Gastritis Foods: What to Eat and Avoid

Foods can help or exacerbate gastritis (an inflammation of the stomach lining).¹

This inflammation can range from mild to severe. Gastritis is often short-term (a couple of days) but can become chronic gastritis (long-term beyond several weeks). 

Common symptoms include stomach pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, reflux, and indigestion. A variety of things can cause acute and chronic gastritis. Determining the cause and seeking early treatment for gastritis can help you feel better. ¹

Diet and lifestyle changes can prevent and provide relief from gastritis. Please remember that if you experience serious health concerns, you should always contact your healthcare provider.¹

Keep reading to learn more about gastritis, its causes, and how food choices can help you feel better quickly and prevent episodes. 

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Understanding the Causes of Gastritis

Identifying the cause of your gastritis will guide appropriate intervention and food choices. 

Medications, illnesses, stomach viruses, and stomach changes often cause acute (short-term) gastritis. These types of gastritis typically resolve once the cause is determined and solved.

On the other hand, chronic (beyond several weeks) gastritis is associated with Helicobacter pylori infections, excessive alcohol intake, or immune conditions.

Untreated H. pylori infections as a child or an adult are a common risk factor for developing chronic gastritis and its associated illnesses, such as peptic ulcers, stomach bleeding, anemia, and stomach cancer. Untreated inflammation of the stomach leads to the destruction of the lining over time.^{1, 2}

Antibiotics and further testing can ensure an infection is resolved and help you heal after gastritis.¹ 

Various things, including an H. pylori infection, illness, excessive alcohol consumption, or autoimmune conditions, can cause gastritis. Your food choices can help prevent and resolve gastritis and improve digestive health. Working with a registered dietitian can help you develop an individualized plan. 

The Science Behind a Gastritis Diet

A gastritis diet is meant to provide relief during an acute flare-up, and a long-term diet prevents further damage and helps restore gut health. 

Certain foods are more problematic for the stomach to digest during an acute flare-up. Once the flare-up is resolved, a person can typically resume a healthy diet. 

Gastrointestinal diseases, including gastritis, have been associated with specific eating patterns, such as a high intake of processed foods paired with low fiber.³ 

An epidemiology study spanning seven years and involving 144,196 adults researched the association between inflammatory diets and gastric inflammation. 

Adults eating large amounts of inflammatory foods had a 22% increased risk of developing gastric disease and a 19% increased risk of gastritis.³

On the positive side, individuals who follow an anti-inflammatory diet had a decreased risk for gastritis.³ 

Next, we will go into specific foods to avoid and those to include for managing gastritis well. 

Gastritis Triggers: Foods to Stay Away From

When you have acute or chronic gastritis, certain foods can further irritate the stomach lining or cause extra pain. 

Here are inflammatory foods to avoid with gastritis:

• Processed foods
• Fried foods
• High-fat foods
• Red and processed meats, including 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

When the stomach is inflamed (acutely or chronically), avoiding inflammatory foods can help reduce the pain and severity of your symptoms.

Excessive alcohol intake can cause acute gastritis and is inflammatory to many health conditions. Alcohol can damage the stomach lining, leading to inflammation. Eliminating alcohol allows the irritated stomach lining to heal.¹ 

Once acute gastritis is resolved, try to limit alcohol intake to prevent another flare-up. Also, restrict inflammatory foods to avoid further gastritis and allow your inflammation to settle down. 

Other foods may need to be avoided depending on the severity and symptoms: 

• Fruit juice
• Pickled products 
• Spicy food like salsa, hot peppers, jalapenos, or spices like chili powder
• Acidic foods (tomatoes, tomato sauce, citrus fruits, onions, garlic, peppers)
• Carbonated beverages
• Caffeine (coffee, some teas, energy drinks, soda, and chocolate)

This list of foods can irritate the stomach lining further when inflamed. These acidic or spicy foods and drinks, including caffeine, do not cause gastritis. 

Some people can tolerate these foods and drinks with a mild case of gastritis, whereas others have to avoid them until their inflammation is resolved. 

If you are suffering from symptoms of gastritis, caffeine can make symptoms worse.

‍Caffeine increases the amount of acid your stomach produces. This extra acid further irritates an inflamed stomach lining. Stomach acid is beneficial during normal digestion but not during a gastritis flare-up.⁴ 

Consuming moderate amounts of caffeine is considered healthful and anti-inflammatory when gastritis is resolved. Opt for anti-inflammatory sources of caffeine such as green tea, black tea, or unsweetened coffee.^{3, 4} 

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href=how-to-relieve-stomach-pain-from-overeating>Find Yourself Overeating? Here’s How to Relieve Stomach Pain</a></a>.</div>

Dietary Rules for Managing Gastritis

Eating guidelines depend on whether you are dealing with a gastritis flare-up or have resolved gastritis and are planning a healthy, maintenance diet to prevent future flare-ups.

