Poor nutrition, stress and bad habits can cause inflammation of the pancreas. This is a serious disease that requires not only complex treatment, but also proper diet correction. A strict diet for pancreatitis is an integral part of the fight against the disease.
General principles of diet for pancreatitis
Pancreatitis can manifest spontaneously and cause great discomfort to a person (acute form) or have a hidden and sluggish nature (chronic stage). The cases differ from each other not only in clinical symptoms, but also in dietary characteristics.
In acute pancreatitis, it is recommended to fast for several days. This is necessary in order to provide the organ with a state of rest and reduce the source of inflammation in the tissues.
You can start eating on the 4th day after the acute symptoms of the disease (severe pain, attacks of nausea, gagging and profuse diarrhea) have subsided. With chronic pancreatitis, it is important to adhere to a diet. This will help prevent exacerbations and achieve long-term remission.
In addition, you need to adhere to the general principles of nutrition:
- Steam heat treatment of food. It will help preserve all the useful components of food.
- Fractional meals (up to 5 times a day in small doses) - reduces the load on a weakened digestive system.
- It is important to eat food warm.
- Before eating, food must be crushed to a liquid consistency.
It is important to avoid snacking throughout the day. The main meal is enough. It is better to drink more warm tea or water. This will help remove toxins from the body and reduce discomfort in the abdominal area.
About the disease
Let us immediately mention that the disease in question is characterized by damage to an organ such as the pancreas. This medical term reflects the inflammatory processes that have begun in this organ.
The question of whether or not you can eat any product with pancreatitis is important, because this organ is directly connected to the digestive system (it produces special enzymes, without which food digestion is impossible).
It is necessary to consider whether green beans can be eaten in this case by first dividing the disease into chronic and acute forms.
What can you eat if you have pancreatitis?
In case of inflammation of the pancreas, doctors prescribe to the patient a diet according to the generally accepted classification of diets - table 5. Patients eat only healthy foods and completely avoid foods that provoke the production of acid in the gastric juice and stimulate an increase in the work of enzymes in the weakened organ.
Table “Useful products for pancreatitis of the pancreas”
Category | Grocery list |
Heat-treated vegetables (stewed, boiled) | Beets, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, maybe tomatoes, but in small doses |
Fruits and berries (jelly-like decoctions, compote, fruit and berry purees) | Apricots, melons and watermelons (2-3 pieces per day), apples, pears, dried grapes (raisins), bananas. Avocados are allowed 2 months after an exacerbation |
Meat (cutlets, steamed meatballs, meatballs) | Rabbit, turkey, beef (beef tongue, beef liver), veal, chicken |
Fish (boiled or as steam cutlets, fillet pieces) and seafood | Cod liver, pike, flounder, pollock, pike perch. 17–21 days after the exacerbation subsides, you can eat shrimp |
Cereals | Buckwheat porridge, oatmeal (muesli), rice, semolina. Sometimes you can eat barley or corn porridge |
Broths and soups | Only vegetable (without boiled onions and garlic) or dairy with cereals. If there are no exacerbations, you can cook the soup in a second meat broth. |
Pasta (boiled) | Vermicelli, noodles |
Bakery products | Wheat bread, stale (baked 1–2 days before use) |
Fermented and low-fat dairy products | Curd steam casseroles, cheese (mild), cottage cheese (non-sour), kefir, yogurt, fermented baked milk, butter, sour cream (no more than 1 tbsp per day) |
Chicken eggs | Steam omelet, occasionally you can eat soft-boiled eggs |
Fats | Butter, vegetable (sunflower, olive) |
Beverages | Decoction of wheat bran, rose hips, weak tea drink |
Sweets (in small doses) | Honey, jam, jelly (homemade), savory cookies, marshmallows, mousse, marshmallows |
Nuts (chop well before eating or chew thoroughly) | Pistachios, walnuts, peanuts |
Legumes (ground) | Beans (decoction for exacerbation), soy meat, green peas |
Allowed products contain many water- and fat-soluble vitamins and are rich in carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. And, most importantly, they practically do not irritate the pancreatic mucosa.
Why beans should not be eaten
Beans are not allowed as food for pancreatitis. The composition contains purines - substances that deposit salts when they enter the body. Salts need to be removed from the body, first – processed. Extra work is created for the intestines, as well as for the pancreas, kidneys, and gall bladder. With constant deposition of salts, stones form in a person, which are difficult to remove and sometimes require surgical intervention.
If a patient wants to take a risk and try to introduce beans into their diet, they should adhere to the general cooking rules. Remember, raw beans are harmful, steam the dish, boil it, and soak for 12 hours before cooking.
It is advisable to purchase non-canned beans in the store and prepare the product yourself. If the patient does not experience indigestion after eating the food, it is allowed to increase the portion. Beans are not among the foods required in the diet of a person diagnosed with pancreatitis.
What not to eat if you have pancreatitis
Many foods can cause increased secretion of acid and enzymes, which greatly irritate the pancreatic mucosa.
