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Anyone with gastritis who needs to gain weight?

I have gastritis and GERD and really need to gain a lot of weight.  Any good meal plans you would recommend?  I am a wreck.  Thanks.
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20703499 tn?1552601915
Is your gastritis chronic? In general, you need to eat a lot of food to gain weight, including fats and sugars.
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1756321 tn?1547095325
My mum's severely painful gastritis and GERD went away when I took her off nexium (acid blocker) and onto betaine HCL and digestive enzyme supplements. Gastritis is a cause of low stomach acid  (and low acid is the most common reason for acid reflux) and proteases (enzymes that digest protein) heals the stomach.  

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3 Comments
Thank you.
I have no idea if betaine HCL will help you or not, can't say, but be careful with this one.  Using apple cider vinegar, hydrochloric acid, or using the latter in the form of betaine HCL can be helpful in the right circumstances and harmful in the wrong ones.  If you're going to try this approach, I'd make sure to do it under the care of a naturopath, nutritionist and a doctor to make sure I had low acid and not high acid.  Just be cautious with this one.  
I would not follow any of this advice until you first check with your doctor. They are best to guide you and if you have not been seen by a gastroenterologist, this is the time to do it. Good luck in solving the issue.
973741 tn?1342342773
I have gerd and losing weight is normally the best thing for it as well as monitoring what you eat and when.  Do not eat at night, for example.  Do not lay down with a full stomach, for example. So, you do have to take that into consideration.  Acidic foods are difficult on gerd and gastritis like spaghetti or tomato sauce, stay away from cola and coffee.  I took medication for gerd which controlled it but when I lot weight, it actually improved so that I don't take medication anymore on a regular basis.  Talk to your doctor if you think this is going on, they can help you. https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/reflux-disease-gerd-1. They can help you direct your diet as well.

If you are losing weight because of digestive disorders, that happens. I also had an ulcer and lost 30 pounds before it was diagnosed. Because I had burning after eating, eating was less appealing and I lost significant weight in a short period of time.  It was a duodenal ulcer (in intestines) and took some time to diagnose.  Endoscopy found it when other GI tests didn't.  But I did indeed have to gain weight after that experience.  Once treated, things went back to normal.  

Gastritis is different. That's inflammation of the lining of your stomach.  Have they determined you have this and if so, the cause? Sometimes it is due to  H Pylori and medication clears that up. Acid reducers or proton pump inhibitors are often prescribed.  And doctors do recommend to stay away from spicy foods, see WebMD.  ANY foods that irritate it should be eliminated.   https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-gastritis#2  

