What can you eat with a gastric ulcer?

Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
Updated on April 23, 2025
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If a gastric ulcer is in the recovery phase, there are generally no special dietary restrictions. It is advisable to choose easily digestible, bland foods. Of course, it is recommended that patients avoid intake of spicy and stimulating foods such as coffee, strong tea, and alcohol, as well as avoiding pickled foods like salted fish and cured meat. Therefore, if a gastric ulcer is well-controlled, dietary restrictions can be relaxed somewhat. However, if the patient also has gastrointestinal bleeding, such as bleeding from the gastric ulcer, it is advised for the patient to fast initially. After temporarily fasting, if symptoms are controlled, a liquid diet can be adopted, such as drinking soups and eating porridge. If this regimen is effective over a regular period, a gradual return to a normal diet can be considered.

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Written by Li Xue Qing
Gastroenterology
1min 36sec home-news-image

How to treat gastric ulcers?

The treatment of gastric ulcers mainly consists of general management and pharmacotherapy. General management involves patients avoiding spicy, stimulating, and cold foods, eating regular meals, and avoiding medications that may harm the stomach, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Pharmacotherapy mainly includes gastroprotective therapy and treatment against Helicobacter pylori. Gastroprotective therapy includes neutralizing stomach acid with agents such as magnesium carbonate chewing tablets, acid-suppressing medications like proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists, pantoprazole, cimetidine, etc. Medications to protect the gastric mucosa, such as sucralfate, bismuth preparations, etc., are also used. Treatment against Helicobacter pylori mainly includes triple and quadruple therapy. Triple therapy involves a proton pump inhibitor or a bismuth agent combined with two types of antibiotics, and quadruple therapy consists of a proton pump inhibitor, a bismuth agent, and two types of antibiotics. Antibiotics commonly used include amoxicillin, clarithromycin, furazolidone, levofloxacin, metronidazole, tetracycline, etc. Treatment generally lasts seven to ten days, with overall therapy for gastric ulcers spanning about a month. (Please undertake any medication under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Zhu Dan Hua
Gastroenterology
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What should I do if I have a stomach ulcer?

Gastric ulcers are generally treated with internal medicine medications in clinical settings, primarily through oral medications. Patients may select from antacid and stomach-protecting drugs for a course of 6-8 weeks, after which most ulcers can be healed. It is advised that patients eat clean, easily digestible foods, and avoid intake of spicy, stimulative, and pickled foods, as well as foods like raw fish and strong coffee. If the patient has a habit of drinking alcohol, it is advised to abstain from alcohol for these two months. It is also important to focus on resting and maintaining adequate sleep. Gastric ulcers are relatively common in clinical settings and generally improve with active treatment. Patients typically seek treatment for abdominal pain or complications, with the pain usually manifesting as upper abdominal pain. The most common complication is gastrointestinal bleeding, presenting as vomiting blood or bloody stools. Therefore, it is recommended that patients experiencing such discomfort should actively seek a comprehensive gastroscopy examination.

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Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
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Can you smoke with a stomach ulcer?

Patients with gastric ulcers should not smoke, as the tar and nicotine in tobacco can damage the gastric mucosa and worsen ulcer symptoms. Patients should pay attention to proper rest, reduce mental stress, avoid excessive tension and irritability, develop regular living habits, eat meals at fixed times and in fixed amounts, eat more vegetables and fruits, eat less spicy and greasy food, and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. It's also important to consume less strong tea and coffee. Actively use medications for treatment, commonly including drugs that inhibit gastric acid secretion and drugs that protect the gastric mucosa. If there is Helicobacter pylori infection, it is necessary to eradicate Helicobacter pylori. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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What should not be eaten with gastric ulcers?

Patients with gastric ulcers should be cautious about their diet, abstain from smoking and alcohol, and avoid drinking strong tea, coffee, eating fatty, greasy, spicy, fried, barbecued, raw, cold, and sweet foods, as well as drinking milk and soy milk, or eating glutinous rice and sweet potatoes. This is because some of these foods can stimulate the secretion of gastric acid, worsening the irritation of gastric mucosa and exacerbating gastric ulcers. Some are difficult to digest, thus, they are not recommended. It is advisable to eat porridge, drink soups, eat noodles, such as millet porridge, yam porridge, barley porridge, chicken soup, and pork rib soup. When eating meats, ensure they are well-stewed before consumption.

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Written by Jiang Guo Ming
Gastroenterology
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Can gastric ulcers be cured?

Gastric ulcers are classified into benign and malignant types. Most duodenal bulb ulcers and gastric ulcers are benign and can be cured through medication. Treatment plans are usually determined based on the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Patients with Helicobacter pylori infection can be treated with antibacterial therapy. If there is no infection, symptomatic treatment alone is generally sufficient for a cure. If the ulcer is malignant or is a giant ulcer, surgical treatment is generally required. For those who cannot undergo surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be needed. Generally, the prognosis for malignant ulcers is worse than for benign ulcers.