Lemon with gastritis: can you or not?

People who have encountered any pathology of the gastrointestinal tract are annoyed to learn that they will have to give up their favorite foods - because some of them adversely affect the inflamed mucous membrane. The list of controversial products includes fruits, in particular, lemons for gastritis. Who can dispel doubts and create a healthy diet for the patient? Naturally, a doctor whom the patient trusts.

Is lemon ok for gastritis?

The correct answer to the question: can you eat lemon with gastritis? - is only possible after the diagnosis has been clarified. The key factor is acidity, because sour fruit affects its level. The pulp contains a lot of citric acid, it contains malic and other organic acids, which are destructive to pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, causing inflammation and damage to the mucous membrane.

• Lemon is an undesirable ingredient in a diet for gastritis with excess acidity. It increases the secretion of its own juice and irritation of the stomach walls.

The hypoacid variant of gastritis is characterized by a lack of hydrochloric acid and insufficient digestive capacity of the system. In this condition, the correct use of lemon will be beneficial.

• Some patients drink juice or eat lemon without sugar. However, it is better to mix lemon juice with apricot, pear, peach, preferably with pulp.

Tea with lemon in the morning is a very good choice for gastritis with low acidity. You can simply dilute pure water with concentrated juice. This drink activates digestion and gastric juice production, normalizes stool, and removes toxins.

These recommendations are not relevant during periods of exacerbation, including hypoacid inflammation. When acute symptoms subside, citrus can be included in the menu again, but gradually and with the doctor's permission.

Lemon for gastritis with high acidity

According to some doctors, lemon in a reasonable dosage for gastritis with high acidity cannot radically affect its level. Much more dangerous is a lack of potassium, sodium and calcium, and lemon contains these elements in abundance. Potassium, by the way, protects against stress, and it is stress that causes stomach problems, including gastritis. In this regard, lemon in gastritis also performs a calming, mood-lifting function.

A weak lemon drink in the morning relieves several digestive problems:

• relieves heartburn;
• suppresses flatulence;
• cleanses the liver;
• stimulates the digestion process.

However, traditional opinion states that patients with high acidity should not consume lemon, as well as other citrus fruits. It is believed that the acids present in them increase secretion and irritate the walls of the stomach. Therefore, the optimal solution is to take sour fruits only in the hypoacid form, during remission.

It is allowed to eat several slices a day, without peel and sugar. Or add a slice to tea. Pure juice can be taken after meals. It is useful to combine it with other juices.

Lemon water on an empty stomach is harmful for gastritis. Homemade lemonade is allowed to be drunk after meals, no more than a glass per day.

Is lemon allowed for atrophic gastritis?

There is contradictory information about lemons for gastritis. If official medicine has one opinion, then folk medicine has a completely different one. Therefore, the right decision is to follow the recommendations of your doctor. It is he who has the final say in the question of whether lemon is allowed for atrophic gastritis.

• Atrophic gastritis is incurable without strict dietary restrictions. Food should be gentle - in composition, temperature, cooking.

Medicine believes that lemon, even in tea, is harmful for atrophic changes, because the acid is an aggressive component in relation to the walls of the stomach. However, other sources claim that tea with lemon can be drunk, along with dried fruit compote, jelly, mineral water.

Lemon components can be added to food in small quantities, for example, lemon juice - to desserts. With such selective use, under the supervision of a doctor, lemon can be a healthy fruit.

The particular danger of atrophic inflammation is that it can cause an oncological problem. To prevent this from happening, the disease should be treated immediately and in all ways, and not independently, but by contacting qualified specialists.

Lemon for gastritis with low acidity

Some sources categorically prohibit not only lemons for gastritis, but also all other citrus fruits. The undesirability of lemon, which contains a lot of acid, is especially emphasized. Others describe in detail the effect of lemons and the method of their use in various variants and phases of the disease.

• Lemons for gastritis with low acidity are included in the list of dietary products, because additional acid is necessary in such cases.

When there is a shortage of it, the stomach cannot cope with its main function - the breakdown and digestion of food. The symptoms of such gastritis are very unpleasant, they are manifested by bloating, belching with a nasty smell and taste, heartburn, diarrhea. The body begins to have vitamin deficiency, the process of protein absorption is disrupted.

