Stomach Ulcers And Diet For People With Ulcers

What is the best diet for an 83 year old man with ulcers? What foods should be avoided and what should be taken as a part of ulcer diet?

Ulcers are sores which form in the lining of the stomach (gastric ulcers), below the stomach at the beginning of the small intestine (called duodenal ulcers) or less frequently in the esophagus (called esophageal ulcers). Peptic ulcer is the name given to an ulcer in the stomach and duodenum. The stomach mixes food with the digestive juices. When the lining of the stomach or duodenum is damaged, the digestive juices act on the damaged area in the same way as they would on food; they break it down in an attempt to digest it.

Ulcers can be formed by the action of digestive juices on the stomach lining. Another way of getting ulcers is by damage occurring in the lining due to some other causes, which make the stomach susceptible to even a small amount of the digestive juices. If immediate treatment for ulcers is not taken, it can lead to a bleeding ulcer, a perforated ulcer or the narrowing of the intestinal mouth that prevents the food from entering the intestine through the stomach.

Diet For Gastritic Ulcers And Ulcer Patients

It is recommended that before taking up any diet for ulcers, you check with your doctor. As a start, quitting cigarettes and alcohol, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating at set times are some necessary measures for the treatment of ulcers.

Ulcer patients should eat food that is rich in:

Vitamin A: Vitamin A helps in growth and repair of damaged tissues in the stomach lining. Apricots, cantaloupes, mangoes, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, and cheese are a good source of vitamin A. Keep in mind that excess intake of vitamin is can be toxic for health.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps to maintain the structure of the muscles. It accelerates the healing process of the damaged tissues in the stomach. Vitamin C is available in oranges, lemon, mango, strawberry, blueberry, melon, white potatoes, cabbage, beans, peas, liver, pork, chicken, beef, and mussels.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E strongly boosts the immune system of the body. It is found in mangoes, kiwi, green, leafy vegetables, spinach, corn oil, peanuts, and egg yolk.

Zinc: Zinc is found in oranges, potatoes, peas, cheese, yogurt and milk. It helps to boost the immune system of the body.

What foods should be avoided?

If you are suffering from ulcers, you should avoid the following:

• Red and black peppers
• Chilly powder
• Coffee
• Tea
• Alcohol
• Fried food
• Cigarettes
• Chocolate

  
  

What are bleeding ulcers?

Ulcers are a very common affliction affecting thousands of men and women all across the globe. They can be described as an open boil or a sore that appears on the mucus membrane due to different factors, which may include fungal, viral and bacterial infections. There are different types of ulcers that can afflict the human body and one of the most common ones is a peptic ulcer. When these peptic ulcers bleed due to various reasons, it is known as a bleeding ulcer. Normally, a bleeding ulcer only occurs when a peptic ulcer reaches an advanced stage. Therefore in order to prevent this problem from occurring, it is best to get peptic ulcers treated as soon as possible.

Bleeding ulcers causes

Bleeding ulcers occur when regular ulcers are not treated at the right time, or are left ignored and get further aggravated, due several factors. Ulcers are usually caused by three main factors. The first one is following an unhealthy diet, where the body is deprived of the vitamins, minerals and the nutrients that it requires. Moreover, the consumption of foods that are oily, spicy or deep fried could aggravate the stomach lining, which eventually leads to ulcers. Stress does not cause peptic ulcers, but is can definitely contribute to and aggravate the condition. In fact, while a patient is undergoing bleeding ulcer treatment, doctors may recommend several techniques for the reduction of stress, just so that it does not delay the healing process. Unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking excessively have also been known to cause ulcers.

Unfortunately, ulcers can also be seen very commonly in those people who are suffering from other preexisting medical conditions, for which they are undergoing treatment and are required to take medication. Also, relieving minor aches and pains with the help of Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) and other over the counter medication on a regular basis could lead to a severe problem of ulcers. Unfortunately, most people relieve the pain and symptoms of a peptic ulcer with overt the counter medication, on a regular basis, which not only aggravates ulcers to a great extent, but can also lead to bleeding ulcers faster.

