Modern people face high work pressure and mental stress, leading to an increasing incidence of stomach diseases. How to maintain stomach health has been a topic of many folk remedies, but how many are truly effective, and how many are incorrect? Experts have summarized three common misconceptions in daily stomach care.
Misconception 1: Porridge is good for patients with stomach diseases.
Many patients with stomach diseases believe that porridge, being soft and easy to digest, can reduce the burden on the stomach. In fact, this view is not comprehensive. The reason is that drinking porridge does not require slow chewing, which fails to promote the secretion of salivary glands in the mouth, and the amylase in saliva aids digestion. Furthermore, porridge contains a lot of water, which dilutes gastric juice, accelerates stomach distension, and slows down stomach movement, which is not conducive to digestion and absorption.
If you prefer hot porridge, its temperature can also be irritating to the stomach. Therefore, patients with stomach diseases should not drink porridge daily. Instead, they should choose a diet that is easy to digest and absorb, chew slowly, and promote digestion for greater benefit.
Misconception 2: Drinking more milk is good for the stomach.
When the stomach feels bloated and uncomfortable, drinking a glass of warm milk can relieve the symptoms and make you feel better. This is because milk dilutes stomach acid and temporarily forms a protective layer on the gastric mucosa, thus providing comfort. However, drinking milk frequently may not be beneficial for patients with stomach diseases. It has now been proven that milk's effect of stimulating gastric acid secretion is stronger than its effect of neutralizing stomach acid. If a stomach disease (such as a stomach ulcer) requires anti-acid treatment, drinking milk is not a suitable solution. Soy milk, on the other hand, is a good alternative.
Misconception 3: Ginger is beneficial and harmless to patients with stomach diseases.
It is widely believed that ginger can warm the stomach, and it is common for people with stomach discomfort to drink a bowl of ginger water. For patients with stomach diseases, occasional use, if there are no adverse reactions, is acceptable. However, it should be recognized that ginger is a stimulating food, and excessive consumption can stimulate gastric acid secretion, causing stomach discomfort or worsening the condition. If you want to use ginger to treat stomach diseases, you should consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner for a syndrome differentiation and treatment, using different formulas to address the specific condition.