While diet doesn’t usually cause gastritis, the foods you eat can make a big difference in how you feel.
Gastritis — when the stomach lining becomes inflamed — often stems from factors like bacterial infections including Helicobacter pylori, long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or excessive drinking. While diet usually isn’t the reason gastritis develops, what you eat can still make a difference in your comfort levels.
Not everyone diagnosed with gastritis has symptoms, but if you do, some foods might irritate your already sensitive stomach lining and make symptoms worse, while others are less likely to cause discomfort.
There isn’t an official “gastritis diet,” and changing what you eat likely won’t cure the condition on its own. But making mindful food choices can help ease symptoms for some with the condition.
If your doctor has diagnosed you with gastritis and you’re experiencing symptoms, it’s important to be gentle on your digestive tract while your stomach lining is healing from inflammation, says Supriya Rao, MD, a gastroenterology, internal medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine physician and professor of gastroenterology at Tufts University in Massachusetts, who focuses on digestive disorders and women’s health.
“Oftentimes, I tell people to eat bland foods just during this healing phase, and things should improve over time,” Dr. Rao says. “If you’re eating a lot of acidic, fatty, sugary, and spicy foods, there will be more irritation and symptoms.”
While your stomach is healing, focusing on simple, homemade meals can be helpful. It can help to include foods like:
Cooked, pureed, or blended fruits and veggies: Aim for steamed vegetables, vegetables pureed into soups, and fruits blended into smoothies, says Kendra Weekley, RD, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition in Ohio. She points to a study showing that a diet focusing on easily digestible foods prepared similarly to baby food (meaning they have balanced nutrients, minimal additives, and are gently cooked in ways like steaming or boiling) can help people with gastritis manage their heartburn symptoms. The study included several low-fiber fruits and vegetables, such as cooked eggplant, pumpkin, carrots, zucchini and other summer squashes, cooked bell peppers, apples, bananas, kiwi, and melons.
Easy-to-digest starches: Build your meals around gentle carbohydrate sources. Weekley suggests options like oatmeal, cooked sweet potatoes and white potatoes, white rice, couscous, and polenta. These go easy on an unsettled stomach yet provide fiber for good digestive health, Weekley says.
Lean, low-fat proteins: Weekley recommends lean protein sources like white fish, white, skinless chicken breast, tofu, eggs, egg whites, and turkey. She suggests preparing them using gentle methods such as baking, boiling, poaching, or steaming instead of frying, which can be harder on a sensitive stomach.
Nuts and seeds: The study mentioned above included nuts, but the researchers noted they can sometimes be challenging to digest. Weekley suggests that if you include them, stick to small amounts. Alternatively, she recommends trying them in a blended form, like smooth peanut butter, which might be better tolerated when you’re dealing with active gastritis symptoms.
Water and herbal teas: When it comes to beverages, stick mainly to water. Non-acidic herbal teas are also good choices, and some people might tolerate small amounts of low-acid juices like apple juice, Rao says. For potentially gut-soothing options, Rao suggests ginger tea. She also suggests peppermint tea because peppermint can help relax stomach muscles, but warns it can worsen heartburn or reflux symptoms for some people.
You may find your digestive system feels better when you avoid certain foods, Rao says.
In one study, 58 percent of participants with gastritis believed their symptoms were affected by diet. The research highlighted some common patterns: Men more often reported needing to manage triggers like alcohol, barbecued foods, and spicy foods, while women more frequently cited sweets as an issue. For both groups, a preference for salty foods was linked to symptoms like acid reflux, heartburn, and nausea.
Based on common triggers like these and general dietary advice for gastritis, here are some foods and drinks you might need to avoid or limit.
Alcohol: Alcohol is a known irritant that can directly damage the stomach’s protective lining through erosion, potentially leading to ulcers with regular consumption. “Alcohol should be avoided completely with active gastritis,” Rao says.
Acidic foods: It’s generally best to avoid or limit highly acidic foods when you’re dealing with gastritis. Common examples include citrus fruits (like lemons, limes, pineapples, and oranges). These foods can directly irritate the sensitive stomach lining, says Weekley. “When there is active inflammation and ulcers or damage to the stomach lining, these kinds of foods can make symptoms worse,” she adds.
Coffee, sodas, and acidic drinks: It’s best to avoid beverages like coffee (both regular and decaf), carbonated drinks like soda, and caffeinated drinks. They can trigger symptoms like bloating and gas, or may generally cause discomfort because of acidity or caffeine content, Rao says. She notes it’s also best to avoid sugary drinks, sodas, and acidic fruit juices, like tomato and orange juices.
Ultra-processed and high-fat foods: While they’re convenient and tasty, ultra-processed and high-fat foods can also make gastritis symptoms worse. “Fat is slowly digested, and it’s last to leave the stomach,” Weekley says. “This can cause a buildup of food and contribute to symptoms like nausea and increase [feelings of] fullness.” This category often includes fast food (like burgers, fries, and pizza), commercially baked goods (like cookies, pastries, and cakes), and many packaged snacks.
High-fiber raw fruits and vegetables: While generally healthy, raw fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber might initially be tough on your stomach. Examples include cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale, as well as fruits eaten with the skin on, like apples. These can be harder to digest and may worsen symptoms, says Weekley. “They’re important to a healthy gut mucosa but should be modified when active gastritis is present,” she says. This may include cooking, pureeing, or temporarily avoiding them until your symptoms improve.
Beyond what you eat, how you eat can also make a difference in managing gastritis symptoms. Try making these adjustments.
Eat smaller meals and snacks more frequently throughout the day instead of large ones.
Allow adequate time for digestion between meals (around three hours).
Don’t lie down for at least a couple of hours after eating to avoid worsening symptoms like acid reflux.
Set a regular mealtime schedule. One study found that eating at irregular mealtimes can trigger gastritis symptoms. According to that research, an irregular mealtime or skipped meals were potentially as problematic for gastritis symptoms as spicy foods.
Bear in mind that other lifestyle factors are often connected to gastritis flare-ups, too, including stress, alcohol, smoking, and the overuse of NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen, all of which can trigger gastritis symptoms.
You should see your family doctor if you’re dealing with persistent abdominal pain, nausea, heartburn, or other gastrointestinal symptoms that linger beyond a few weeks, Weekley says. Your healthcare provider may refer you to specialists like a gastroenterologist or a registered dietitian who can help you understand the root cause of your symptoms. Your doctor may also consider and check for other underlying issues like food allergies, intolerances, or celiac disease that could be causing or contributing to gastritis flare-ups.
While diet itself isn’t usually the primary cause of gastritis, certain foods and beverages, such as alcohol, coffee, spicy, acidic, or high-fat items can irritate the stomach lining and worsen symptoms during a flare-up.
A balanced diet filled with easily digestible foods, such as well-cooked fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and simple starches, and abstention from potentially irritating foods, can help manage gut discomfort and support healing.
Remember that lifestyle factors like infections, stress, NSAID use, and meal timing can also impact gastritis symptoms.
