Chronic enteritis mainly includes chronic ulcerative colitis, allergic colitis, and chronic enteritis that has developed from an acute case that was not completely cured. Its main symptoms include abdominal bloating and pain, loose stools with mucus, and sometimes even a small amount of pus and blood. The frequency of bowel movements increases, to 2-3 times or more per day.
Chronic enteritis often recurs, with the severity of the condition fluctuating. Due to its long course, it leads to significant nutritional loss and substantial physical consumption for the patient. In severe cases, dehydration and loss of salt can cause collapse.
If chronic enteritis is left untreated for a long time, it can lead to malnutrition and even malnutrition-related anemia, which has a significant impact on health. Therefore, when suffering from chronic enteritis, in addition to active treatment for the underlying cause, it is also necessary to manage your diet properly.
1. Low-fat, low-fiber. Foods containing too much fat are not only difficult to digest, but their laxative effect often worsens diarrhea symptoms. Therefore, patients should avoid fried, pan-fried, raw, cold, and high-fiber foods. You can choose easily digestible foods like fine noodles, stewed noodles, wontons, tender vegetable leaves, fish, shrimp, eggs, and bean products to allow the intestines to rest.
2. Replenish fluids. If a patient with chronic enteritis shows signs of dehydration, they can drink light salt water, vegetable soup, rice soup, fruit juice, or congee to replenish water, salt, and vitamins.
3. Limit sucrose. When experiencing excessive gas and loud bowel sounds, you should eat less sucrose and foods that are prone to cause gas and fermentation, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, white radishes, pumpkins, milk, and soybeans.
4. Pay attention to food hygiene. Patients with chronic enteritis are often physically weak and have low resistance, so they should pay even more attention to food hygiene. Do not eat raw, cold, hard, or spoiled food, avoid alcohol, and avoid strongly irritating condiments.
5. Eat more apples. Apples contain tannic acid and fruit acid, which have an astringent effect to stop diarrhea. Patients with chronic enteritis can eat them regularly. Here are a few medicinal congees with anti-diarrheal effects that patients might like to try.
Garlic Congee: Take 30 grams of garlic, peel it, chop it finely, and cook it with 100 grams of japonica rice in 1000 ml of water to make congee. Take it warm in the morning and evening for its anti-dysentery and anti-diarrheal effects.
Purslane Congee: Use 90 grams of fresh purslane (or 30 grams of dried purslane) and cook it with 100 grams of japonica rice to make congee. Take it in the morning and evening to stop diarrhea.
Chinese Yam and Lotus Seed Congee: Cook 30 grams of Chinese yam, 20 grams of lotus seeds, and 100 grams of japonica rice to make congee. Taking it in the morning and evening has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach and stopping diarrhea.