Gastroparesis Diet Menu

Whenever we eat, our stomach starts working to digest the food, and within two hours, it empties itself completely. It does so by a series of contractions, usually about thrice every minute. In case the contractions are intermittent and sluggish, the stomach fails to empty itself and the process of digestion is delayed.

This condition is known as gastroparesis. Currently about 4% of people are affected by this disease. To reduce the symptoms and to maintain required amounts of fluids in the body, doctors often recommend patients to follow a diet.

Normally, the stomach contracts into the small intestine so that food can be digested. The movement of food from the stomach to the digestive tract is controlled by a nerve known as vagus. If vagus gets damaged, the food is not able to pass through the stomach to the digestive tract easily, resulting into delayed digestion.

There is no specific cause for gastroparesis, but doctors have found that people with diabetes are most likely to develop it. A surgery on the stomach and intake of drugs containing anticholinergics can also damage the vagus and result in gastroparesis. Some other causes are nervous system diseases, metabolic disorders, viral infections etc.

One of the most prominent symptoms of gastroparesis is decrease in the body weight of the patient. An assessment of the weight loss can determine whether a patient needs aggressive nutritional support or any other alternative therapy.

If a patient has lost around 10% of his body weight (unintentional) in a span of four to six months, then there are high possibilities that the patient might have developed gastroparesis. Some of the other symptoms are continuous pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, frequent vomiting, abdominal bloating, lack of appetite etc.

The best way to treat gastroparesis is to heal the root cause of this disease, that is, get the stomach to contract normally. To maintain the right amount of nutrients in the body so that you do not suffer from any kind of physical weakness, it is very important that you increase the intake of fluids and foods which are not hard on the stomach.

Although you should consult a physician who can advise you on a diabetic diet menu, we can help you with some information about what essentially should be included in the gastroparesis diet.

Raw vegetables and fruits are rich in fibrous material which can make it hard for the stomach to digest them. So, one should try to avoid these foods. For easy digestion, one should cook the vegetables so that they become soft, but there are still some vegetables that retain their hardness even after cooking.

You should definitely avoid red meat, chicken etc. as not only are these hard to digest, but they are also high in fat. Baked potatoes, yogurt, soups are some of the foods that will be beneficial as these are high in nutrients and are easy to digest.

Drinking lots of water while eating and taking a walk after your meals also helps in easy digestion. In severe cases of gastroparesis, patients may not be able to intake any food or liquid. In these cases, the doctors recommend a jejunostomy tube, which is placed in the small intestine.

Some medications have proved to be useful in helping the stomach to contract normally, but these may have some side-effects, so it will be advisable to consult your doctor.

If you are suffering from this disease, you do not need to despair as a lot of people have been able to live a healthy lifestyle by making some changes to their eating habits. You just need to consult your doctor and work out a diet plan to counter gastroparesis. Wishing you a speedy recovery.