"International Stomach Protection Day" Stomach pain is unbearable! Avoid these 5 stomach care misunderstandings and take care of your stomach easily

Today is April 9th, #International Stomach Protection Day#, please protect your stomach!

If you don't take care of your stomach, you may feel stomach pain at best, and then you may suffer from gastritis. If you often have stomach pain, don't think that you can just endure it, because it may lead to stomach cancer!

The results of case-control studies show that frequently eating dry and hard food, acting impulsively, being irritable, being in a state of depression for a long time, and sulking are all risk factors for gastric cancer.

Changing unhealthy lifestyles and controlling impulsive emotions can reduce the risk of gastric cancer. [1]

In addition to emotions, you must also be careful to avoid the following 5 dietary misunderstandings in life in order to better nourish your stomach scientifically and prevent stomach diseases.

1. Drink porridge to nourish your stomach, so have a bowl every day?

Although drinking porridge makes people feel comfortable, it does not mean that it can nourish the stomach. If you drink it incorrectly, it will be harmful to your health.

Many people like to drink white rice porridge, thinking it is easy to digest and warming. That is because the rice has been boiled for a long time, the starch is in a gelatinized state, and the carbohydrate content is high, but there are very few other nutrients.

It is not recommended to drink white rice porridge frequently. Not only does it fail to nourish the stomach, but it can also cause blood sugar to rise.

If you really like to drink porridge, it is recommended to combine coarse and fine grains, and add some miscellaneous grains and beans, such as millet, buckwheat, oatmeal, white lentils, chickpeas, red beans, mung beans, etc. This will not only help stabilize blood sugar, but also increase the intake of other nutrients, such as dietary fiber, B vitamins, protein, etc.

At the same time, you should also pay attention to diet. In principle, one meal should include vegetables and protein foods.

2. Drinking alcohol will definitely damage your stomach, so how about drinking tea?

Drinking alcohol hurts the stomach, and the stomach will absorb some of the alcohol, damaging the gastric mucosa. Some people think, since drinking alcohol hurts the stomach, then drink tea!

Drinking tea is recommended, but don't drink large amounts of strong tea.

Studies have shown that drinking green tea can reduce the risk of gastric cancer and chronic gastritis by 54% each, and there is a dose-effect relationship between the two. Drinking green tea may have a certain protective effect against gastric cancer. [2]

Studies have also shown that drinking green tea can reduce the risk of Helicobacter pylori infection, protect the gastric mucosa, and also have a certain protective effect on the esophagus. However, it is recommended to drink it 2 hours after a meal to avoid reflux. [3]

It should be noted that it is more recommended to drink light tea, and not to drink too much strong tea. Strong tea has a relatively high content of caffeine and oxalic acid, which will affect the absorption and utilization of minerals. The key is that strong tea is bitter and astringent, and it is not good to drink!

3. Can eating raw peanuts nourish the stomach?

I often hear people say: If you have a bad stomach, then eat some raw peanuts. This is a folk remedy.

Some doctors will tell patients with bad stomachs to eat raw peanuts. Maybe many people think that raw peanuts can nourish the stomach, but in fact:

A study observed 83 cases of chronic gastric disease. The subjects were asked to eat raw peanuts for 6 months, chewing them on an empty stomach before three meals a day, and the subjects were followed up.

The results showed that eating raw peanuts had no significant effect on patients with chronic gastric diseases, but had a significant improvement on patients with acid reflux and belching. Both of these diseases are related to excessive gastric acid, and the fat and protein in raw peanuts can neutralize gastric acid and inhibit gastric acid secretion. [4]

However, even with such a discovery, it does not mean that peanuts have a magical stomach-nourishing effect, because foods that can play this role are not limited to peanuts. The alkaline flour steamed buns, soda crackers, bread, etc. that we usually eat also have the same effect.

4. Can food that is cooked very soft be good for the stomach?

Well-cooked food gives people the impression that it is easy to digest and seems to nourish the stomach. But in fact, it does not have the effect of nourishing the stomach.

Moreover, vitamin B and vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins, which are unstable and almost heat-resistant. Soft and mushy foods need to be cooked for a long time, and the loss of vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B12 and folic acid is relatively large.

For example, if vegetables are boiled for 5 to 10 minutes, the loss rate of vitamin C can reach 70% to 90%. According to EU data on vitamin retention in food: taking boiled potatoes as an example, the loss rate of vitamin B1 can reach 75% to 85%, the loss rate of vitamin B2 and vitamin B6 can reach 70% to 95%, and the loss rate of folic acid can reach 50% to 90%. [5]

The longer the cooking time, the more nutrients are lost.

Therefore, long-term consumption of soft and rotten food will lead to malnutrition, manifested as decreased appetite, depression, decreased immunity, etc., and will also increase the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

If you eat soft and mushy food for a long time, it will reduce gastric motility and reduce the normal function of the stomach.

5. Like cures like, eating pig stomach nourishes the stomach?

"Like cures like" is not reliable, and eating pig stomach does not nourish the stomach.

In terms of nutritional value, pig stomach has nothing particularly outstanding. If you like its taste, eat some, but don't eat too much.

According to the recommendations of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines, this amount can be counted towards the recommended daily intake of 40 to 75 grams of livestock and poultry meat. [6] This is about three fingers to one palm of raw meat.

To sum up: protect your stomach and intestines scientifically, don't listen to folk remedies. Eat a reasonable diet, don't overeat, quit smoking and limit alcohol, eat and drink well, and your stomach and intestines will be better.

References:

[1] Lu Yan, Xu Yaochu, Yang Jie. Case-control study of risk factors for gastric cancer[J]. Jiangsu Preventive Medicine, 2002, 13(003):7-8.

[2] Yu Shunzhang, Zhang Zuofeng, Yu Guopei, et al. Epidemiological study on the effect of drinking green tea on the incidence of gastric cancer and chronic gastritis [J]. Chinese Journal of Oncology, 2001, 11(001):41-45.

[3] Yan Xiaoqing. Observation of the short-term effects of drinking strong tea on gastroesophageal reflux using esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance[D]. Shandong University, 2011.

[4] Zhao Benqing, Zhao Yan. Clinical follow-up observation of edible raw peanuts in the treatment of chronic gastric disease[J]. Medical Information, 2011, 024(015):P.4961-4962.

[5] Yang Yuexin, Ge Keyou. Chinese Nutrition Science Encyclopedia 2nd Edition (Volume 1)[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2019.698-700

[6] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2016