• Food lies like dead weight in the stomach cavity, causing maximum discomfort in the abdomen.

In this condition, patients are saved by lemon juice or fruits. You can dilute water with juice: such a mixture activates the digestion process and the production of gastric juice. Lemon juice is also combined with other fruit juices: peach, pear, apricot. Traditional tea with a slice of lemon is also suitable. Thus, with hypoacid gastritis, lemon helps to normalize the functions of the stomach.

If the inflammation is in the acute phase, then citrus should not be consumed. Otherwise, the condition of the stomach may worsen. It is recommended to introduce lemon after the acuteness of the process has subsided, gradually and in small doses. All actions must be agreed with a doctor.

Tea with lemon for gastritis

Under the influence of concentrated citrus juice, the inflamed walls of the stomach become irritated and react with acute pain. The process progresses and annoys the patient with discomfort, nausea, and vomiting. If you ignore medical recommendations, lemon for gastritis can lead to the formation of ulcerative lesions of the mucous membrane.

• With low acidity, when digestion slows down and there is not enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach, lemon in moderate dosage has a beneficial effect on the process.

Lemons in their natural form have a negative effect on the mucous membrane only in the acute stage of the disease. During this period, it is recommended to prepare tea with honey, milk, or herbal drinks, also without lemon. But tea with lemon for gastritis is an ideal drink. Lemon is processed at high temperature and abundantly diluted with water, so a moderate amount of acidic components gets into the drink. Two slices of citrus are enough for a serving of tea.

Tea should be prepared and consumed correctly. Cut slices are placed in the brewed drink and allowed to cool. It should not be drunk hot, so that the high temperature does not irritate the stomach. The best option is a warm drink, drunk not on an empty stomach. It quenches thirst, enriches with vitamin C, relieves bloating and belching, and normalizes peristalsis.

Water with lemon for gastritis

Lemon juice diluted with water has many benefits. The drink is known for its cleansing properties, it reduces sugar levels, burns fat, and suppresses appetite. Warm lemon water drunk on an empty stomach quenches thirst and speeds up metabolism. It regulates the acid-base balance and has a beneficial effect on the kidneys and liver.

• With regular use, it exhibits cosmetic properties: makes the skin clean, moisturized, and radiant.

However, water with lemon is not so useful for gastritis. With high acidity, the presence of ulcers, acidified drinks have a harmful effect: they cause increased secretion and abdominal pain.

With insufficient secretion of hydrochloric acid, the picture is different. A drink with lemon for gastritis with insufficient acidity is very appropriate. Because for better digestion of food, the diet provides for dishes and drinks that stimulate appetite and the production of digestive juices. Lemon promotes the breakdown and absorption of proteins.

• You should not drink such a drink only in the acute phase of the disease.

To prepare, take the juice squeezed from several lemons and dilute it with drinking water. Lemon water for hypoacid gastritis eliminates disruptions in the digestive system, removes toxins, relieves nausea, pain, and discomfort.

Honey with lemon for gastritis

When prescribing therapy and diet, the doctor takes into account the acidity level of the stomach. Lemons for gastritis, along with other plant products with a sour taste, are not included in the list of healthy foods. Preference is given to non-spicy, soft foods and drinks that do not irritate the stomach from the inside.

Honey with lemon for gastritis, in combination with additional ingredients (calendula infusion, olive oil or water), serves well in all periods except acute. The products combine well with each other and with other components. Recipe example:

• Prepare an infusion of 30 g of dried calendula and 1 liter of boiling water. After an hour, pour in the juice of one medium lemon and dissolve 100 g of honey. Take 50 ml 3-4 times a day, half an hour before meals.

A honey-lemon drink consumed in the morning energizes, strengthens the immune system, makes the body stronger and more resilient. It breaks down excess lipids, stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, and detoxifies the liver.

A mixture of lemon juice and honey is used for colds, for the heart, for weight loss and blood pressure, [ 1 ] to improve the rheological properties of blood. [ 2 ] When preparing, you need to follow the rules - add honey and lemon not to boiling water, but to warm water. Citrus is used together with the peel. The drink should be consumed warm, on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before breakfast.

