Bananas with gastritis: you can or not

Among the foods allowed for gastritis, bananas occupy a place of honor. These are the only fruits allowed for all forms of gastritis and ulcers. Bananas for gastritis are a source of substances useful for the digestive system: restorative, healing, improving microflora and blood clotting. Unripe banana is used in South India as a soft diet for patients with peptic ulcers. Banana flour is often prescribed for dyspepsia in this part of the country. However, some studies show that bananas, due to their ability to increase stomach acidity, are not recommended for gastritis and stomach ulcers [ 1 ]

Diet for gastritis

Gastritis is dangerous because without proper therapy it worsens with erosions and ulcers. Diet for gastritis is as important as medications and includes foods that are gentle and restore the inflamed gastric mucosa.

The diseased organ needs many useful substances - microelements, vitamins, plant fiber to stimulate digestive activity. Bananas have all this, so they meet all the requirements put forward by doctors for the patient's nutrition. Bananas are almost the only safe fruit for gastritis.

• There are two main types of gastritis, the treatment of which is fundamentally different in some aspects. Thus, with insufficient acidity, food should stimulate the formation of gastric juice, and with an increased level of acid, it should be reduced to normal.

To solve the first problem, a diet with meat and fish broths, liquid porridges, and strained soups is prescribed. Boiled chicken, steamed cutlets and omelets, cottage cheese, eggs, and vegetable purees are useful. For drinks, jelly and mousse are good.

To neutralize excess acid, milk porridges, low-fat broths with cereals, young vegetables - steamed or pureed are prescribed. And only after a few weeks, lean oil, fish, eggs, and flour products are introduced into the menu.

Meals should be regular, without long breaks, portions should be measured: approximately 300 g at a time.

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Benefits and harms of bananas

Fruits play an important role in the diet of patients, but different fruits are recommended for different pathologies. Bananas for gastritis have many advantages, which is why they are welcome in the menu of every patient. The benefits and harms of bananas are not equal. There are more benefits, it consists in the fact that fruits are a dietary product and have the following properties:

• Restores acid-base balance.
• Removes toxins and poisons.
• They help reduce the intensity of inflammation.
• They have a laxative effect, but do not cause diarrhea.
• Improves the condition of microflora.
• Helps relieve tension and stress.

Bananas contain resistant starch (RS), a type of starch that is resistant to starch-hydrolyzing enzymes in the stomach and thus behaves like dietary fiber. RS has been shown to have beneficial effects on disease prevention, including glycemic index modulation, cholesterol-lowering properties, and weight management. [ 3 ]

Banana contains several bioactive compounds such as phenolic, carotenoid, biogenic amines and phytosterols, which have antioxidant activity.[ 4 ]

Polyphenolic compounds found in bananas such as gallocatechin, caffeic acid, cinnamic acid and catechin have been shown to possess antimicrobial (Chanwitheesuk et al. 2005; Shan et al. 2008), antioxidant (Chye and Sim 2009, Wong and Chye 2009), neuroprotective (Lu et al. 2005; Mandel et al. 2008), anticancer (Faried et al. 2007; Shankar and Mulimani 2007) and antiproliferative properties (Jagan et al. 2008). [ 5 ]

Digestion depends on the method and time of their consumption. Together with heavy food, fruits linger in the stomach and cause gas formation. If the stomach accepts such food well, then, eaten on an empty stomach, it will protect the mucous membrane and prevent the development of gastritis. If bananas cause flatulence, it is better to eat them as a dessert, with a significant break after eating.

When consumed on an empty stomach, which is recommended to protect the stomach from increased acidity, discomfort and bloating are possible. To avoid unpleasant feelings, bananas eaten on an empty stomach should not be washed down with water or juice and their quantity should be limited.

If acidity is low, choose overripe soft bananas and chew them especially thoroughly. Then the food mass is more easily digested and absorbed by the stomach.

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Can you eat bananas if you have gastritis?

