When you develop a hiatal hernia, foods that you used to love can become painful to ingest. To help cut down the sadness that this can cause, it’s important to find delicious, hernia-friendly foods to take the place of the fatty meats, cow’s milk, and sugar-heavy products that you used to devour. Thankfully, there are a ton of fantastic hernia-friendly substitutes for many of your favorite less-hernia-friendly foods on the marketplace (and there are more of them than ever before). To help you build your new favorite recipes for your next trip to the grocery store, here are eight foods to eat if you’ve developed a hiatal hernia:
1. Leafy Greens
The amount of calcium, vitamin B, and other rich nutrients you can expect from leafy greens are certain to help keep your hiatal hernia under control. Not only can they provide a great base for a meal, but they make excellent side dish options as well. Spinach, lettuce, and kale are some of the most hernia-friendly leafy greens on the market, so be sure to stock up on the next time you’re at the market.
2. Whole Grains
If you want to keep your hernia in a manageable state, fiber-rich and complex-carb-containing foods are excellent. The way whole grains can help you unlock this quality in your diet is hard to overstate. Oatmeal, couscous, rice, and whole-grain bread are all delicious options to replace less hernia-friendly wheat products. For a similar effect while eating vegetables, potatoes, and other root vegetables can provide a nice substitute (in case you are not a fan of whole grain foods).
3. Yogurt
Probiotic foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and other excellent nutrients that will keep you satisfied while preventing your hernia from becoming irritated. Sweets can become much less accessible once you’ve developed a hernia, but yogurt provides a creamy, delicious alternative. Thankfully, you can mix other healthy, hernia-friendly foods (such as nuts) into your yogurt to make it that much more tempting.
4. Plant-Based Milk
Regular cow’s milk is often highly irritating to Hiatal hernias. For those who love a good dairy fix, this is terrible news. Thankfully, there are more delicious, plant-based milk alternatives on the marketplace than ever before. Almond milk is especially widely-loved, so it’s worth giving it a shot if you miss having a warm glass of milk before bed every night. And these alternatives are less likely to cause heartburn as well!
5. Carrot Juice
There are a lot of hyper-acidic juices out there that can become difficult to consume if you’ve developed a hiatal hernia. Thankfully, there are less acidic, but still delicious juice options out there for you to enjoy. The nutrient-packed and filling option carrot juice provides is especially notable, and could easily become one of your favorite snacks after you give the lesser-known, but delicious juice a chance.
6. Lean Protein
Meats are often frowned upon in many hernia-friendly diets. However, ultra-lean proteins provide an A-OK choice for those that love meat but have developed a hiatal hernia. Skinless chicken breasts, cod, mackerel, and ground turkey are all fantastic substitutes for less lean, fatty meats. Thankfully, the sheer amount of excellent recipes you can unlock with these meats as a base are sure to keep you busy in the kitchen.
7. Kombucha
Do you love coffee? If so, it’s frustrating to learn just how damaging it can be to your hernia (especially on an empty stomach). Thankfully, if you want a drink that can be packed with caffeine, but which has the probiotic benefits of foods like yogurt, kombucha can provide a stellar option. Not only is kombucha packed with health benefits, but it’s more widely available than ever before. Thankfully, kombucha tastes delicious and will be much kinder on your hiatal hernia than coffee.
8. Tofu
In addition to lean proteins, tofu can provide a useful substitute for the heavier, fattier meats you might have eaten before developing a hiatal hernia. Tofu is known for packing a nearly endless versatility, and you can make many plant-substituted versions of your favorite meat dishes using this amazing soybean-based product. Just make sure you don’t drown your tofu dishes in sauces that will flare up your hernia. Otherwise, you’ll be on your way to a hernia that requires surgery (and the complications that may occur along with it).
Here’s to Hernia-Friendly Versions of Your Favorite Meals
Just because you’ve developed a hiatal hernia does not mean you have to remove the taste from your life. With these excellent, hernia-friendly substitute items you’ll be cooking in a way that feels normal and satisfying before you know it. From delicious kombucha pick-me-ups to tofu-based versions of your favorite burger meals, the number of recipes available to you are nearly endless.
