What Foods Should I Eat to Relieve Gastrointestinal Pain?
1. Plain Water: Although it may seem insignificant, plain water can effectively dilute stomach acid and relieve stomach pain. People with stomach chills often experience discomfort due to the stimulation of cold foods. Drinking some hot water or applying a hot water bottle to the stomach for a while can provide relief.
2. Rice Porridge with Soda: Drinking porridge is good for the stomach, but rice is acidic. Adding some soda when cooking the porridge can soften the grains, making them easier to digest, and also effectively relieve stomach pain. The temperature for cooking porridge should be above 60°C. This temperature produces a gelatinization effect, resulting in a soft and hot porridge that melts in your mouth and is easy to digest, making it suitable for people with stomach discomfort.
3. Osmanthus Tea: Osmanthus tea is warm and pungent, entering the lungs and large intestine meridians. It can be brewed, steeped, or mixed with alcohol for internal use. It has the effects of warming the middle, dispelling cold, warming the stomach, relieving pain, resolving phlegm, and dissipating stagnation. It is effective for conditions such as poor appetite, coughing and wheezing with phlegm, hemorrhoids, dysentery, and menstrual pain. Many patients with stomach diseases experience cold pain during winter, and drinking osmanthus tea can effectively alleviate these symptoms.
4. Coriander: According to the "Compendium of Materia Medica," coriander has a pungent, warm, and fragrant aroma, which can penetrate the heart and spleen internally and reach the limbs externally. It has the effect of harmonizing the stomach and regulating the middle. Coriander's aromatic scent and pungent flavor can promote gastrointestinal motility, stimulate the appetite, and awaken the spleen, which is beneficial for regulating digestive functions.
5. Tomatoes: The sour taste of tomatoes is composed of organic acids such as citric acid, malic acid, and succinic acid, which can eliminate stomach discomfort, relieve stomach pain, and treat gastritis. Drinking 200 ml of tomato juice daily can provide good protection for the gastric mucosa. If you experience stomach pain when hungry or a burning sensation after eating greasy food, drinking fresh-squeezed tomato juice can help alleviate these symptoms.
6. Pumpkin: Pumpkin contains a large amount of pectin, which can protect the stomach wall and reduce ulcers. The skin of pumpkin is not easy to digest, so it is best to peel it when eating for patients with indigestion. Pumpkin is easy to cook and can be steamed, cooked into porridge, or used in soups. For example, millet pumpkin porridge can be made by soaking 100 grams of millet in water for 20 minutes, peeling and cutting 300 grams of pumpkin into chunks, boiling the millet for 30 minutes, then adding the pumpkin and stirring well before continuing to cook for 15 minutes.
7. Noodles: People with stomach pain should eat noodles, which can help relieve the discomfort. The most stomach-friendly noodle soup is a clear broth. The preparation is simple. First, add water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add some onions and ginger to the boiling water, along with the noodles (preferably hand-rolled noodles). Boil for about one or two minutes, until the water boils twice. Then, add a little salt to the pot, but be careful not to make it too salty.
8. Potatoes: Raw potatoes have anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling effects when used externally. When cooked, potatoes have the effects of strengthening the body, harmonizing the stomach, and strengthening the spleen and stomach. Using potatoes with honey for dietary therapy can be beneficial for gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric ulcers and gastritis.