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Chocolate for gastritis

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 18.05.2022
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At the word "chocolate" many people salivate, as at the sight of a lemon. Surely the vast majority like this delicacy and everyone eats it without really thinking about the benefits, harms or possible contraindications. However, in some cases, chocolate becomes a forbidden dessert. Chocolate for gastritis is from this category of products. Why?

Is it possible to chocolate with gastritis?

One of the causes of gastritis is malnutrition. Irregular, spicy, dry food, strong alcohol subject the stomach to “strength” tests, which is why the irritated mucosa often responds with a “revolt”, that is, inflammation. And how does chocolate work with gastritis?

Acute gastritis develops quickly, is accompanied by sharp pains, and is treated in about a week. During this period, it is even incorrect to ask if chocolate is possible with gastritis. Sweetness is considered a heavy product, and even a small portion can increase pain, cause vomiting and nausea in the patient, and aggravate the situation as a whole.

  • Unfortunately, dessert lovers, chocolate for gastritis without exacerbation is also not recommended. It causes increased production of gastric juice and further irritates the walls. This is especially dangerous at high acidity.

If gastritis is not cured, it becomes chronic. Cocoa butter and caffeine, as well as sugar, which are rich in chocolate sweets, are harmful products for inflamed digestive organs: they can exacerbate the process. This applies to all types of chocolate, including white.

The maximum that is allowed with a long remission is a slice or two from a whole tile. You need to enter it into the menu very carefully, literally a little bit. Chocolates are even worse in terms of harm, because they contain a variety of fillings that are not perceived by the affected stomach.

Chocolate for gastritis with high acidity

The optimal choice of the type of chocolate for gastritis with high acidity does not exist. The main criteria for such a choice are a minimum of fat content, caffeine, the absence of acids and dairy ingredients. For the recovery period, the stomach is more suitable for other sweets: marmalade, baklava, Turkish delight, toffee, honey, jam. Everything is in small doses.

  • Chocolate with gastritis is not included in the diet.

This is a product of processing cocoa fruits, with the addition of various ingredients - raisins, nuts, waffle crumbs, dried fruits. For a sick stomach, this is an extra burden. Caffeine and theobromine are especially unfavorable: they stimulate appetite and the secretion of gastric juice, which is already in excess and intensely irritates its walls.

  • I would like to debunk some myths about the dangers of chocolate, for example, for teeth.

It is known that sweets serve as an excellent breeding ground for mouth bacteria. And if you eat sweets before going to bed and be too lazy to brush your teeth, then caries is guaranteed. However, chocolate is different, the same black is not too sweet, so the connection between dark chocolate and blackened teeth is doubtful. The reason is most likely poor oral hygiene or an unbalanced diet.

In addition, a moderate dose of treats, in the absence of contraindications, can reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent diabetes, and prevent depression. Half a bar of chocolate a day increases efficiency and mood, stimulates mental activity, and stabilizes blood pressure. Finally, the product shows its effect as a quality aphrodisiac.

Bitter chocolate for gastritis

Dark chocolate is considered the healthiest. The sweet product is not only useful, but also has medicinal properties. It contains a maximum of grated cocoa (50+%) and a minimum of sugar. High quality can be determined organoleptically: such a tile shines beautifully and smells good.

The benefits of dark chocolate are diverse and are as follows:

  • activation of brain activity;
  • replenishment of energy reserves;
  • pressure optimization;
  • fat burning;
  • lowering cholesterol;
  • normalization of the work of the heart;
  • strengthening of bone tissue.

Chocolate belongs to aphrodisiacs. It contributes to the production of the hormone of happiness, that is, it improves well-being and mood, resists depression.

Unfortunately, the harm of chocolate in gastritis exceeds the benefits, so nutritionists strongly excluded it from the gastritis diet. With an exacerbation of inflammation, not only chocolate, but also other fatty sweets are undesirable, because they cause repeated bouts of pain and vomiting.

If it is unbearable to abstain and nothing in life pleases, you can afford a little bitter chocolate with gastritis - if there is a persistent remission and the patient feels satisfactory. This should be really the minimum portion: only 1-2 pieces from a whole tile.

