What I eat in a day after a flare up
If you’re new here, I was diagnosed with gastritis about 2 years ago. Most of the inflammation seems to be under control now, but my doctors suspect I also have bile reflux. This comes in the form of nighttime nausea and burning in the stomach, especially after a heavy meal. I say suspect because my endoscopy found a little bile in my stomach, which could suggest that’s what’s going on. But alas, I’m still waiting on more tests to confirm 1) if that’s what is happening and 2) what’s causing it.
All of this to say, I still get symptoms time and again. Here’s how I manage my symptoms through diet to minimize the irritation and feel normal again:
The next morning
I wake up and make myself a cup of warm water with a 1/2 teaspoon of slippery elm powder. I skip my usual morning supplements (Omega 3 and probiotics) just to avoid any extra irritation.
For breakfast, I’ll have a bowl of oatmeal cooked in almond milk and topped with bananas, some berries, and a drizzle of maple syrup. It’s all about keeping it simple.
I work out about 5 days per week, and I try to do yoga 2 days per week, so I’ll usually schedule my yoga on the days I’m recovering from a flare-up. It’s much less intense and hard on the body. Especially if I didn’t sleep well the night before, I’m not trying to break PRs in the gym.
The rest of the day
I keep my meals easy-to-digest for the rest of the day, with some combination of the following ingredients:
White rice or millet
Steamed zucchini and carrots
Baked chicken or tofu
In between meals, I’ll have a smoothie with my Iswari protein powder, a banana, almond milk, and some berries.
For dinner, I’ll make myself a warm chicken noodle soup or my homemade minestrone.
After meals, it’s important that I move a little bit to improve my motility (my digestive speed). That sometimes looks like a 10-minute walk around the block, or a quick clean up of the house before I sit down and work or get cozy on the couch.
Before bed
After a few hours of relaxing, I’ll make myself a marshmallow root tea, grab a good book, and start winding down for bed. I also love to do some journaling and meditation before bed, and both hobbies help me feel more grounded and less anxious. If I notice symptoms starting to flare again (always at nighttime for me), I’ll take a sucralfate tablet; I was prescribed these months ago, and they come in handy during a rough flare-up.
Moving forward
I am quite far along in my healing journey, so I usually bounce back pretty quickly and just need one day of careful eating to feel normal again. Everyone will be different, so if you’re still feeling nauseous after a day like the one I described above, continue taking it easy until your symptoms are stable.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. This is simply what has worked for me. I don’t have all the answers, and I’m sharing this to open a conversation with others who are frustrated that they also don’t have answers to their health questions.
Peace and healing,
Sarah