Foods to Eat and Avoid With H. Pylori Infection
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

Foods to Avoid If You Have H. pylori Bacteria

Foods to Avoid If You Have H. pylori Bacteria
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Updated on August 6, 2025
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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria infect the stomach lining and cause abdominal pain and discomfort. Some people with H. pylori also develop ulcers on the lining of the digestive tract, ad it’s one of the main causes of stomach ulcers. H. pylori can also increase your risk for gastric cancer.

 Infection is rare in the United States but more common in developing parts of the world with fewer restrictions on water and food safety.

As some foods can cause stomach irritation or slow down digestion for those with H. pylori, avoiding them may help you reduce symptoms.

 Foods to avoid with H. pylori include spicy or greasy foods, caffeinated products, alcoholic beverages, and those with high milk content. Highly spicy or fatty foods can also be irritating. H. pylori diets should include foods that reduce inflammation, such as berries, broccoli, and green tea.

What Is H. pylori?

H. pylori is a type of bacteria that is easily passed from one person to another through saliva. It can transmit via water or food that has been contaminated by fecal material. Once in the body, H. pylori takes up residence in the cells of the lining of the stomach, known as the mucosal layer.

Despite the low pH of gastric juice in the stomach, H. pylori adapts to the harsh, acidic environment by producing a substance that neutralizes stomach acid. They settle deep in the mucosal lining, which causes irritation. Sometimes, H. pylori triggers the release of too much stomach acid, depending on where in the stomach the infection occurs.

Symptoms of H. pylori Infection

Most people with an H. pylori infection don’t experience symptoms. In some people, the presence of H. pylori can cause inflammation and swelling of the stomach lining, a condition called gastritis, or peptic ulcers.

Symptoms of H. pylori include:

  • Burning or aching pain in the pit of the stomach that may feel worse if you haven’t eaten
  • Nausea
  • Decreased appetite
  • Bloating
  • Excessive belching
  • Pain that worsens when the stomach is empty
  • Unintended weight loss
Without treatment, gastritis can worsen and cause portions of the mucosa to thin out. These eroded areas of the stomach lining are called peptic ulcers and may cause bleeding in the stomach. H. pylori increases the risk of stomach cancer due to chronic inflammation of the mucosa.

Up to 70 percent of people with peptic ulcers don’t experience symptoms until they perforate, or tear and bleed.

 And most stomach cancers don’t cause physical effects until they reach an advanced stage.

If you notice black or bloody stools or vomit blood or black materials, contact a healthcare professional immediately. Other symptoms require immediate investigation include severe, prolonged stomach pain, extreme tiredness and dizziness, and difficulty swallowing.

Testing and Diagnosis

Several tests for H. pylori involve detecting evidence of the bacteria based on the body's response to it. Some are invasive, while others aren’t, and certain tests are more useful than other for showing your H. pylori status. These include

  • Noninvasive but useful tests These include stool and breath tests.
  • Invasive tests A biopsy during an upper GI endoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing H.pylori infection.
  • Tests that are not clinically useful A blood test can detect the presence of antibodies produced in response to H. pylori. However, as these may be present even after successful treatment of the infection, the test is not that useful for diagnosis.

Foods to Avoid

While diet does not cause gastric inflammation or ulcers, certain types of foods can worsen an irritated stomach lining for some people. Some substances can slow digestion and trigger inflammation in the mucosa of people infected with H. pylori, including:

  • Peppery spices, including chilli peppers and mustard
  • Highly acidic foods, including citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits
  • Drinks containing caffeine, which features in coffee, soda, and black tea
  • Alcoholic beverages, as alcohol breaks down the stomach lining and makes it more vulnerable to digestive fluids

  • High-fat foods, fried foods, and processed cheeses, all of which slow down digestion
  • Ultra-processed foods containing large amounts of additives and preservatives, which can cause stomach irritation
Food reactions are completely individual, so it’s also important to avoid known indigestion or heartburn triggers if you’re aware of them.

Coffee contains other plant compounds that also trigger acid production and cause irritation, so it may be helpful to limit even decaffeinated coffee.

Spicy foods are known to cause inflammation and indigestion in some people, but if you tolerate spicy food well, they may not be fully off the menu. However, evidence discounts a long-held myth that spicy foods can increase your risk of peptic ulcers.

