Key Takeaways
- Gastritis is a painful inflammation of the stomach lining that is often short-term.
- Common symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and indigestion.
- Diet and lifestyle changes can prevent and provide quick gastritis relief.
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining.
Inflammation can range from mild to severe and is often short-term (a couple of days) but can become chronic gastritis (long-term).
Common symptoms of gastritis include stomach pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and indigestion.
Gastritis can be caused by a variety of things ranging from an H.pylori infection, illness, excessive alcohol intake, or immune conditions.
Identifying the cause and seeking treatment early on for gastritis can help you feel better and restore gut health.
Diet and lifestyle changes can prevent and provide quick relief for gastritis.
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Can I Treat Gastritis at Home?
Milder, acute versions of gastritis can often be treated at home with diet and lifestyle changes.
Making changes early on can prevent pain, discomfort after eating, and any long-term complications.
Seek medical care if your mild gastritis doesn’t resolve or if it worsens.
Chronic untreated gastritis can damage the stomach lining, and your body may have trouble restoring to normal function after months of gastritis.
7 Dietitian-Approved Home Remedies for Gastritis Relief
Try these dietitian-approved gastritis remedies today.
1. Follow a Gastritis-Friendly Diet
Gastric diseases, including gastritis, have been associated with certain eating patterns (for example, a high intake of processed foods paired with low fiber.)
A large epidemiology study involving 144,196 adults examined the association between inflammatory diets and gastric inflammation over seven years.
Individuals eating large amounts of inflammatory foods had a 22% increased risk of developing gastric disease and a 19% increased risk of gastritis.
Foods to Avoid
Inflammatory diets contain mainly processed and fried foods, red and processed meat like sausage, bacon, and hot dogs, excess dairy products, sweets and desserts, and refined, low-fiber grains like white bread or foods with primarily white flour.
Foods to Incorporate
Anti-inflammatory diets consist primarily of fruits, vegetables, whole grains high in fiber like whole wheat, oats, and quinoa, and choosing omega-3 fats like olive oil, nuts, nut butters, and salmon or tuna.
Choose unprocessed meats like chicken, fish, and a small amount of unprocessed red meat.
2. Consume Probiotic-Rich Foods
Probiotics are live organisms that are beneficial to humans.
A strong research base indicates their benefit to many digestive conditions.
Probiotics help maintain an optimal bacteria balance and can help resolve gastritis related to an H. pylori infection.
Clinical trials have shown that one probiotic strain, L. reuteri, reduces H. pylori amounts, improves discomfort, and reduces the side effects of antibiotics used to treat the infection.
Foods rich in probiotics include yogurt and kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, miso, and kombucha.
3. Try Ginger Tea or Supplements
Research on ginger indicates its ability to reduce nausea, vomiting, and indigestion.
A review article detailed the use of ginger in various digestive issues and recognized its safety and effectiveness.
Ginger is used among pregnant women to relieve pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting.
It has also effectively reduced nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy, motion sickness, reflux, and indigestion.
Ginger for gastritis symptoms is considered safe due to its use and safety for pregnancy.
Drinking ginger tea or taking supplements can help relieve gastritis symptoms as you implement other diet and lifestyle changes to get relief.
4. Take Digestive Enzyme Supplements
Digestive enzyme supplements help break down foods in your digestive system.
Your stomach normally releases digestive enzymes.
This release can be altered with chronic gastritis, leading to impaired digestion.
Taking digestive enzymes will not resolve chronic gastritis; it just alleviates some symptoms.
Chronic gastritis requires medical testing and treatment first.
Take digestive enzymes with the support and advice of your healthcare provider to help relieve symptoms while treating the root cause of chronic gastritis.
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5. Limit Alcohol and Caffeine Intake
Acute gastritis can be caused by excess intake of alcohol and caffeine.
Large amounts of alcohol damage the stomach lining, leading to inflammation.
Reducing or eliminating alcohol allows the stomach lining to heal.
Once gastritis is resolved, it’s important to limit alcohol to prevent another round of gastritis, and alcohol is considered inflammatory.
Caffeine does not cause gastritis.
However, if you are suffering from symptoms of gastritis, caffeine can make it feel worse.
Caffeine increases acid production in the stomach, further irritating an inflamed stomach lining.
Usually, acid production helps with digestion.
Consuming caffeine in moderate amounts is considered healthful and anti-inflammatory when your gastritis is resolved.
6. Reduce Stress Levels
Similar to caffeine, stress can increase acid production in the stomach.
The excess acid can cause acute gastritis or exacerbate existing gastritis.
Stress management and reduction can help you prevent and find relief from gastritis.
It may take some experimentation for what works best for you.
Many people find that activities like listening to music, exercising, stretching, and deep breathing reduce stress.
Working with a healthcare professional can help you find other treatments, like medications to reduce acid levels while the gastritis heals.
7. Eat Smaller Meals Slowly
Eating too quickly often leads to overeating, straining the digestive system and any digestive conditions.
Research from 2020, among 550 adults with chronic gastritis, shows that over half of participants attribute an increase in symptoms to eating too fast.
Others reported irregular mealtimes and sizes, and eating sweets, spicy foods, and processed meats led to stomach pain and distention.
Eating smaller meals throughout the day can reduce hunger, allow you to eat slowly, and reduce gastritis symptoms.
What to Avoid with Gastritis
Avoid inflammatory foods and drinks like:
- Processed and fried foods.
- Red and processed meat like sausage, bacon, and hot dogs.
- Excess dairy products, sweets, and desserts.
- Refined, low-fiber grains like white bread or foods with primarily white flour.
- Alcohol.
- Caffeine (during a gastritis flare-up).
Try stress-reducing activities to prevent excess acid production that irritates the stomach lining.
Aim to eat smaller meals slowly to prevent gastritis symptoms.
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When to See Your Medical Provider
See your medical provider if your mild or acute gastritis doesn’t resolve within a week or if symptoms worsen.
Symptoms that require medical attention regardless of the time frame for your gastritis include vomiting blood or blood in the stool.
Chronic untreated gastritis can damage the stomach lining, and your body may have trouble restoring to normal function after prolonged gastritis.
Takeaway
Gastritis is a common digestive disorder.
Typically, mild versions resolve at home with proper self-care.
Diet and lifestyle changes can provide gastritis relief and prevent future gastritis.
Try some of these dietitian-approved remedies for better health and relief. Start with an anti-inflammatory diet.
How a Dietitian Can Help
If you’re suffering from gastritis and need help with diet and lifestyle changes, consider working with a registered dietitian.
Book an appointment with a gut health dietitian today.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The fastest way to cure gastritis is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy omega-3 fats, and protein options like chicken, fish, and nuts.
Remember to space your meals and eat slowly.
Ginger tea can help soothe gastritis by reducing indigestion, nausea, and vomiting.
To start, reduce your intake of inflammatory foods and drinks.
You can do this by avoiding processed and fried foods, red and processed meat like sausage, bacon, hot dogs, excess dairy products, sweets, desserts, and refined, low-fiber grains like white bread or primarily white flour.
Additionally, avoid alcohol and caffeine during a gastritis flare-up.
