An ulcer is an open sore or raw area in the stomach or duodenum lining, often caused by diet. While certain foods don’t directly contribute to ulcers, certain ones can aggravate symptoms and worsen them further.

Over-the-counter antacids may temporarily relieve discomfort but don’t treat ulcers themselves. A healthy lifestyle and diet are important in both preventing and healing ulcers.

Eat Smaller Meals

Small meals throughout the day may help reduce stomach acid levels and make digestion simpler than large, high-protein meals. Eating more cooked vegetables, white meats, and fruits may be particularly helpful.

Peptic ulcers, also known as gastric ulcers or duodenal ulcers, are sores on the lining of either your stomach or duodenum that cause burning and gnawing pain. Over time, stomach acids and digestive juices may erode this mucosa lining into bleeding ulcers that erode more seriously than others.

Your doctor may order a test to detect and locate a peptic ulcer. For this test, you’ll drink barium-laced liquid that shows up on X-rays of your upper digestive tract, before being sedated before receiving an endoscopic inspection under sedation with an endoscope which takes samples for testing against H. pylori bacteria or for other causes like excess stomach acid production or Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Avoid Foods That Inflame the Stomach

Foods that cause inflammation may aggravate ulcers. You should try limiting spicy, citrus, tomato-rich and acidic food such as tomato juice or orange juice consumption to help your ulcer heal more quickly. You should also limit alcohol and foods containing added sugars, salts and fats as these could contribute to further discomfort in the stomach lining.

Don’t follow a strict ulcer diet, but aim to include plenty of vegetables, whole grains and fibers into your daily meals as well as lean proteins like chicken and fish. Incorporating more probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, miso or sauerkraut into meals – they contain “good bacteria” which help fight against H pylori infections as well as other ulcer-causing bacteria – into meals can be particularly helpful in controlling an H pylori infection and other ulcer-causing bacteria in check. Your doctor may conduct tests such as blood, breath or stool samples or may use an endoscope to look at your esophagus stomach and small intestine; this test usually requires sedation for maximum effectiveness.

Quit Smoking

Researchers have not discovered a specific diet which prevents or treats stomach ulcers; however, avoiding foods and beverages which irritate your gastrointestinal tract such as foods high in salt (pickles and olives) and those rich in acid content (tomato products). Also important are foods which increase stomach acid production such as chocolate and pickle products.

If you suffer from peptic ulcers, an endoscopy could be in order. An endoscopy involves inserting a flexible tube through your mouth and throat into the area being investigated with the aim of viewing all linings using an illuminated fiber-optic camera and light source; you will be sedated before beginning this procedure.

Before treating you, your physician will ask about your symptoms and risk factors for peptic ulcer. They’ll also inquire into any over-the-counter or prescription medicines you take, smoking and drinking habits, as well as whether anyone in your family has ever suffered from ulcers.

Avoid Alcohol

Though experts still are unable to explain why certain people develop ulcers while others do not, they have discovered certain foods and drinks which aggravate already existing ulcers, with alcohol leading the pack in terms of irritant properties. Doctors advise anyone suffering from ulcers to cease drinking altogether until their ulcers have completely healed; otherwise a medical detox program at a rehab facility may help individuals overcome their addiction.

Avoid high-fat foods like gravy, cream soups and salad dressings which contain high levels of saturated fat as they can increase stomach acidity and cause reflux. Avoid any fried meats such as sausages or lunch meats which contain them as these could increase stomach acidity further and trigger reflux. Also try to stay away from spicy food which was once thought to cause ulcers; however research has proven otherwise; although some individuals may find spicy food worsens their ulcer symptoms and should therefore be avoided altogether. In addition, chocolate may also trigger discomfort for those suffering from an ulcer condition.