Living With an Ulcer in the Middle East and Gulf: Eating Well in the Heat
Middle Eastern cooking offers many naturally gentle foods. With a few adjustments, you can follow familiar meals while your ulcer heals, whether you live in the Gulf, the Levant or North Africa.
Gentle staples
- Lentil soup (shorbat adas): soft, warm and nourishing
- Plain rice and bulgur
- Ful medames made with olive oil and less chilli
- Grilled chicken and fish rather than fried
- Labneh and laban (yoghurt drinks), usually well tolerated
- Warm flatbread
- Cooked vegetables such as courgette, pumpkin, carrots and okra
- Dates, bananas and melons in moderate portions
What to go easy on
- Very spicy dishes and hot sauces
- Heavy, oily dishes and deep-fried snacks such as fried kibbeh or falafel cooked in old oil
- Strong Arabic coffee and black tea on an empty stomach
- Large late meals, a common habit in hot climates when eating shifts to the evening
- Shisha and smoking, which slow healing
Heat and hydration
Hot weather makes dehydration common, which can worsen nausea and discomfort. Drink water regularly through the day. If you take medicines that need to be taken with food or at set times, keep that routine even when appetite drops in the heat.
Painkillers and self-medication
Painkillers and antibiotics can be easy to obtain in parts of the region. Repeated ibuprofen or diclofenac can worsen ulcers, and incomplete antibiotic courses make H. pylori harder to treat. Testing first, and retesting after treatment, is the reliable path.
A sample gentle day
- Breakfast: labneh with warm bread and cucumber, or mild ful
- Lunch: grilled chicken with rice and cooked vegetables
- Snack: banana or a few dates with laban
- Dinner: lentil soup with bread, eaten two to three hours before sleep
Key takeaway
You can heal on the food you know. Keep it mild, grilled rather than fried, drink plenty of water, avoid smoking and shisha, and treat the cause of your ulcer properly.
