Diet Therapy for Constipation and Peptic Ulcer

Introduction

Food is very important to the survival and growth of every living thing. They help in the prevention and treatment of some ailments. This buttresses the fact that all nutrients are important.

Definition

Diet therapy is the application of nutrition as a preventive or corrective treatment of diseases. Diet therapy includes prescribing dietary regimes or meal plans. The main aim of diet therapy is to suppress or cure an illness through reduction or increment in some food taken.

It helps in maintaining good nutrition. It acts as a medium of correcting nutrient deficiencies or diseases if any. It gives the body enough rest and assists in metabolizing nutrients. It helps in maintaining a good body weight when need demands.

Diet therapy for Constipation

Constipation is the inability of a person to move the bowel i.e defecate less than three times per week. The feaces is usually dry, hard and small in size, and extremely hard to get rid of. The person may also experience pains in defecating, straining and bloating. Constipation is a symptom and not a disease. One might experience constipation once in a while as a result of a poor diet.

Causes of Constipation are ignoring the urge to defecate, dehydration (when the water level in the body is below normal level), pregnancy, malfunctioning of the colon and rectum, abuse of laxatives, lack of physical activity for the elderly ones

Diet Therapy: It can be treated by taking enough water to avoid dehydration, fruit, vegetables, or fruit juice. Take enough fiber riches food. Reduce the intake of ice cream, eggs, meat, and processed food. Eat vegetables like cabbage and carrots. Do not ignore the urge to defecate (bowel movement).

Peptic Ulcer

Peptic Ulcer occurs as a result of a sore or breaks on the walls or lining of the stomach. The sore is caused by the action of hydrochloric acid and pepsin. These acids have a higher concentration. So when there is no food for the acid to act on, it begins to act on the walls of the stomach thereby creating a sore. It affects the mucosa protective mechanism.

Peptic ulcer is caused by a bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can also be caused by a high intake of alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol and nicotine reduce the secretion of mucus and increases the secretion of acid. Regular use of pain reliever.

A person suffering from a peptic ulcer may experience the following: burning pain in the stomach between meals and at night, vomiting, heartburn, and bloating. Note that untreated peptic ulcers can lead to internal bleeding, a hole in the stomach, obstruction indigestion, and stomach/ gastric cancer.

Diet therapy for peptic Ulcer

The main purposes of diet therapy in peptic ulcers are to
a. protect the walls of the stomach and gastrointestinal lining,
b. prevent hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid,
c. improve digestion, and
d. maintain nutrition based on the individual affected.

No food causes ulcers but they only make the symptoms worse. Therefore, spicy food, acidic fruits like orange, and alcohol should be avoided by ulcer patients. Eat enough vegetables and non-acidic fruits. Take enough cabbage. Eat food that is rich in fiber as research has it that fibers act as buffers. They reduce the concentration of the acid in the stomach and prevent abdominal pains. Protein should be eaten so that the tissues in the walls of the stomach can heal.