1 Week Gastritis Diet Plan (My Personal Experience)

An effective gastritis diet plan consists of eating relatively bland foods, low in dietary fiber.

The purpose is to eat foods that are the least likely to upset the already inflamed stomach lining and give the stomach time to regenerate and recover.

While this is not how you’ll eat forever, the more restrictive the gastritis diet and the better you keep to it, the sooner you’ll recover and be able to return to more nourishing foods with a high nutritional value.

Depending on the severity of the gastritis and the symptoms you are experiencing, the diet can be pursued for as little as 1 month or as long as 3 months.

During this time, it’s advised to be in contact with your doctor and take the prescribed medicine.

The foods I’ve relied on heavily when I had gastritis were plain white rice, plain white pasta, occasionally fresh egg pasta, white bread and white bread toast, oven baked bread or croutons, eggs cooked without grease, boiled chicken, moderate amounts of boiled or steamed carrots, spinach, potatoes, occasionally celery, portobello or champignon mushrooms and zucchini, ripe bananas, limited amounts of plain applesauce or stewed apples without skin, salt for seasoning, very small amounts of fresh, extravirgin olive oil and tea with sugar or raw honey varieties which are great but only if you are not allergic.

Know that the 1 week meal plan detailed below is a result of my personal experience in dealing with gastritis and does not constitute or substitute medical advice. While it has helped me successfully get through my stomach condition, it does not apply to everyone and individual health issues, nutritional requirements or other aspects should be taken into consideration. Also keep in mind that not everyone reacts the same way to the same foods so what has been good for me, for example, may not necessarily be good for you. When eating for gastritis, there are a few recommendations to consider.

Tips on How to Eat for Gastritis

Eat smaller meals, but more often

Eat smaller meals often and never fill up on food because a full stomach increases chances of acid reflux and can further worsen the condition. Let yourself feel hungry between meals, but do not starve yourself.

Don’t lie down after eating

Eat at least 3 hours before lying down to reduce the likelihood of experiencing acid reflux and further digestive upset. Sit upright or just keep yourself busy, but do not lie down in bed or plop yourself on the cough in front of the TV.

Watch out for allergies

Be careful with allergies: eggs, honey, avocado, celery, herbs for tea are common allergens. If you have known allergies to any food, avoid it. If you suspect allergies to some foods, avoid them until you know for sure which food you are allergic to and which not.

Watch your fiber intake

Considering your lower fiber intake, drink plenty of water and eat soft foods to help you have healthy, normal bowel movements. If you feel you are getting too little fiber, increase your intake of vegetables such as spinach (best cooked) or carrots (also cooked). And vice versa.

Bananas in a gastritis diets

Bananas are best eaten when golden yellow with a few brown spots on them. Anything too unripe (green bananas) or too ripe (bananas that have extensive black spots on skin and are starting to smell like a fruity alcohol) are not good.

Fruits in a gastritis diet

Eat apples cooked (stewed, boiled, baked) and without skin so they don’t upset the stomach. Cooked quinces or pears can be good alternative to cooked apples. Zucchinis can be peeled too to reduce fiber intake. Also, the younger the zucchini, the more tender and the more digestible its fiber.

Ingredients and foods are not fixed items

You can add or remove ingredients as you like or switch between the meal ideas, or compile your own recipes using ingredients you find you tolerate well. Just make sure you get carbohydrates, protein and fats and a little fiber, but avoid spices and heavy season foods, acidic foods and fatty, fried foods.

Gastritis and fat intake

Remember to cook without grease, except for an occasional tablespoon of fresh, extravirgin olive oil in some dishes or half of a ripe avocado once or twice a week, if it’s good for you.

For more information on what to eat, read my article on what foods to eat and to avoid for gastritis.

Vitamins for gastritis

Take your vitamins and talk to your doctor about getting a good multivitamin. At the same time, keep in mind that a lot of multivitamin complexes cause stomach acidity. Effervescent supplements in particular are a source of extreme stomach acidity. This form is best avoided by anyone looking to keep their gastritis symptoms under control.

Tablet supplements are a better alternative, although they can also trigger acid reflux, depending on their composition and individual reactions to it. So while important in long-term management of gastritis, know that multivitamins can also worsen gastritis symptoms.

f that is the case for you, discuss your options further with your doctor. What I did when confronted with this issue was simply to reduce my intake to one-two multivitamins-type dietary supplements a week, always after eating a good lunch.

How to balance foods

Gastritis doesn’t respond well to a full stomach, whether it’s food or fluids. So just as you eat small meals often, remember to not fill up on fluids.

Feeling your stomach bloated with water or chicken soup is a sure way to experience worse symptoms.

For me, the best solution was to drink water at least half an hour before a meal and at least half an hour after eating to not feel too full. And, of course, remain hydrated for the rest of the day too.

