Most ulcers aren’t caused directly by stress but by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is why ulcers are often treated with antibiotics along with an acid suppressor. Find out which foods can aid in healing and preventing ulcers.
Honey
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Modern medicine has finally caught on to a folk remedy that’s been used for centuries. Because honey fights bacteria, hospitals and clinics sometimes apply it to burns and other open wounds. For the same reason that it can help heal a skin ulcer, honey may help thwart H. pylori. Researchers from New Zealand tested honey made from the nectar of the Manuka flower on bacteria from biopsies of gastric ulcers and found that the honey inhibited bacterial growth. Other researchers have been successful in using other types of honey to halt the growth of H. pylori.
Recommended dose: Start by taking a tablespoon of raw, unprocessed honey in the morning and at night to calm a fiery belly. Spread it on toast or a cracker to keep it in the stomach longer. Because H. pylori are slow-growing, be sure to keep up your honey regimen until ulcer symptoms are long gone.
Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower And Kale
Recommended dose: Consider eating a cup a day of broccoli, raw or cooked, or broccoli sprouts. Not only will the broccoli begin to battle your ulcer, but it will also provide more than a day’s worth of vitamin C and a generous amount of fibre: two more allies in the fight against ulcers.
Cabbage
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Scientists think that it may be the amino acid glutamine that gives cabbage its anti-ulcer punch. Glutamine helps to fortify the mucosal lining of the gut and to improve blood flow to the stomach, meaning it not only helps prevent ulcers but can also speed healing of existing sores.
Recommended dose: Eat two cups of raw cabbage daily. Add it to salads, coleslaw, and wraps. You can also drink raw cabbage juice, sold in health food stores. Drink a quart a day for three weeks if—you can stand it!
Yogurt With Active Cultures
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Foods like yogurt and kefir (fermented milk) contain “good bacteria” that can inhibit H. pylori and may help ulcers heal faster. In one large study in Sweden, people who ate fermented milk products like yogurt at least three times a week were much less likely to have ulcers than people who ate yogurt less often.
Recommended dose: Have a cup of yogurt, kefir, or another fermented milk product with live, active cultures at least once a day. Avoid sweetened varieties, which are less effective.
Plantain
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This large, green, banana-like fruit is starchy and sticky in texture. It helps to soothe inflamed and irritated mucous membranes and has some antibacterial properties to boot. Studies on rats with ulcers caused by daily aspirin use have shown that unripe green plantain can both prevent the formation of ulcers and help to heal them. Plantain works its magic best when it’s unripe.
Recommended dose: Until human studies determine the amount that might help, use the fruit as they do in Latin America, where green plantain is eaten boiled like a potato. Avoid fried plantain, as the fat can aggravate ulcers.
Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains and Other Foods High in Fibre
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Add another star to fibre’s crown. Besides keeping you regular, fibre has a role in keeping ulcers at bay, especially those in the duodenum. A number of studies have found that people who eat high-fibre diets have a lower risk of developing ulcers. In the Physicians Health Study from Harvard, researchers looked at the diets of 47,806 men and found that those who ate 11 grams or more of fibre from vegetables had a 32 per cent lower risk of developing duodenal ulcers.
Scientists aren’t sure how fibre helps, but it may be thanks to the fact that it slows the emptying of the stomach and thus reduces the amount of time the stomach lining and duodenum are exposed to digestive acids. Soluble fibre, the kind found in oats, beans, barley, peas, and pears, also forms a slippery goo in the stomach that acts as a barrier between the stomach lining and corrosive stomach acids.
Recommended dose: General health guidelines suggest getting 25 to 35 grams of fibre a day.
Slippery Elm Tea
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Slippery elm coats the stomach just as it does a sore throat, bringing some relief, albeit short-lived, from ulcer pain.
Recommended dose: Several cups throughout the day.
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.readersdigest.ca by Marianne Wait, Reader’s Digest Health Books where all credits are due.