Bleeding ulcers symptoms

There are a few bleeding ulcers in the stomach symptoms, which can be quite drastic. These include:

• Intense pain in the stomach and abdominal region
• Throwing up blood
• The presence of blood in the stools, which look like black or red streaks 
• Stools that are black and tarry

Bleeding ulcers treatment

Ulcers, especially bleeding ulcers are a serious condition that should never be treated at home, without the guidance and supervision of a medical expert. Some people do take pain relievers to control the pain, but the relief is only temporary. Therefore it is important to undergo proper bleeding ulcers in stomach treatment, which may require surgery, to remove obstructions and repair parts that have been ulcerated. Some doctors may also suggest taking a few types of medicine and following a special bleeding ulcer diet. A bleeding ulcers diet can actually be followed by people of all ages, including children. Moreover, following a diet for bleeding ulcers is not a difficult task and can be carried on for a long time, to prevent the condition from recurring.

Diet for bleeding ulcers

In order to treat and avoid a bleeding ulcer, diet plays a very important role. Nutrients and foods that should be included in a diet for a bleeding ulcer are:

• Vitamin A: Apricots, cheese, carrots, cantaloupes, eggs spinach, mangoes, sweet potato and milk
• Vitamin C: Mangoes, peas, melons, beans, oranges, cabbage, milk, berries, potatoes, yogurt, lemons, pork, beef, liver, mussels and chicken.
• Vitamin E: Spinach and other leafy greens, egg yolk, peanuts, mangoes and kiwis.
• Zinc: Dairy products, peas and oranges

Foods to avoid with bleeding ulcer are:

• Pepper
• Chili
• Tea
• Coffee
• Fried and oily food
• Chocolate

People who are suffering from preexisting medical conditions should check with their doctors, about ulcers and foods to avoid. There are also several reports on bleeding ulcers and alcohol, which state that alcohol should be completely eliminated from a bleeding ulcer diet

Ulcers in children

Earlier on, ulcers were only associated with the elder people, due to several age related problems that they suffer from. However, in the last few decades there has been a drastic rise in the cases of ulcers in younger people and even children. This is because adults as well as children lead a very hectic lifestyle, filled with stress. In today’s day and age not a lot of people have the time to eat healthy and wholesome meals, which is why they eat excessive amounts of junk food, processed food and instant food, all of which can have adverse effects on the digestive tracts. Sadly, most of the children in today’s world are more used to eating junk food that they are to healthy home cooked meals. In addition to that children today are under tremendous pressure to perform well in all aspects of life, be it in academics, social groups, sports and athletics, and so on. Some children are known to get sick because of all the stress that is put on them, before an exam or a sporting event. All this could cause the child to develop ulcers, which could be ignored by the parent, who may believe that it is just another stomach upset.

Therefore, even though the chances of bleeding ulcers in children are fairly low, it is best to follow strict dietary measures in order to prevent children from getting any type of ulcers, especially peptic ulcers, which could easily turn into bleeding ulcers. Therefore, it is strongly advisable to get more information on the correlation between ulcers and exercise and food and then plan the child’s diet and exercise schedule accordingly. While a healthy diet will reduce the possibility of bleeding ulcers in children, it may not be enough. There are several techniques for stress reduction and relaxation that are offered in schools especially for children. These techniques include yoga, meditation and breathing techniques. Many educational institutions across the United States also have counseling programs for their students, to help them cope with pressure without getting too stressed out. However, while some parent offer various options to their child for dealing with stress, good and responsible parents make sure that they do not put too much stress or pressure on their child. Spending even a few minutes talking to the child about his or her problems could improve the child’s overall health and wellbeing to a great extent, thereby preventing several health problems, including bleeding ulcers in children.