From the perspective of ease of digestion, porridge does not require the stomach to do too much grinding work. It can be directly converted into chyme, and amylase can fully act on it without the need for chewing. It melts in the mouth and is very easy to digest and absorb. It brings less burden to the digestive system and is less likely to cause allergies or food reactions. Therefore, porridge has a certain function of nourishing the intestines and stomach. However, not everyone, nor all patients with gastrointestinal diseases, are suitable for nourishing the stomach with porridge.Can infants drink fine grain porridge?
Some patients with stomach diseases should not drink porridge
For patients with stomach diseases, they need to be treated differently according to their conditions.
People with atrophic gastritis often feel bloated and lack of appetite due to insufficient stomach acid secretion. They feel full as soon as they eat. Drinking porridge can promote the secretion of stomach acid, help digestion, and also raise blood sugar, which has the effect of nourishing the stomach.
Patients with reflux esophagitis should not drink thin porridge. Drinking porridge can significantly increase the secretion of stomach acid, and because porridge is a non-solid food, it is more likely to reflux. For these patients, drinking porridge does not nourish the stomach, but instead worsens the condition.
Patients with gastric ulcers or superficial gastritis should drink soft and tender porridge, mainly made of fine grains, but should not drink a large amount of porridge. Because porridge can stimulate excessive secretion of stomach acid, a large amount of stomach acid will severely stimulate the gastric mucosa and ulcer surface, which is not conducive to the healing of ulcers. Adding a little baking soda when cooking porridge can neutralize stomach acid, which is suitable for patients with these diseases.
Infants can drink fine grain porridge
The gastric mucosa of infants is not fully developed. Rice porridge and rice soup are rich in nutrients and are easier to digest and absorb than other foods, which is beneficial to the development and health of infants; drinking porridge can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, help digestion, and promote the absorption of fat. It can also cause the casein in formula milk to form loose and soft small lumps, making it easier to digest and absorb. Therefore, using rice soup to mix formula milk or as a supplementary diet for infants is relatively ideal.