Milk chocolate for gastritis

Milk chocolate is considered the most inappropriate for gastritis. It contains all the harmful components: cocoa butter and powder, sugar, high fat milk powder. Therefore, all its vaunted properties, useful for a healthy person, are reduced to nothing in comparison with the potential or real harm of consumed chocolate in gastritis.

  • Dairy varieties are made using milk fats and sugar. Cocoa in such products - up to 40%.

A healthy person is allowed to eat up to 50g of treats, with gastritis, in remission, up to 2 pieces of a tile. At the same time, it is important to monitor the reaction of the body: if belching, heartburn, nausea appear, it means that the stomach does not perceive sweets of this kind.

  • In the stomach, milk chocolate provokes an increased production of hydrochloric acid. This is how the caffeine contained in the product works. Such an effect is especially dangerous in the hyperacid form of gastritis.

Fatty cocoa butter is also not a diet food. A sick stomach has difficulty digesting fats, and this leads to an exacerbation of the process.

Additives and fillers with which manufacturers traditionally diversify chocolate products are unacceptable for the inflamed organ. No doubt, it is very tasty, and such products look aesthetically pleasing and festive. However, the harsh reality reminds us of the dangers of all these flavors, dyes, flavor enhancers and other chemicals that can undermine the health of everyone who abuses sweets.

White chocolate for gastritis

Among several varieties, white chocolate for gastritis seems to be the most harmless. After all, it does not contain the main component that makes chocolate actually chocolate, and not just one of the sweet desserts. White bars are deprived not only of the characteristic chocolate appearance: they do not contain caffeine, which makes chocolate harmful for gastritis.

  • However, there are other drawbacks in the white delicacy in excess, due to which the product is excluded from the diet of patients with digestive problems. These shortcomings are high calorie content and an abundance of vegetable oils.

No wonder white chocolate is the sweetest and most high-calorie. But still, if it is already impossible to give up chocolate once and for all, then occasionally you can allow the intake of a small portion of the white variety. On an unhealthy stomach, it acts milder than milk, especially with the addition of nuts or alcoholic ingredients. The allowable dose is up to two squares from a standard chocolate bar.

  • Interestingly, the white variety of the most popular confectionery appeared not so long ago: less than 100 years ago.

It does not contain grated and cocoa powder, and cocoa butter gives a characteristic taste. In cheap varieties, instead of natural ingredients, manufacturers mix flavoring and flavoring additives. In the absence of cocoa, theobromine and caffeine, which have a tonic effect, are absent. Chocolate lovers, who are harmful to these substances, are happy to replace traditional bars with white ones. Unfortunately, this alternative is not suitable for people with gastritis.

Dark chocolate for gastritis

Depending on the composition, chocolate is divided into black, white, milk. Modern manufacturers have created recipes for porous and mixed varieties, combining contrasting colors, as well as products for diabetic and vegan purposes. You can write about all kinds of fillers and additives separately, but this is not the topic of the article.

  • Not all people distinguish between dark and black options, and in the context of chocolate for gastritis, this can be important. They are identified by the amount of cocoa: in dark it is up to 40%, in black - over 50%.

It is the high content of the main ingredient and somewhat less sugar that gives a characteristic bitter taste and makes the natural product the most useful.

In black varieties, there is a minimum of sugar and no milk powder, but a high percentage of cocoa, and, consequently, caffeine. And the stomach does not like this substance. Not even hot chocolate. The only possible option is to eat only one or two pieces, only during a period of stable remission. You should choose a quality product of well-known brands.

  • If the eyes want it, but the stomach resists and reacts with discomfort, then even such a minimal relaxation of the diet should not be allowed.

Dark chocolate for gastritis and other gastric pathologies is best replaced with permitted sweets. These include marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade, jams, jelly, caramel. If possible, they are prepared at home, using natural ingredients.

Benefits

Chocolate has come a long historical way: from the land of the Aztecs on the American continent - to every European country and from an expensive elite drink - to a generally accessible solid confectionery. Tiles familiar to us appeared in England and France around the middle of the 19th century.

