Gastric diseases are common among modern people, and irregular eating habits are the most common cause. Gastric discomfort can be divided into two types: gastric cold and gastric heat. Generally, gastric cold dampness is the most common, accounting for 90% of clinical cases. This is mainly caused by the mixed consumption of cold and hot foods.
For patients with gastric cold, they can take an appropriate amount of ginger water or pepper pig stomach soup. Ginger and pepper both have the effect of invigorating and warming the stomach, which can regulate gastric coldness and help the spleen and stomach to regain a healthy state.
For patients with excessive gastric acid causing stomach pain, they should first correct their bad eating habits. So how should gastric disease patients regulate their eating habits?
1. Eat at regular times, in proper amounts, and with good quality
Eat at regular times: Breakfast should be scheduled between 6:00-8:00 in the morning, lunch around 12:00 noon, and dinner between 18:00-19:00 in the evening. If you need to eat snacks, you can have them at around 9:00 in the morning and 15:00 in the afternoon. If you feel hungry around 21:00 in the evening, you can have some fruit or a glass of milk.
Eat in proper amounts: The proportion of three meals in a day should be 3:4:3. Arrange the amount of food to be eaten each day, not too much or too little. Ensure sufficient nutrition intake without overeating, especially for dinner, where being 70-80% full is sufficient.
Eat with good quality: The quality of each meal should be guaranteed. It should be nutritious, easy to digest, tasty, and not too spicy. Avoid drinking strong alcohol.
2. Eat slowly, chew well, and have warm food
Chew slowly, chew more, and swallow slowly. Choose food with a good texture that is easy to chew. Avoid eating coarse or tough food. Food should be warm rather than cold or hot.
3. Avoid heavy lifting, anger, and exposure to cold before eating
Avoid heavy physical labor or intense activities before meals. Keep emotions stable before meals and try to avoid anger. Take measures to keep the abdomen warm and prevent exposure to cold, which can worsen gastric diseases.
4. Avoid drinking a large amount of water before meals
When fasting, the stomach contains a certain amount of gastric juice, mainly composed of hydrochloric acid, gastric protease, and mucus. These substances can digest food and protect the gastric mucosa.
Among them, hydrochloric acid has bactericidal effects. Drinking a large amount of water or beverages before meals dilutes hydrochloric acid and reduces its bactericidal effect, affecting appetite. Gastric protease helps with food digestion, but this enzyme can only function in an acidic environment. If gastric juice is diluted, the activity of gastric protease will be affected. Additionally, the mucus in gastric juice forms a protective layer in the stomach, preventing direct contact between food and the gastric mucosa. Drinking a large amount of water before meals can damage this protective layer and cause direct contact between protein and the gastric wall, which can easily lead to gastric ulcers.