As for the chicken soup, I would always have less soup and more absorbent ingredients like rice, risoni, plain noodles as well as plain boiled chicken. And always make your soup at home yourself so ensure you are not eating foods, spices or additives that worsen gastritis.

Other tips for eating with gastritis

Remove the skin on the chicken because it is a source of fat that can upset the stomach. On the same note, you can eat whole eggs some days and only egg whites on other days, depending on your individual nutritional requirements.

The egg yolks do carry most of the fat content of eggs and if it’s too much for you, you can always have egg white and still get generous amounts of protein. Similarly, avoid avocado if it’s causing you stomach upset. While it didn’t bother me personally, a lot of people find it is bad to eat avocado if you have a sensitive stomach.

Remedies for gastritis: Aloe vera

Aloe vera for gastritis treatment should be the natural, bitter, unsweetened aloe vera gel extracted from the plant leaves. It requires refrigeration to protect its healing properties.

My 1 week, personalized gastritis meal plan

Day 1:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2 soft boiled chicken eggs, 2-3 slices of toast, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, 100 g of plain, boiled spinach, 2-3 slices of fresh, white bread
Snack: 1 medium ripe banana (with brown spots) or one stewed apple or one stewed pear (without skin), or one stewed quince, or crackers if you don’t tolerate fruits well
Dinner: White rice risotto with 1-2 medium carrots, 2-3 chicken legs (everything boiled), salt for seasoning

Day 2:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (no grease), 2-3 slices of fresh bread, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: White pasta with boiled mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of fresh, extravirgin olive oil, salt for seasoning. I like to boil 4-5 large portobello mushrooms, ground them using a food processor, then add them to the pasta
Snack: Plain, salted crackers
Dinner: 2-3 boiled chicken legs with 100-150 g of boiled or steamed vegetables (spinach, carrots, potatoes or celery- check for allergies), some plain, boiled, white rice or plain, white bread

Day 3:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2-3 slices of toast with 2-egg omelet (no grease), tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Plain white rice risotto with 1-2 medium carrots, 2 chicken legs (everything boiled), salt for seasoning
Snack: Plain bagels (no fat added) or dry crackers
Dinner: 2-3 boiled chicken legs with 100-150 g of boiled or steamed vegetables (spinach, carrots or potatoes), plain, white bread

Day 4:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs (no grease), 2-3 slices of toast, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Chicken noodle soup (1 chicken back, 2 chicken wings with 2 medium carrots, a quarter of a celery root, 2 medium potatoes, salt for seasoning and plain noodles).
Note 1: you can only have solids if you feel the soup itself is bad for your gastritis.
Note 2: eat small servings, not everything at once. Save some soup for later or the next day.
Snack: Plain crackers and, if well tolerated, a stewed apple, pear (without skin) or quince
Dinner: Plain, white rice risotto with chicken legs (everything boiled, salt for seasoning)

Day 5:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: Half an avocado (ripe) with 2-3 slices of toast, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Mashed potatoes (plain, boiled potatoes with salt and a little water they have boiled in to give the puree the right consistency), grilled or boiled chicken breast, 2-3 slices of bread
Snack: 1 very ripe banana (with brown spots) or a stewed apple, pear (without skin) or quince
Dinner: Boiled chicken legs, fresh, white bread

Day 6:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 2-3 slices of toast of fresh bread, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, plain croutons or 2-3 slices of toast or fresh, white bread
Snack: 1 stewed apple or pear, without skin, or quince
Dinner: Plain, white rice risotto with chicken legs (everything boiled, salt for seasoning)

Day 7:

30 minutes – 1 hour before breakfast: 1 tablespoon of Aloe vera
Breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs, 2-3 slices of toast, tea sweetened with sugar or honey of your choice
Lunch: Plain rice risotto with mushrooms or carrots
Snack: Plain, salted or unsalted, dry crackers or bagels (no fat added)
Dinner: Boiled chicken legs with 100-150 g of boiled vegetables (spinach, carrots, potatoes or celery – check for allergies), some plain, boiled rice or a couple of slices of plain, white bread

Personal notes About Gastritis Diet Plan :

You can eat your toast with honey in the morning, just remember to check for allergies to honey or bee products first.
If you experience constipation, you can slowly introduce more of the mentioned vegetables into your diet to help with bowel movements.
If your stomach is upsetting you because of a too high fiber content, you can exclude some of the fiber choices until you find the right balance for you.
If a certain food is bad for you, avoid it and substitute it with a food that doesn’t elicit any symptoms.
Remember to take the medicine your doctor prescribed as advised.
Absolutely avoid lying down after eating, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Avoid coffee, caffeinated beverages, fried foods, sodas and other bad foods for gastritis.