Personalize a stomach-friendly diet to meet your needs.
Aches, bloating, diarrhea and overall stomach discomfort can disrupt anyone's day and can occasionally be difficult to overcome. Sometimes sipping on tea or taking a break from a busy schedule can fix the problem. But if it is a reoccurring issue, it is important to fix the problem before it gets worse. Personalize a stomach-friendly diet to meet your needs.
What to Avoid
Sip plain chicken broth and avoid creamy soups.
Part of maintaining a healthy diet is knowing what foods to avoid. Fats and animal products, both meat and dairy, are difficult for your stomach to digest. It requires a lot of work even when your stomach is perfectly healthy. This is not to say that you must avoid these foods for the rest of your life, but you should eat these in strict moderation until you feel well again. In a nutshell avoid spicy, greasy and oily foods. Red meat, such as beef and pork, and all dairy products should be eliminated. Beverages to avoid include coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol. This does not mean you have to cut yourself off completely from these foods, but sacrifice a few of them for the time being or cut back on portion sizes when you have an unsettled stomach.
Easy Foods
Several foods aid stomach health. Canned fruit from peaches to pears is acceptable, along with bananas and applesauce. These are soft foods and will easily go down your digestive tract. Eat toast with a low-sugar jam or jelly. Do not put butter on it since this is a fat that should not be eaten while your stomach is upset. Rice is also good and can give you more substance. Bland foods such as boiled eggs, skinless chicken and baked potato are acceptable to gradually incorporate back into your diet once you start to feel better.
Spices and Herbs
Saffron can be kept permanently in your diet.
Add these spices and herbs permanently into your diet for long-term stomach help. Peppermint relaxes the gastrointestinal tract and helps relieve gas and bloating. This can be easily consumed in hot or iced tea form. Ginger tea is also effective, but you can suck on candied ginger or add a fresh slice to club soda. Add saffron and parsley to your rice and whole grain pasta dishes to add a Mediterranean flavor. Fennel is also seen as an aid to relieve gas. Stomach-soothing herbs can accompany chicken, or be added to salads and soups.
Fiber
Fiber is often recommended to ease the digestive process of food, and it also helps clear digestive tract. It is suggested that women eat between 21 g and 25 g of fiber per day, while men can eat up to 38 g per day. To put it in perspective, some of these common foods have high fiber contents. One cup of raspberries has 8 g of fiber and 1 cup of cooked split peas contains over 16 grams. Substitute white flour bread with whole wheat or rye, which can have almost 2 grams. Eat a bowl of oatmeal in the morning for 4 g fiber, a side dish of broccoli during lunch for 5 grams and a serving of whole wheat spaghetti for 6 grams of fiber.
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