Incorporate a balanced plate to nourish your body while healing and preventing gastritis. Plan meals using the plate method.⁵

1. Fill one-half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like cooked cauliflower, carrots, leafy greens, sugar snap peas, or green beans. 
2. Fill one-quarter of your plate with starchy vegetables and grains, such as corn, green peas, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, or brown rice.
3. Fill the final one-quarter with a lean meat or protein option (animal or plant-based) like beans, lentils, low-fat dairy, skinless chicken, fish, or eggs.

The plate method is a simple visual for planning a filling and nutritious meal.

Each section breakdown helps you choose enough protein, fiber, and carbohydrates to stay full between meals and regulate blood sugar levels while nourishing your body with necessary nutrients.⁵  

Simply alter the foods you place in each section depending on whether you are currently in a gastritis flare-up or preventing gastritis. 

Dietary Rules During a Gastritis Flare-Up

During a gastritis flare-up, avoid foods that can irritate the inflamed stomach lining, as listed above. 

The following list includes foods that are soothing and non-irritating.

• Low-acid foods, like vegetables, baked potatoes, cooked green beans, squash, carrots, and other cooked vegetables
• Beans and legumes
• Scrambled or hard-boiled eggs
• Baked fish or lean, skinless chicken or turkey
• Probiotic foods like low-fat yogurt and kefir
• Broth-based soups
• Non-carbonated beverages like water, ginger, or peppermint tea
• Caffeine-free drinks
• Bananas, applesauce, canned fruit like peaches or pears in water
• Whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa

Follow the plate method to ensure an appropriate, nourishing balance of nutrients.⁵ 

Dietary Rules for Preventing Gastritis

Consuming a diet of primarily anti-inflammatory foods while limiting inflammatory foods can help prevent gastritis and other diseases.³ 

Add in probiotic-rich foods containing beneficial live organisms. Research indicates their helpfulness to digestive conditions. Probiotics help maintain optimal bacterial balance and can help resolve gastritis related to an H. pylori infection.⁶ 

Anti-inflammatory diets consist primarily of: 

• All fruits and vegetables.
• Whole grains high in fiber, like whole wheat, oats, and quinoa.
• Omega-3 fats like olive oil, nuts, nut butter, and salmon or tuna.
• Choose unprocessed meats like chicken, fish, and a small amount of unprocessed red meat.
• Unsweetened beverages (green or black tea, black coffee when not in a flare-up are loaded with antioxidants).
• Probiotic, rich foods like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented vegetables, miso, and kombucha.

‍
Steer clear of inflammatory foods like:

• Processed foods, fatty foods, and fried foods
• Red and processed meat like sausage, bacon, and hot dogs
• Excess dairy 
• Sweets and desserts
• Refined, low-fiber grains like white bread or foods with primarily white flour
• Alcohol
• Sugary drinks

Again, simply follow the plate method to determine the starting point of portions for each section. Fill the plate with primarily anti-inflammatory foods to help restore and heal your stomach. Include probiotic-rich food in your daily intake to help as well. 

When Should You Eat with Gastritis?

Most emphasis has been on what you eat with gastritis, but how and when you eat can worsen your gastritis. 

Eating too quickly can lead to overeating, exacerbating the digestive system and any digestive conditions, like gastritis. 

Research from 2020, among 550 adults with chronic gastritis, shows that over half of participants credit an increase in symptoms to eating too fast.⁷

Others reported irregular mealtimes and sizes, and eating sweets, spicy foods, and processed meats led to abdominal pain and distention. 

Opting for smaller meals throughout the day can reduce hunger, allow you to eat slowly, and reduce gastritis symptoms. Space your meals out by about three hours to lessen the load on your stomach. 

You should experiment with your preferred timing and meal size for best results. 

Learn More About How to Improve Blood Sugar Health With Signos’ Expert Advice

Determining the root cause of your gastritis will allow for targeted treatment and further prevention. 

Avoiding inflammatory foods and reducing acidic or spicy foods can lessen symptoms during acute gastritis. Opting for anti-inflammatory foods and probiotic-rich foods can help restore your gut and prevent future bouts of gastritis and other gastric diseases. 

Pay attention to meal timing and size for improvement of symptoms.

Prioritizing your health with a nutritious, balanced diet can improve your quality of life and reduce the severity and frequency of gastritis. 

A Signos continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help you monitor blood sugar levels while making diet changes, improve your health, and encourage healthier eating habits. 

Learn more about nutrition and healthy habits on Signos’ blog, which is written by nutrition and health experts. Take a quick quiz to determine if Signos fits your needs.

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