When doctors talk about inflammation of your stomach lining, they call it gastritis. That inflammation means stomach pain, and it can be a sign of a peptic ulcer. If you have gastritis, do not eat high-acid foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, sodas, and orange juice.

They could make you hurt worse. Try these four foods to help cure the pain – or even better – prevent it.

• Go for green tea. Drinking green tea regularly could ease stomach inflammation. What’s more, Chinese green tea is also a potent antioxidant that can protect you from heart disease and cancer. It’s good for your health in a lot of other ways, too.
• Plan on plantain. A cousin of the banana may help fight off stomach pain and inflammation related to ulcers. In animal studies, plantains caused the stomach lining to grow. It thickened, actually preventing new ulcers from forming, and covered over existing ulcers, allowing them to heal – kind of like putting salve on a cut. If you buy plantains from the grocery store, don’t eat them raw. Instead, wait a bit. They’ll turn dark in about three or four days, and that means they’re ready to prepare. Try boiling, baking, or mashing them like potatoes for a tasty and helpful remedy.
• Satisfy your tummy with yogurt. Here are two new ways yogurt might rescue you. The “good bacteria” found in yogurt destroy several kinds of bad bacteria that can lead to stomach inflammation, including ulcer-causing H. pylori. Just make sure you choose and eat yogurt with active cultures.

And because these helpful bacteria may fight the side effects of antibiotics, yogurt could also soothe your tummy when you take antibiotics to treat an ulcer. Try eating several cups of this creamy treat each day.

• Try a raw old remedy. Unprocessed honey can coat your stomach and fight bad bugs at the same time. With its antibacterial powers, honey can fight ulcers by killing H. pylori bacteria. Making honey your everyday sweetener may also shield your stomach from other irritants that can cause ulcers – like NSAIDs and alcohol.

Try eating a tablespoon of honey an hour before meals and at bedtime to help soothe your discomfort. Spread that tablespoon on a piece of bread to keep the honey in your stomach a little longer.