We can't tell you that you don't need to gain weight.  Is this a doctor's recommendation?   There are healthy ways to gain weight.  We can help you with that if you would like.  One of the best things you can start doing is to keep a food diary and start tracking things.  Add things in that have nutritional value.  This article has lots of suggestions https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-to-gain-weight#1. There are foods higher in fat content and have more calories but are really good for you.  Some nuts or fish like salmon for example. Read through that article and see what you think.  It also is never a bad idea to find a nutritionist in your area to speak with and evaluate your situation to make recommendations.  Your doctor can likely help you find one.  We're here to help if we can!  
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6 Comments
By the way, my intestinal ulcer was caused by biliary reflux.  But also had gastric ulcers a different time due to H Pylori.  I've had an over production of acid for as long as I can remember.  I was that kid that burped acid into my mouth and said "orange flavor".  Gross.  But I had that as a skinny, active kid.  Sad thing is I love acidic foods.  But I do my best!  :>))
Low acid and high acid both cause acid reflux. However, low acid is the most common cause for a long list of reasons from chronic stress to aging to H Pylori bacteria.
Unfortunately, the "nutritionists" I have seen have only said, eat more.  Not very helpful.  The "perfect" meal plan for me would be one that: helps me gain weight, reduces inflammation, and avoids any sort of acid reflux, AND, helps to reduce blood pressure.  I do not care for fish, and cannot eat almonds, peanuts, and try to avoid cows milk, spicy foods, onions, garlic, etc.  Hard to construct a meal plan with such stringent requirements.  
Well, eating more is how you gain weight.  Sometimes eating several times a day can help.  Yes, DGL might help, but it also might not -- as is the case with everything else.  A lot depends on why we get these things.  If it's stressful living or poor eating habits that cause it, you can work on that.  If it's a weakened immune system caused by medications that has killed off the digestive organisms that keep that area healthy, that's what allows the growth of H pylori -- everyone has it, it passes through everyone, but only infects those who are susceptible.  It's not like there are people running around out there who never have it pass through your body.  If your protective organisms are intact, it can't get a foothold anywhere and passes through, but when we have some condition that upsets our balance these things can take hold.  I had a duodenal ulcer many many years ago, and my prescription from my doctor when I got out of the hospital was to learn TM, a form of meditation.  Got rid of it.  Back then, we took antacids, now it's protease inhibitors, but the key is to get off of these drugs as soon as possible as they, again, cause the digestive system to produce more and more acid.  You can't live without protein, and protein requires an acidic stomach for proper digestion.  Nobody here knows why you got this.  When I got my ulcer, that's when docs told you it was stress -- they weren't aware of H pylori yet.  But what you're describing isn't an ulcer, you're describing a problem with your digestive system, so that's what you need to calm down.  Eating more healthy food is the way to add weight, but for you, it means dealing with this stuff.  Not eating, again, isn't good for these conditions -- they do better if you don't go long times in between eating, because with food in your system your digestive system is working on what it's supposed to, not on the lining of your stomach or intestinal tract.  Taking probiotics, particularly bifidus, can be helpful, and I know this sounds really gross, but if it gets way out of whack, gastroenterologists can even transplant healthy populated feces from someone else into your digestive system and recolonize it.  I know, sounds weird, but it apparently works.  So keep working on it.  Peace.
And as to spicy foods, again, that's a cultural thing.  Cayenne pepper is very hot, but it repairs the lining of the stomach and intestinal tract.  Turmeric helps to reduce inflammation of the liver and digestive system, but is also a hot herb.  If you're from Mexico or India you don't notice the heat, it's part of your culture.  If you're a typical American and spicy food disagrees with you, it will bother you.  It's not the spicy food that is the problem, again, it's actually protective, it's the not being acculturated to it that can cause the heartburn.  Anything that bothers you, avoid.  That's the key.
Your doctor is the best source of information.  But, what about quinoa?  What about a salad using that with healthy fats, beans, etc?  What about avocado?  Eggs?  I avoid acid things like tomatoes, tomato sauce and some citrus.  This sets me off.  But if I eat it early enough in the day, not as many problems.  A late night spaghetti and red sauce dinner?  forget about it.  Protein shake?  I mean, I can't tell you how many good things I can pack into a smoothie that my kids drink down.  There are protein powders you can add as well as other things.  I always add fresh spinach, carrot juice, etc. as well.  And we do NOT know if you are describing an ulcer or not.  We didn't examine you and your symptoms are what I experienced when I had an ulcer.  And what I had when I had gerd.  and what I Had when I had gastritis.  Good times.
Avatar universal
You don't say what you weigh and why you "need" to gain a lot of weight.  Not eating doesn't help either gastritis, which isn't actually a thing, it's just a description of inflammation in your digestive tract but not why it's there, or GERD, which is another digestive disorder that is worse if you have an empty stomach.  So if you stopped eating enough because of these two things, it won't help, and might make it feel worse.  Most people who have been diagnosed with these conditions don't necessarily have them, or at least not in the sense they think.  Doctors diagnose these based on symptoms and generally treat them with acid suppressants, which over time can force the digestive system to compensate by making more and more acid because it must have it in order to digest protein and break down minerals.  There are also a lot of different reasons people get this stuff -- bad eating habits, eating disorders, medication, infections -- it's very hard to find the cause oftentimes.  There are some treatments some have found effective, such as not lying down or going to sleep soon after eating, which can cause digestive juices to flow upward instead of work in the digestive tract.  Avoid foods that bother you, but if they don't bother you, and are healthy, don't avoid them because someone told you to, such as spicy food -- that's often more a cultural thing than a causal thing, as most spicy foods are actually good for the digestive system.  But if you're not used to them, they can bother you.  As for what to eat, a balanced healthy diet the same as anyone else, with meat in moderation, fish is good as is fish oil, and whole grains and veggies.  It's not different really except to avoid things others might not be bothered by even though they shouldn't eat them, such as too much sugar or processed foods or the wrong kind of fat -- the usual suspects.  There are also natural remedies that might give you relief over time -- aloe vera juice, DGL, and slippery elm might help without suppressing acid.  Tell us what you eat now, if you exercise, if you know the cause of your digestive problems, etc. and you might get better help.
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1 Comments
I need to gain weight because, I am grossly underweight.  For my height, I need to weigh at least 160, but, am way way below that.  I have heard of DGL, would that help?  I have taken Carafate med, not sure if that will help.  My cardio doc thinks I should go vegan.  But, like I said, I really need to gain weight, so, vegan wise, that would be hard I think.  

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