How to protect our children from gastritis

Gastritis is a stomach disease known to most of us, from which, in one form or another, according to various estimates, about half of all Bulgarians suffer. In the majority of cases, the disease occurs in childhood.

What is gastritis, where does it come from and how can one protect one’s child from it?

The complex, multifaceted, taking different forms “gastritis” disease is actually an inflammation of the stomach lining with characteristic regular exacerbations in spring and autumn. And untreated gastritis sometimes progresses into an ulcer.

The disease manifests itself in children in a slightly more specific way and can not always be noticed.

If the child begins to regularly complain of dull or, on the contrary, sharp pains in the abdomen, of unpleasant sensations of tension in the abdomen, of nausea, constipation, does not eat well and sweats quickly – this is a signal to seek help from specialist in gastroenterology.

The doctor will perform an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity. If he decides, he will also perform the unpleasant but inevitable gastroscopy procedure, taking a blood and fecal sample.

If the diagnosis is confirmed, it is imperative to start the difficult struggle to restore the child’s health.

Where does gastritis actually originate? Children grow up, start going to school and their parents no longer have the opportunity to monitor around the clock how they /children/ eat.

The main causes of inflammation of the gastric mucosa are irregular eating at long intervals, consumption of “dry” food, eating on the go, use of “harmful” food with dyes and preservatives, abundance in the diet of fatty or spicy foods , and also their uniformity.

Gastritis can also be caused by food allergy, chronic infections, long-term medication and what has recently come to the fore is the deteriorating environmental situation in big cities and the stress children are exposed to. every step.

How can gastritis be prevented?

Everything depends on the parents’ care – in the family it is necessary to follow the rules for healthy eating and to practically raise children with them from the earliest childhood.

But of course this should be done within certain limits to prevent the child from abusing harmful foods when he is free from parental supervision at school. Also, parents should try to prepare a variety of foods.

It is necessary for the child to get used to the fact that cooked food, for example, steamed, is tastier than chips, fried potatoes and waffles, and most importantly, it is healthier.

It is not desirable to prepare breakfast on the go, because in this case parents resort to the simplest to prepare and not very safe for the growing body – sandwiches.

At the family meal, enough attention should be paid to teach the child that trying to eat faster is not necessary at all.

In our country, since 2009, there has been an adopted Ordinance of the Ministry of Health, regulating the rules for the healthy nutrition of students, but for the Bulgarian standard, whole grain sandwiches are quite expensive, and therefore it is important that parents are interested in what their children eat child when he is at school and what foods are available there.

If parents realize that their child is not in the habit of eating during long breaks, it is best to prepare food from home for him for school.