Diets for People With an Ulcer

Ulcers can make day-to-day life extremely painful. Spicy foods, dairy products, red meat and fatty foods can aggravate your symptoms. Likewise, eating anything acidic on an empty stomach can cause discomfort. Diet is extremely important when healing from an ulcer. Luckily, there are eating-pattern changes and other steps you can take to get yourself on the right track to a pain free life.

Food Allergies

Because ulcers can be aggravated or caused by food allergies, there is no one diet that can help everyone. Find out what foods aggravate or promote ulcers by keeping a daily record of what you eat. Be sure to include absolutely everything, such as including the beverages you drink, the times, and your mood. List any reactions you may have after eating. Get an overview of what is causing flare-ups. When you have pinpointed some likely candidates, avoid those foods and see if you get better. Give your doctor detailed accounts of your findings. Food-elimination diets can determine your allergens better than skin and blood tests.

Diet

The best diet for ulcers consists of foods that are high in vegetable protein and fiber, but low in carbohydrates and fat. Eat as many non-starchy vegetables as you can. If raw vegetables hurt your ulcer, steam or mash them. Refrain from using any dairy products. Try out soy-based cheeses and other soy products. Get your fiber by eating legumes, whole grains, fruit and vegetable peels. Fish, chicken and turkey are great ways to get your protein. Stick with skinless poultry and fish that hasn't been fried. Garlic has amazing healing capabilities. Try to incorporate it into as many meals as possible or take garlic tablets.

Foods to Avoid

One of the worst things you can do is to head over to your local Mexican restaurant. Spicy foods can make ulcers very excruciating. Likewise, do not drink carbonated beverages, caffeine or alcohol. Be sure to mix in water with your fruit juice, but stay away from acidic fruits like oranges. Avoid fast food lines. Greasy food, refined sugars, and processed food items will cause ulcer pain. If high fiber foods like cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower give you gas, abstain from them until you are healed. A good ulcer diet must be planned. Read all food labels for sugar or fats. Give your ulcer a break, and follow a healthy diet.