Dietary Principles for a Healthy Stomach

For stomach ailments, "three parts treatment and seven parts nourishment" is a well-known saying. Dietary conditioning is the most direct method for nourishing the stomach and can be considered the most crucial aspect of stomach care.

Traditional Chinese Medicine holds the belief that "the stomach prefers warmth and dislikes cold," meaning the stomach is highly sensitive to temperature, favoring warm foods and fearing cold and icy ones. Therefore, during winter, it is best to avoid or eat raw and cold fruits and vegetables as little as possible. Attention should also be paid to cooking methods; cold dishes should also be consumed in moderation. Food taken directly from the refrigerator is not suitable for immediate consumption and should be brought to room temperature or heated before eating. Additionally, those with chronic stomach problems should pay attention to the "Eight Dos" dietary principle.

Chicken Liver and Spinach Soup

Small portions and refined choices:

Each meal should be small in quantity, stopping at about 70-80% full, and avoid overeating. The variety and cooking methods of food should be fine and easy to digest. Coarse, fibrous foods are difficult to digest and can irritate the gastric mucosa, causing stomach pain and bloating.

Warm and clean:

Food should be served at a comfortably warm temperature, "not too hot, not too cold." Avoid cold or iced foods and drinks, and even in cold weather, avoid overly hot food. Ingredients must be thoroughly cleaned, and attention should be paid to hygiene when cooking.

Yam and Radish Pork Rib Soup

Fresh and light:

Food must be fresh; do not eat expired or long-standing food.

Cooking should be light; avoid greasy and strongly flavored foods, as these are difficult to digest, increase the burden on the digestive tract, can lead to indigestion, and can also raise blood lipids, which is detrimental to health.

Limit preserved foods, as they contain high amounts of salt and certain carcinogens and are not suitable for frequent consumption.

Avoid spicy and irritating foods, as they have a strong irritating effect on the digestive tract mucosa, easily causing diarrhea or digestive tract inflammation.

Porridge with Pumpkin

Soft and slow:

Choose foods that are easy to digest. When cooking, steam or cook them thoroughly until they are soft and easy to digest. Eat less baked, grilled, or hard foods to avoid adverse stimulation of the gastric mucosa and to reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

Eat slowly; chewing thoroughly aids digestion. Do not gulp down food. The more you chew food, the more saliva is secreted, which has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa.

"Disease enters through the mouth," and diet has a significant impact on the onset and development of diseases. Pay attention to dietary conditioning to let your stomach have a comfortable winter too.

Dried Scallop and Dried Shrimp with Winter Melon Soup

Lifestyle Habits to Avoid for Stomach Health

1. Excessive drinking

Alcohol itself can directly damage the gastric mucosa. It can also cause cirrhosis of the liver and chronic pancreatitis, thereby aggravating the damage to the stomach.

2. Compulsive smoking

Smoking can cause the blood vessels of the gastric mucosa to constrict and reduce the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are mucosal protective factors. Smoking can also stimulate the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, worsening the damage to the mucosa.

Yam, Carrot, and Stewed Lamb

3. Abusing medications

There are three main types of drugs that can easily damage the gastric mucosa: acetylsalicylic acid drugs like aspirin; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone, indomethacin, and ibuprofen; and hormone drugs like corticosteroids. Therefore, these drugs should be avoided as much as possible. If they must be taken, the dosage and course of treatment should be controlled, and it is best to take them after meals.

4. Overexertion

Whether from physical or mental labor, excessive fatigue can cause insufficient blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract, disrupt secretory functions, lead to excessive gastric acid and reduced mucus, and damage the mucosa.

Lamb and Winter Melon Soup

5. Mental stress

When a person is tense, worried, or angry, these negative emotions can spread from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system, affecting the autonomic nervous system and directly disrupting gastrointestinal function. This leads to excessive secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, causing stomach blood vessels to constrict, pyloric spasms, delayed emptying, and damage to the protective layer of the gastric mucosa, resulting in self-digestion and ulcer formation.

6. Allowing the stomach to get cold

When the stomach is exposed to cold, its function can be impaired, so it is important to keep the stomach warm and avoid cold.

Clear Stewed Lamb