Bread with gastritis: black, rye, whole-grain, with bran

In case of acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa – gastritis – it is necessary to regulate your diet and stick to a certain diet. And patients often ask whether it is possible to eat bread with gastritis and, if so, what kind.

Can you eat bread if you have gastritis?

First, let's clarify the benefits of bread, which has been the most important food for humans since ancient times. In the EU alone, the production of this product (according to 2016 data) is 32 million tons per year. The average consumption of bread per capita in the EU is about 55 kg. However, consumption varies in different countries. For example, the Germans consume 80 kg of bread per year, the French - 59 kg per year, and the British - less than 50 kg per year. Food products made from wheat grain provide approximately 20-50% of the total amount of calories for the population of our planet. [ 1 ]

In moderate quantities, bread is useful because it provides the body with nutrients such as carbohydrates (in the form of starch) and vegetable proteins - in the form of albumins, globulins, gluten (gluten) of wheat flour [ 2 ], as well as secalin - a form of gluten of rye flour, which contain amino acids, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron (in the form of phytic acid salts), selenium and vitamins (beta-carotene, thiamine, tocopherol, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin). There are also reserve proteins - prolamins, which contain a high level of the amino acids glutamine and proline.

The content of vegetable proteins in bread fluctuates in the range of 5-20% (depending on the type of wheat from which the flour is produced), but they are only absorbed by 75-80%. At the same time, the individual absorption of the essential amino acids lysine and histidine contained in wheat gluten can be higher - up to 86-95%. [ 3 ]

As experts in the field of healthy nutrition note, half of the daily calorie intake should be covered by carbohydrates (they are what human muscles “work” on), and one of the healthy sources of carbohydrates are, for example, two or three standard slices of black bread: this is 45-60 g of carbohydrates, giving 65-90 kcal. In addition, black bread contains fibers (cellulose), which promote normal intestinal motility and its emptying, as well as a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol) and stable blood sugar levels. [ 4 ]

However, having gastritis means that you will have to limit the consumption of many products, and in many cases, contraindications also apply to bread - to prevent possible complications in the form of exacerbation of painful symptoms. Do not forget about gluten allergy. [ 5 ]

It should also be borne in mind that, unlike the bread our ancestors ate, modern bread is full of additives and preservatives... [ 6 ]

What kind of bread should you eat if you have gastritis?

So, what kind of bread can you eat with gastritis? According to the diet for gastritis, you can eat dried (stale) bread or dry out slices of bread on purpose. Rich pastries are contraindicated.

The same principle is used for bread for gastritis with high acidity (read - Diet for gastritis with high acidity ), as well as bread for erosive gastritis (see - Diet for erosive gastritis ).

Thus, it is allowed to eat dried white bread for gastritis - both hyperacid and hypoacid. Gastroenterologists also recommend dried yeast-free bread for gastritis against the background of hypochlorhydria, since low acidity in the stomach leads to insufficient digestion of starch in yeast bread, which "gets stuck" in the intestines, creating conditions for excessive growth of yeast fungi and bacteria.

The question arises as to why fresh bread is not allowed for gastritis. Firstly, drying bread, especially at a temperature of +65-80°C (in a toaster or oven), reduces the enzymatic activity of amylases contained in flour.

Secondly, when eating bread, the process of its digestion begins in the mouth, where under the influence of saliva (which has an alkaline Ph), starch is converted first into dextrin, and then into maltose. [ 7 ] But fresh bread does not cause the secretion of saliva when chewed, which leads to its longer digestion in the stomach. But dry bread and crackers made from it stimulate salivation, that is, they will be digested in the stomach faster and easier.

In the stomach cavity, the breakdown of starch by saliva continues for some time, and then gastric juice is released, under the influence of which (thanks to pepsin and hydrochloric acid) further digestion of bread occurs - for approximately 2-2.5 hours.

What kind of bread can you eat during an exacerbation of gastritis? Bread is on the list of products that the diet for chronic gastritis (diet No. 5a according to Pevzner) prohibits from consuming in cases of exacerbation of the disease.

Bread for gastritis: black, rye, Borodinsky, with bran

It is not recommended to eat black bread for gastritis with high acidity: such bread increases the production of acid in the stomach, and also contains phenolic acids and dehydrodimers of ferulic acid, which additionally irritate the gastric mucosa. [ 8 ]

Rye bread is a categorical contraindication for gastritis due to increased acidity of gastric juice, since the acidity of this type of bread is increased, and it is much more difficult to digest than white bread. [ 9 ]

Likewise, you should not eat Borodinsky bread if you have gastritis, due to the excess acid content in the rye sourdough used in baking it.

Gastroenterologists do not recommend eating whole grain and bran bread for gastritis: these types of bread have a stronger peptogenic effect, and the phytic acid of wheat fiber reduces the absorption of calcium, iron and zinc. [ 10 ], [ 11 ]

And finally, bread and butter can be eaten with gastritis, but only separately, since they are digested differently, and fats slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and proteins in bread. And it is important for patients with gastritis to eat as little slowly digested food as possible, so as not to overload the sick stomach.