 Limiting fried foods and other high-fat foods, such as lard, butter, heavy cream, bacon, and sausage, may be a good idea as they keep food in the stomach for longer, slowing digestion and potentially worsening symptoms.

Cutting down on salt and pickled foods might help reduce your risk of stomach cancer if you acquire H. pylori.

What’s Best to Eat With H. pylori?

In a review of other studies, certain natural foods containing plant compounds showed a positive effect in reducing H. pylori gut populations, symptoms, or inflammation, including:

  • Cranberry
  • Grapes, particularly the skin
  • Bilberry
  • Raspberry
  • Elderberry
  • Strawberry
  • Broccoli and broccoli sprouts
  • Curcumin, from turmeric
  • Garlic
  • Green tea
  • Licorice root
  • Certain mushrooms, such as lion’s mane and yellow brain mushrooms
  • Green tea
However, many of these only had support from research involving animals or individual cells. Human clinical trials only provided support for curcumin, cranberries, garlic, licorice root, and yellow brain mushrooms.

While these ingredients showed promise for supporting gut health and reducing during H. pylori infection, no diet can fully get rid of H. pylori.

If you have gastritis, switching to a liquid or bland diet full of soft, bland-tasting, and low-fiber foods can help you relieve pressure on your stomach until symptoms improve. This might include:

  • Low-fat dairy
  • Cooked, frozen, or canned vegetables
  • Cooked, canned, skinless, de-seeded fruit
  • Juices
  • Bread, pasta, and crackers made using refined, white flour
  • Lean, soft meats such as poultry, shellfish, whitefish, or tuna (they should be steamed, grilled, or baked without added fat)
  • Smooth peanut butter
  • Pudding and custard
  • Tofu
  • Eggs
  • Broth
  • Weak tea

Treating H. pylori Infections

While dietary changes may help you reduce inflammation and limit the spread of H. pylori bacteria, you’ll need other therapies to eliminate the bacteria or manage symptoms.

A doctor may prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacterial population combined with medications like proton pump inhibitors that block stomach acid production to reduce pain and promote healing. They may also recommend bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) to protect the stomach lining.

H. pylori treatments generally last for around 14 days.

The Takeaway

  • If you have H. pylori, avoid certain foods that may worsen symptoms, such as spicy dishes, caffeinated beverages, and high-fat foods.
  • Consuming natural anti-inflammatory foods like berries, broccoli, and green tea might help support your gut health during infection, though they are not a cure.
  • If you experience severe symptoms such as black or bloody stools or intense stomach pain, seek medical advice as these may indicate complications like ulcers.
  • Although some foods may aid in symptom relief, they can’t treat H. pylori. In nearly all situations, the only effective treatment for H. pylori involves killing the bacteria with antibiotics.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Helicobacter pylori. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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  4. H. pylori: Transmission and Spread of Infection. The University of Arizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.
  5. Mayo Clinic Staff. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Infection. Mayo Clinic. June 14, 2025.
  6. Stern E et al. Peptic Ulcer Perforated. StatPearls. June 12, 2023.
  7. Demarco C. ‘How I Knew I Had Stomach Cancer’: Six Survivors Share Their Symptoms. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. May 7, 2024.
  8. Mayo Clinic Staff. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Infection. Mayo Clinic. June 14, 2025.
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  10. Nehlig A. Effects of Coffee on the Gastro-Intestinal Tract: A Narrative Review and Literature Update. Nutrients. January 17, 2022.
  11. Stewart O. Myths and Realities: Do Spicy Foods Cause Peptic Ulcer Disease? Clinical Correlations. November 18, 2020.
  12. Wang C et al. Natural Foods Resources and Dietary Ingredients for the Amelioration of Helicobacter pylori Infection. Frontiers in Medicine. December 6, 2023.
  13. Bland Diet for Gastritis. Specialty Gastro Center.
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Ira Daniel Breite, MD

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Ira Daniel Breite, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also sees patients and helps run an ambulatory surgery center.

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A.P. Mentzer graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in anthropology and biological sciences. She has worked in pharmaceutical research, educational publishing, and as an editor for a family wellness magazine prior to becoming a freelance writer. She enjoys writing about food, nutrition, and cooking from a scientific perspective, as well as exploring various food cultures and indulging her mild-to-moderate obsession with baking.

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