When we were recovering from a serious illness, our mom would always cook congee for us. But is congee really easy to digest? Does drinking congee really nourish the stomach? Let's read the following article to find out!
Does eating congee really nourish the stomach? How can you drink congee in the most stomach-nourishing way?
In terms of ease of digestion, congee doesn't require the stomach to do much work of breaking it down. It can be directly turned into chyme, and amylase can act on it fully. It doesn't need to be chewed, it melts in your mouth, and is very easy to digest and absorb. It places a small burden on the digestive system and is less likely to cause allergies or adverse food reactions. Therefore, congee has a certain function of regulating and nourishing the stomach. However, it is not suitable for everyone, nor for all patients with gastrointestinal diseases.
Some patients with stomach problems should not drink congee
For patients with stomach problems, it is necessary to distinguish based on the condition of their illness.
People with atrophic gastritis have insufficient gastric acid secretion, often feeling bloated, loss of appetite, and feeling full after eating a little. At this time, drinking congee can promote gastric acid secretion, help with food digestion, and also raise blood sugar, which has the effect of nourishing the stomach.
Patients with reflux esophagitis, who do not exercise after a meal for long periods, will have a large amount of gastric juice reflux into the esophagus, causing damage to the esophageal mucosa, leading to symptoms such as heartburn, chest tightness, and a feeling of throat blockage. Such patients are not suitable for thin congee because drinking congee will significantly increase gastric acid secretion, and because congee is not a solid food, it is more likely to reflux. For these patients, drinking congee will not nourish the stomach, but will worsen the condition.
Patients with gastric ulcers or superficial gastritis should eat soft and well-cooked congee, mainly made of fine grains, but should not drink large amounts of it. This is because congee will stimulate excessive secretion of gastric acid, and a large amount of gastric acid will severely irritate the gastric mucosa and the ulcer surface, which is not conducive to the healing of the ulcer surface. When cooking congee, adding a little baking soda can neutralize the gastric acid, which is suitable for patients with such diseases.
Infants and young children can eat fine grain congee
The gastric mucosa of infants and young children is not fully developed. Rice congee and rice soup are nutritious and easier to digest and absorb than other foods, which is beneficial to the development and health of the baby. Drinking congee can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, aid digestion, and promote the absorption of fat. It can also promote the casein in milk powder to form loose, soft small curds, making it easier to digest and absorb. Therefore, using rice soup to mix with milk powder or using it as a supplementary food for the baby is quite ideal.