Gastric disorders are quite common. While people have some understanding of them, many misconceptions persist, particularly regarding diet. Some individuals strictly avoid acidic or spicy foods, while others continue to smoke and drink alcohol while taking medication—representing two extremes. Below are common dietary misconceptions among gastric patients.
1. Frequent consumption of congee
Historically, congee was often recommended as the primary food for gastric patients. In reality, congee is swallowed without thorough chewing, preventing adequate mixing with saliva and thus bypassing the preliminary digestion by salivary amylase. Additionally, congee's high water content dilutes gastric juices upon entering the stomach, which is detrimental to digestion.Furthermore, consuming congee increases stomach capacity while providing relatively few calories. This not only places additional strain on the stomach to some extent but also leads to relative nutritional deficiency. Therefore, unless the patient has peptic ulcers complicated by gastrointestinal bleeding or a large ulcer at risk of bleeding, most gastric disease patients should neither be advised nor need to consume congee daily. As long as rice is chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly, it is not harmful to the stomach but rather promotes digestion and benefits health.
2. Eating Small, Frequent Meals
Many advise gastric ulcer patients to "eat small, frequent meals." However, recent research indicates that food entering the stomach inherently irritates the gastric mucosa. This not only accelerates gastrointestinal motility but also increases gastric acid and pepsin secretion, hindering ulcer healing.Current dietary recommendations, especially for gastric ulcer patients, emphasize regular meal times and consistent portion sizes. Avoiding both hunger and overeating is more conducive to healing peptic ulcers. Overemphasizing frequent small meals is unnecessary. 3. Milk as a Remedy for Stomach Ailments Traditional beliefs hold that milk neutralizes stomach acid and aids in peptic ulcer recovery.Current research indicates that milk actually promotes gastric acid secretion. Reports suggest milk consumption increases gastric acid secretion by 30%. Therefore, individuals with peptic ulcers—particularly duodenal ulcers—and those who experience diarrhea after drinking milk should avoid it. Yogurt, however, contains higher levels of lactase and is easily digested and absorbed, posing no adverse effects on peptic ulcers. Avoid consuming it when excessively cold.
4. Eating Rice Soaked in Soup
Some believe that soaking rice in soup makes it easier to swallow and digest. This practice is unscientific and actually hinders digestion. Its principle is essentially the same as eating porridge.
5. Avoiding Spicy Foods
In fact, low concentrations of chili peppers increase blood flow to the gastric mucosa and stimulate the synthesis and release of prostaglandins, effectively preventing harmful substances from damaging the stomach lining and offering protective benefits. Garlic can eliminate Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach, while moderate amounts of ginger help warm the stomach and enhance mucosal protection.Therefore, patients in the acute phase of gastric disease should avoid these spicy foods. However, those in the recovery phase may consume spicy foods in moderation according to personal preference to achieve therapeutic and stomach-nourishing benefits.
6. Continuing Smoking and Drinking While Taking Medication
Many patients recognize that smoking and alcohol consumption hinder the recovery from gastric disorders. Yet, long-standing habits are difficult to break, and they naively assume that medication will mitigate the damage caused by these vices.In reality, throughout my medical career, I frequently encounter patients who experience poor treatment outcomes despite long-term medication, or who suffer recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding and pyloric obstruction during therapy. Many such cases stem from inadequate control of smoking and drinking. Both tobacco and alcohol are known to stimulate gastric acid secretion. Even when taken alongside medication, they may only partially mitigate some damage, but they significantly impair the therapeutic efficacy of drugs.Treating gastric conditions like peptic ulcers, reflux esophagitis, Helicobacter pylori infection, and upper gastrointestinal bleeding requires specific gastric pH levels. Failure to achieve these levels prevents optimal therapeutic outcomes. Gastric disease management is a long-term process encompassing acute treatment and maintenance therapy. Dietary requirements vary across these phases; a one-size-fits-all approach throughout the entire process can compromise nutritional status and quality of life.