Gastric Juices Can Hurt Your Stomach if You Don’t Feed Yourself

• Digestion problems can occur if you go for long periods of time without food in your stomach.
• A gastric ulcer is caused by gastric juices eating the lining of the stomach.
• A gastric ulcer can cause many medical complications, some of which can be serious.

Gastric juices are needed for you to break down and digest the food that you eat and the beverages that you drink, but if you do not eat regularly you may end up with a gastric ulcer or digestion problem. The gastric juice found in your stomach is a mix of pepsin, which is an enzyme present that helps to break down any protein you eat, and hydrochloric acid, which is extremely corrosive. This gastric juice is so acidic that it cn eat right through your stomach lining and tissues, and at times can cause very dangerous medical conditions including peritonitis if a gastric ulcer goes completely through the lining and wall of the stomach, and opens up the peritoneum to bacteria, food, and gastric juices.

Not eating frequently enough can cause digestion problems. The lining of your stomach is covered with mucous, and this protects the tissues from damage because of the gastric juices. When some of the mucous is destroyed, the gastric acids can reach the stomach tissues and cause problems. Food that is present waiting to be digsted will absorb some of the gastric acid, and help lower the level of this substance in your stomach. If you do not feed yourself there is no food to absorb the acid and yoiur stomach tissues may become the unintended target instead, leading to a gastric ulcer or worse.

One common digestion problem if you are not eating frequently enough may be pain when you do eat, because certain foods may further irritate the raw open sore that is a gastric ulcer. Even after healing completely, this area of the stomach may still cause pain or discomfort, and the ulcer can return. Even if you are trying to lose weight because you are obese you should still eat regularly. Choose what you eat more carefully, and eat smaller meals more frequently to prevent gastric juices from building up over long periods when your stomach is empty. Any digestion problem can benefit from this method, and this includes a gastric ulcer.

Eat a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, for a number of reasons. These foods are very high in fiber, which uses more gastric juices and can actually help heal an ulcer or other problems with digestion. They also contain almost no fat, very few calories especially when you look at generous serving sizes, and will help you stay full all the time without gaining weight or causing medical problems. Whole grains should also be included in a healthy diet in moderate amounts. Be warned though, when adding fiber add a little more each day, otherwise you may end up with bloating, abdominal cramps, and constipation because your system is overloaded all at once.

Make sure to drink plenty of water in between frequent meals. This fluid has a number of benefits. It dilutes the acidity of your gastric juices, so they do not cause as much damage, and water is needed for saliva which helps break down food and also helps dilute gastric juices. Water will also help prevent constipation from the fiber increase, and minimize any discomfort and bloating. Water is also needed for the mucous produced to protect your stomach, and if you are dehydrated from not eating and drinking there may not be a sufficient amount of mucous available to completely protect your stomach tissues. Avoid any spices or foods that cause you to experience stomach pain and burning, and any foods which cause heartburn. Cayenne used to be the suspected cause of an ulcer, but it is now known that this pepper can actually stimulate healing in these tissues.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.