Flavonols and methylxanthines are the most active components of cocoa. Flavonols are polyphenolic structures that in cocoa include catechin and its derivatives, as well as procyanidins B2, B3 and C1. Recent interest in these compounds is related to their antioxidant properties. [1]

Among the many health-promoting effects put forward for antioxidants, anti-inflammatory actions seem promising. [2] In fact, flavonols inhibit lipid peroxidation and affect the production of lipids or lipid-derived immune response regulating molecules, and dietary cocoa has recently been shown to reduce obesity-related inflammation in high-fat mice. [3] Chocolate changes the intestinal flora in the same way as prebiotics and probiotics. [4]

A serving of dark chocolate (70–85% cocoa) per 100 kcal contains 1.7 g of fiber, while semi-sweet chocolate and milk chocolate contain 1.2 g and 0.6 g per 100 kcal, respectively. Their consumption improves the LDL:HDL ratio. [5]

Although the lipid content of chocolate is relatively high, one third of the lipids in cocoa butter is stearic acid (18:0), which is considered non-atherogenic and has a neutral cholesterol response in humans. [6]

Dark chocolate (70%-85% cocoa) contains 36 mg of magnesium per 100 kcal serving, which is 9% of the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for middle-aged men, more than three times the amount provided by milk chocolate. Magnesium is a cofactor for protein synthesis, muscle relaxation, and energy production. Magnesium is an antiarrhythmic and hypotensive agent. 

Chocolate is an important source of copper; milk chocolate provides 10% of the RDA for copper in the US per 100 kcal serving, while dark chocolate provides 31% and cocoa powder 23% per tablespoon.

  • However, chocolate with gastritis is completely inappropriate - for the reason that it causes heartburn, nausea, progression of pathological processes in the digestive organs.

Chocolate improves immunity, prevents caries, slows down aging, activates brain activity. A product that is 50 percent or more cocoa is able to stop a protracted cough. Theobromine, which is rich in cocoa beans, is responsible for this.

Regular consumption of sweets reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation, relieves sore throat, improves blood supply to the brain and retina. This results in a temporary improvement in vision.

Chocolate neutralizes free radicals and maintains youth. A whole cosmetology trend is built on this property - salons offer procedures for chocolate masks and body wraps, actively fight cellulite. Finally, the taste and aroma of dessert always evokes positive emotions, invigorates, improves mood and the functioning of the nervous system.

Contraindications

Chocolate has properties that are undesirable for overweight people. This is an abundance of fats and high calorie content: in 100g of a tile - more than 500 kcal. It can cause a reaction in people prone to allergies. And even addiction - in the event that you "get hooked" enough to eat half a kilo of sweets a day. This problem is more relevant for children. Contraindications concern precisely such categories of people.

  • Chocolate with gastritis is harmful due to caffeine. I consider the same component to be especially dangerous for men: it can cause prostate enlargement.

An alternative to chocolate are non-aggressive, less fatty and sweet sweets: toffee, caramel candies, marshmallows, jellies, marmalade, marshmallows, jams and honey in a minimal amount. Diabetic and cheap trans fat products are not a worthy substitute. Intemperance in this matter threatens with unpleasant and dangerous consequences.

Possible risks

A quality product in moderation does not allow possible complications in healthy people. However, there are products that instead of cocoa butter are full of palm or coconut fats. Such a product is able to unbalance the hormonal system, provoke excess weight, atherosclerosis and other problems.

  • Chocolate with gastritis causes nausea, heartburn, belching, pain and other unpleasant symptoms from the digestive organs.

Complications in the form of allergic manifestations are possible. When alarming symptoms appear, treats should be discarded. Rarely, but dependence can develop - due to the fact that the product has an effect similar to a narcotic.

With digestive problems, a person has to deny himself many habits. Favorite sweets: pastries, sweets, chocolate for gastritis and pancreatitis are unhealthy foods, so they disappear from the diet, something temporarily, and something forever. But the good news is that you can always find a sweet alternative. In our case, these are non-chocolate desserts: jelly, marshmallow, marmalade, toffee, caramel or honey.

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