Gastritis is not a disease that can be cured with pharmaceuticals alone. To restore health, you need to reconsider your diet, perhaps give up something, and not only bad habits, but also healthy foods, such as fruits.

To the delight of banana lovers, there is no need to give them up if you have gastritis. Moreover, they are an irreplaceable food, since they have a number of properties necessary for an inflamed stomach: they stimulate the renewal of the mucous epithelium, restore the damaged surface. Therefore, when asked whether it is possible to eat bananas with gastritis, doctors answered in the affirmative and included the sweet fruit in diet tables No. 2, 4, 5a, 15.

• The composition of the fruits is such that they can be eaten on an empty stomach, even make banana breakfasts. A kilogram of fruit will yield about 600 g of pure mass.

If you have banana snacks throughout the day, you should eat them 40 minutes before meals; in this case, the fruit will also perform a thankless but much-needed cleansing function.

When consumed immediately after lunch, when the stomach cavity is filled with food, bloating often occurs. To avoid this extremely unpleasant phenomenon, dessert should be postponed in time: no less than two hours after eating.

Bananas for gastritis with high acidity

Unripe bananas promote the formation of mucus, which reliably protects the inner lining of the stomach from the irritating effects of other products. Therefore, it is recommended to eat unripe bananas for gastritis with high acidity before eating main dishes. Just one fruit can stop the harmful effects of acid on the epithelial layer of the stomach wall. In addition, unripe bananas satisfy hunger, and thanks to fiber, they have a positive effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract. [ 7 ]

• To get the maximum benefit, unripe bananas for gastritis should be consumed correctly and only as prescribed by a doctor, who draws conclusions based on laboratory tests and specific features of the disease.

Considering the fact that bananas on an empty stomach can cause gas and flatulence, pain and spasms, it is better to eat them no earlier than an hour after breakfast. And if unpleasant sensations appear, increase the pause to 3 hours. The patient can refuse them only in case of indigestion or individual intolerance to the product.

Bananas for gastritis with low acidity

The beneficial effect of ripe bananas on gastritis with low acidity has long been proven, so they are included in therapeutic nutrition and act as an auxiliary medicine. Fruits normalize the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract, improve the digestive process, enrich with vitamins B and C, magnesium, potassium, fiber - in an amount that does not overload the diseased organ.

Tropical fruits soothe pain, eliminate heartburn, envelop the walls, protecting them from an aggressive acidic environment. A component called serotonin is also important: it improves the patient's mood, which in itself contributes to recovery. Bananas of good ripeness, with the peel starting to turn black, are especially useful for gastritis. They easily turn into thick puree or fresh juice. The amount is measured - taking into account that the fruits have the ability to reduce acidity.

There are different types of diets – pure banana or milk-banana. In order for bananas to serve you well, they need to be properly prepared and consumed. Some tips:

• Eat bananas when there is no exacerbation.
• Choose medium-sized fruits.
• Wash with soap and water before cleaning.
• Cleanse not only the skin, but also the white threads underneath.
• You can make thick juice puree.
• Do not drink anything until completely digested (not earlier than an hour).
• Green bananas ripen at room temperature in a few days.

Bananas for acute gastritis

Why do nutritionists recommend that patients eat bananas for gastritis and other digestive disorders? One of the reasons is that overseas fruits contain fiber that is more “gentle” than other plant products. It not only cleanses the contents of the intestines, but also absorbs and removes harmful components, including pathogenic microorganisms. Due to its gentle action, banana fiber does not injure the already painful intestinal lining.

Bananas are also useful for acute gastritis because the magnesium present in the pulp alkalizes the environment, normalizing increased acidity. This same microelement activates the formation of healthy epithelium, which makes bananas useful in the development of atrophy, and other food is absorbed more effectively under their influence.

• There are separate reasons for when it is better to eat tropical fruits. Eaten on an empty stomach, 30-40 minutes before breakfast, a banana is broken down in time and forms a protective mass in the stomach. Then the contents are evacuated into the intestines, freeing up space in the stomach for a full breakfast.

