calling up a naturopathic doctor, but again, I assume they're just going to push their style of healing and will they know any different about diet? DOES ANYBODY ACTUALLY KNOW? I hope I get my GI appointment sooner rather than later, and that they help me with this aspect. I feel totally lost...it's affecting my mental health so much.
I went to a naturopath and they had me take tons of fish oil pills (high quality salmon oil) and that did help. Along with aloe vera and some other supplements. I think that the main thing is taking the antacids (I take zantac because I can't take PPIs and my new doctor just gave me carafate )and diet, which is I know what is so confusing. The last time I healed, I would try a food and if it didn't seem to cause problems, I would add it to my allowed list and then slowly add more back. I got to where I could eat spicy foods anything after about 9 months, but I have now "relapsed" and I guess I never let my gastritis completely heal. Or it came back, which is what I think, from stress. During that healing time, I ate all the garlic, tomatoes and onions I wanted because they didn't hurt me and they are supposed to be bad for my other problem, acid reflux, but they didn't affect me. But things like tea and coffee really botherered me, so I didn't have those for a long time. What I really think is that everyone is different and there is no one size fits all diet, just guidelines. I think the most important thing is not letting your stomach get completely empty where the acid can build up.
I find it much more useful to just avoid acidic food as you test it, not whether it is 'acid forming'. The best thing is to keep a food log though as everyone is different and has their own triggers. I for example can't eat white rice as it gives me horrible stomach pain and nausea yet most people are fine with it.