Benefits

Everyone has certainly heard about the benefits of lemons for immunity and metabolism. The most popular citrus contains citric, malic, succinic, and ascorbic acids, which resist microbes, parasites, inflammation, and have a regenerating effect.

The pharmacological potential of lemon is determined by its rich chemical composition. The most important group of secondary metabolites includes flavonoids, as well as other compounds such as phenolic acids, coumarins, carboxylic acids, amino acids and vitamins. The main compounds of the essential oil are monoterpenoids, especially D-limonene. These valuable chemical components are the reason for the important position of lemon in the food and cosmetic industries. [ 3 ], [ 4 ]

Lemon is rich in vitamins, flavonoids, essential oils, phytoncides, and the trace element potassium reduces anxiety, stabilizes blood pressure, and prevents depression. The peel and pulp contain many other trace elements, as well as carbohydrates, fats, and protein. [ 5 ]

• Despite these and other beneficial properties, lemon in its pure form is not recommended for consumption in gastritis.

The reason is the abundance of sour juice in the pulp, which irritates the inflamed walls of the stomach. This is especially dangerous with increased acidity, because an increase in the amount of acid worsens the situation and can subsequently lead to the development of peptic ulcer disease.

• However, if there is a lack of hydrochloric acid, lemon is very useful.

Citrus juice stimulates appetite, activates sluggish gastric activity, and promotes digestion. Under its influence, food that has been lying like a stone is processed and moves more actively along the digestive tract. Thanks to this, normal functioning of the stomach is gradually restored.

Yellow fruits improve the composition of microflora, stimulate peristalsis. Thanks to lemons, useful components of food are better absorbed. Lemon invigorates, improves the psycho-emotional state, relieves fatigue.

Lemon juice is widely known as a diuretic, antiemetic, astringent and antipyretic. In Italy, sweetened juice is used to relieve gingivitis, stomatitis and sore tongue. Lemon juice in hot water has been widely promoted as a daily laxative and cold preventive, but daily doses have been found to erode tooth enamel. With prolonged use, teeth will recede to the gum line. Lemon juice and honey, or lemon juice with salt or ginger, are taken as needed as a cold remedy. Oil extracted from the lemon seeds is used medicinally. A decoction of the root is used in Cuba to treat fevers; for gonorrhea in West Africa. An infusion of the bark or peel of the fruit is given to relieve colic. [ 6 ]

Currently, valuable scientific publications are devoted to the increasingly broad pharmacological action of lemon fruit extract, juice and essential oil. They include studies on, for example, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, hepatoregenerating and cardioprotective activity. [ 7 ], [ 8 ], [ 9 ]

In folk medicine, lemon is used to treat liver diseases. Lemon juice has a hepatoprotective effect on alcohol-induced liver damage by reducing serum ALT and AST levels, as well as hepatic TG and lipid peroxidation. The hepatoprotective effects may be related to the antioxidant properties of lemon juice. [ 10 ]

Contraindications

Lemons should not be eaten by people with allergies to citrus fruits, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers, children under 3 years old. Contraindications also apply to patients with kidney, intestinal, stomach, and pancreas problems. Lemons should be recommended with caution to hypotensive patients.

• Lemons for gastritis can aggravate enteritis, colitis, peptic ulcer, and pancreatitis.

If you have sensitive enamel or stomatitis, it is better to drink water through a straw to minimize contact of the acidic drink with your teeth and oral cavity.

Despite the undeniable beneficial qualities, sour citrus fruits should be approached with caution and in moderation. Then the body will use the healing power of unique fruits and avoid unwanted consequences.

Possible risks

To avoid possible complications, the patient needs to know the acidity level in the stomach. Everyone can determine it using a folk method, using the same lemon for gastritis.

• The test is simple: you need to inhale the aroma of a piece of fruit and drop a little juice on your tongue.

If the taste and smell are perceived indifferently, then the acidity is low. If there is a sharp reaction, when the face is distorted by a grimace, you can be sure that the acidity is too high.

However, self-diagnosis should not replace professional diagnostics and a visit to a gastroenterologist. Only a specialist can assess the complexity of the condition and prescribe adequate treatment.

When eating sour fruits, remember that they thin tooth enamel. You can protect your teeth by drinking liquids (lemon water, tea) through a straw.