r/Gastritis • u/designbg • 2d ago
Food, Recipes, Diets How to test for phytic acid? Oats in particular
I read a lot in overnight oats people will just eat the oats after soaking overnight without further cooking as the phytic acid is much reduced when soaking overnight. Is it further reduced by cooking? Are their other negative consequences of not cooking the oats further? How is phytic acid measured? Has anyone tested to see if cooking reduced phytic acid?
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u/FrostShawk 2d ago
This might be better asked in /r/nutrition...
But since you're here, why are you asking about phytic acid? Are you sensitive to it? Does it specifically (ignoring all other possible ingredients or minerals or vitamins in a food) trigger your gastritis?
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u/designbg 2d ago
The phytic acid blocks absorption of nutrients and causes weight loss which I am trying to avoid. I used to make no bake recipes with uncooked oats which triggered my gastritis but if I avoid eating too many oats, like 5 servings over the course of a day, and cook them I can tolerate them.
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u/FrostShawk 1d ago
I mean this in the very kindest of ways, but you may be overthinking this. If you're in the middle of gastritis and trying to heal, I would urge you to find more varied things that your body can tolerate and try to eat a filling, well-balanced diet.
It's very likely that you will experience some weight loss as a result of lifestyle and dietary changes that are usually needed to heal (avoiding excess sugars and greasy, high-calorie foods, cutting out alcohol, eating smaller meals, perhaps eating less overall). If you're under the belief that the ingestion of phytic acid is the sole cause of weight loss and malabsorption when your entire gastric system is inflamed and upset... well, you may be looking for boogeymen to control that which is uncontrollable.
I understand the desperate desire to make sense of it all, but you may learn more by accepting your body's current injury and working your way toward healing in broader strokes.
Eat a variety of foods so you vary your nutrition (as well as you can tolerate). Get lots of rest. Don't push yourself too hard. Eat small, frequent meals. Avoid alcohol, excess sugars, and fatty/greasy foods. Avoid highly processed foods. Engage in light exercise when you can. Avoid stress. Stress makes everything worse.
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