By consuming everything together, the patient runs the risk that the “whole mess” will linger in the stomach for a long time and begin to ferment, which may increase gastritis symptoms, spasms and flatulence. Therefore, if you did not manage to eat a banana in advance, put off this pleasant moment for later, two or three hours after eating.

During this time, the semi-digested mass will be in the small intestine, and the stomach will be ready to receive the banana. If this option is also accompanied by bloating and gases, then the interval between regular food and eating the banana dessert should be increased by another hour.

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Bananas for exacerbation of gastritis

Bananas are included in almost all medical tables. Sometimes patients have a question about what form to take these fruits in. Nutritionists' recommendations boil down to the fact that bananas for gastritis should be eaten separately, without mixing with other products. And if, during long-term treatment, the fruit is eaten and becomes boring, then its combination with other ingredients is allowed.

• Bananas can be mashed during gastritis exacerbation by beating the pulp with a blender or thoroughly kneading. Doctors consider them no less useful than baked apples.

With the doctor's permission, banana mass can be combined with kefir, cream, cottage cheese, milk, apple. Such cocktails, drunk on an empty stomach, create not only a long-lasting enveloping effect, but also a feeling of satiety, enrich the body with useful substances.

Bananas also go well with "non-dessert" foods: pumpkin, pepper, celery, greens. A side dish for the second course prepared according to the following recipe will be useful for gastritis:

• Take a banana (1 pc.), 150 g of baked pumpkin and boiled celery root. Beat until smooth, add olive oil.

In no case should you eat bananas processed into chips or fried. And the good habit of eating fresh ripe bananas every day can, according to some researchers, prevent the development of gastritis.

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Bananas for erosive gastritis

The popularity of bananas is due not only to their delicate taste and availability, but also to their rich composition. Digestion of bananas is generally no different from the same process that occurs in the stomach of a healthy person with other fruits. The peculiarity of bananas for gastritis is as follows:

• They create a protective layer on the stomach wall.
• Reduces acidity levels.
• Bananas are a source of energy for stomach erosion, which is so necessary for a person in the morning.

Erosions of the mucous layer are a complicated variant of gastroduodenal inflammation. These are defects on the surface of the digestive organs that need to be healed using therapeutic agents and a diet, and a very strict one at that. Bananas for erosive gastritis are the only pleasure recommended to patients, although other fruits, along with many traditional products, are strictly prohibited during treatment.

An exception for these fruits is made because they promote the healing of erosions and the restoration of beneficial microflora. Fruits also replace sugar, improve the taste of porridges and other permitted dishes, and increase blood clotting. This makes them truly irreplaceable for the effective treatment of erosive inflammation of the stomach.

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Bananas for atrophic gastritis

The question of including bananas in the diet for atrophic gastritis is decided by the doctor, after clarifying the diagnosis regarding the localization of the pathology. This form of gastric inflammation involves focal or continuous lesions of the inner lining of the stomach.

• As a rule, with atrophic lesions of the lower part adjacent to the duodenum, bananas are not recommended for gastritis. With atrophy of the upper parts of the cavity, sweet fruits, on the contrary, are considered useful.

It is also necessary to take into account the condition of the mucous membrane, in particular, the presence of necrotic lesions. Sometimes nutritionists recommend not the fruit in its pure form, but processed, for example, banana pudding. Such a dish is digested in the stomach faster, since it contains split fiber.

If pathological proliferation of the epithelial layer is detected, bananas are excluded from the diet for a while, because they accelerate this process.

When comparing the properties, it is clear that those beneficial for gastritis prevail. However, based on the complexity of the pathology, their use requires not just a specialist consultation, but a serious examination with clarification of all the nuances. Otherwise, fruits can worsen the course of the disease, provoke diarrhea or other unpleasant complications, up to the formation of erosions and ulcers.

Bananas for reflux gastritis

Bananas differ from other fruits by their positive effect on the inner lining of the stomach cavity. They envelop the walls, protecting them from the aggressive action of gastric acid, eliminate pain and other unpleasant sensations associated with gastritis. Due to this, bananas for gastritis are included in the therapeutic diet. Although it is difficult to choose a universal diet for this disease, since the causes and course of gastritis are different for everyone.

• Reflux is accompanied by the return of acidic stomach contents to the esophagus, i.e. the movement of food in the opposite direction to normal. Single refluxes are considered normal and do not lead to disease. The esophageal mucosa reacts to regular reflux with inflammation.

The cause of such a phenomenon may be, among other things, an inflamed stomach. In addition to drug treatment, the patient is prescribed a dietary diet, with restrictions on many products and dishes.

Bananas are not prohibited for reflux gastritis, as they relieve heartburn and pain - the main signals sent by the inflamed mucous membrane from the inside. The stomach needs to be protected, the aggressive environment needs to be neutralized, and the evacuation of the food bolus needs to be accelerated. Bananas can actively cooperate with medications to quickly complete the tasks. Therefore, the overseas fruit is called a natural antacid.

Can you eat bananas if you have gastritis or stomach ulcers?

Gastritis that has turned into an ulcer is a severe pathological process that develops when the first symptoms of the disease or health in general are ignored. Treatment involves many restrictions, including diet. In particular, almost the entire fruit and berry group of vegetables is prohibited.

But banana is not among the forbidden ones. On the contrary, unripe banana is useful for gastritis, as it contains compounds that have a detrimental effect on Helicobacter and stimulate the production of protective mucus in the stomach. This is enough to answer the question of whether bananas are allowed for gastritis and stomach ulcers. It is important to pay attention to individual characteristics, because it is known that it is not the disease in general that needs to be treated, but the specific patient.

• The best foods for peptic ulcers are extremely green bananas.

It should be remembered that overeating bananas is also undesirable, because it can provoke an excess of certain substances and obesity. Refusal of the product may be caused by allergies, acute pain, diarrhea, bloating or constipation, as well as a number of diseases that should be reported to the attending physician in advance.

Is it possible to eat bananas if a child has gastritis?

It is known how difficult it is to limit a child's consumption of sweets and favorite fruits, especially if he is sick and is more capricious than usual. Worried mothers besiege doctors with questions: is it possible to have a banana if a child has gastritis? And candy? And cake?

Bananas are one of the foods allowed for stomach inflammation. Fruits are used not only as a healthy dessert, but also as an auxiliary therapeutic component. The correct inclusion of bananas in gastritis can speed up the treatment of any of its forms. Due to the abundance of useful substances, bananas:

• improve digestion;
• envelop the stomach cavity;
• do not irritate the esophagus;
• restore tissues;
• increase serotonin levels and mood;
• regulate acid-base balance;
• provide microelements and vitamins.

When and how much fruit to eat depends on the form of the pathological process and the doctor’s prescriptions.

Banana is one of the first fruits used for complementary feeding. Babies. It is well accepted, gives a feeling of satiety, rarely causes a reaction, although children are more susceptible to allergies than adults. However, the sweet fruit can cause colic and bloating.

You should be especially careful when choosing bananas for baby food. The maximum benefit for gastritis comes from high-quality ripe fruits - brightly colored, not ribbed, with a smooth matte skin, dark spots indicating ripeness. Greenish skin confirms immaturity, and gray - frostbite. Unripe fruits become suitable for food after a few days, and it is better not to buy grayish ones at all.

Once scarce, and now available to all fruits have become an integral part of our diet. Over time, it turned out that bananas are not only a tasty fruit, but also a tasty medicine. Bananas are recommended for everyone with gastritis. In order for them to provide maximum benefit, the doctor must prescribe the method and regimen of use, and the patient must strictly follow the diet and other doctor's instructions.

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