Therefore, it is better to remove all harmful foods from your diet:
- spicy, sour, fried foods, canned food and pickles, fatty meat broths (in particular jellied meat);
- seasonings, spices, sauces, mayonnaise, ketchup;
- meat and its by-products - pork (pork tongue), lamb, including fat, sausages, smoked meats, frankfurters, balyki, lard;
- fatty fish (salmon, catfish, carp, mackerel, herring) and seafood (mussels, squid, crabs, lobsters);
- rich pastries, rye bread, chocolate products, cakes, sweets (lollipops, caramel), halva, ice cream, glazed cheese curds;
- oranges, figs, sunflower seeds, radishes, radishes, all types of mushrooms.
It is contraindicated to drink coffee, strong black and green tea, milk, and carbonated drinks. The following prohibited foods should be permanently excluded from everyday consumption: fast food (burgers, fries, shawarma, hot dogs, sushi, rolls), chips, salted nuts, hot spices, alcohol, nicotine.
Sample menu for the week
Strict adherence to the principles of proper nutrition is very helpful in the treatment of pancreatitis. The diet should not be interrupted or junk food added to the diet, as this can provoke an acute attack of the disease.
Table “Menu for every day”
Days | Menu |
1st day | Breakfast: milk oatmeal, pieces of veal, tea or compote |
2nd breakfast: eggs (omelet or boiled), wheat broth (bran), baked fruit (apple, pear, banana - to choose from) | |
Lunch: vegetable soup, noodles, chicken soufflé, jelly, tea | |
Afternoon snack: cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk (optional), tea | |
Dinner: boiled pike, bread, tea | |
2nd day | Breakfast: boiled potatoes (mashed), a piece of fish, a few crackers, tea |
2nd breakfast: eggs, turkey cutlets, bread, compote | |
Lunch: soup with chicken fillet, fish cutlet, bread, sour milk | |
Afternoon snack: homemade berry jelly, jelly-like fruit broth, still water | |
Dinner: carrot puree, cutlets, muesli, tea drink | |
3rd day | Breakfast: baked vegetables with chopped rice, beef liver, tea, steamed raisins |
2nd breakfast: vermicelli, beef soufflé, apricot puree, mineral water Lunch: broth (with vegetables), cod liver, bread, cookies, tea with honey | |
Afternoon snack: jelly berry dishes, 2-3 pieces of watermelon or melon, compote | |
Dinner: muesli, baked cottage cheese, jam, tea | |
4th day | Breakfast: liquid semolina, vegetable casserole, bread, fermented baked milk |
2nd breakfast: beef tongue, vegetable puree (broccoli, carrots), some marshmallows, tea | |
Lunch: rabbit broth, steamed meatballs, shrimp, cookies, jelly | |
Afternoon snack: mousse or jelly, baked apple (pear, banana) | |
Dinner: oatmeal, chicken breast, mineral water | |
5th day | Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs, beef liver, apricot puree, tea with honey |
2nd breakfast: vegetable casserole, pasta, tomato juice, mineral water | |
Lunch: rabbit soup, rabbit or turkey cutlets, baked zucchini, compote | |
Afternoon snack: jelly, cookies, banana puree | |
Dinner: mashed potatoes, boiled pollock, kefir | |
6th day | Breakfast: rice, chicken cutlets, cod liver, tomato juice |
2nd breakfast: muesli, beef tongue, baked pumpkin, rosehip infusion | |
Lunch: vegetable soup, boiled fish, applesauce, mineral water | |
Afternoon snacks cookies, jam, fermented baked milk, walnuts | |
Dinner: chicken soufflé, oatmeal, bread, compote | |
7th day | Breakfast: vegetable stew, beef cutlets, bread, tea, honey |
2nd breakfast: rice, cod liver, tomato juice, peanuts | |
Lunch: vegetable soup, fish fritters, cookies, bran broth | |
Afternoon snack: cottage cheese, honey, tea | |
Dinner: curdled milk, crackers, muesli, beef tongue |
Important! The size of the portions depends on the patient’s well-being. A person can increase or decrease their volume, as well as change some ingredients. The main thing is to consume exclusively healthy and approved foods for pancreatitis.
Recipes for inflammation of the pancreas
To make your daily menu seem less boring, you can diversify it with the following recipes.
Vegetable stew
Grind potatoes and pumpkin (0.5 kg each), grate 1 carrot. Place the vegetables in a pan (greased with olive oil) in layers, starting with the potatoes. Pour half the volume with water, add salt and cook for 25-30 minutes. Finally, sprinkle with parsley and dill.
Baked pike perch
To prepare, you need to take ½ kg of fish fillet, cut into medium slices and place on a baking sheet covered with foil. Sprinkle everything on top with carrots (1 piece), put 10 g of butter, salt and wrap in foil. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for half an hour.
Fish cutlets (quenelles)
Grind 400 g of fish pulp, add a quarter of the loaf, softened in milk, and 2 egg whites. Add salt and mix. Make ball-shaped cutlets and place in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
Steamed meat pudding 3
Ingredients:
- rabbit meat (130 g);
- butter (25 g);
- egg;
- semolina (3 tsp);
- half a glass of water.
Grind the meat thoroughly to a homogeneous consistency, add semolina, whipped egg white, then raw yolk and mix everything, carefully knead the dough into a mold and steam.
Curd soufflé
Grind the apples (250 g) on a fine grater, add cottage cheese (300 g). Separately, beat melted butter (50 g) with sugar (3 tbsp) and yolks (4 pcs.), add whites whipped until foamy (4 pcs.). Pour the prepared mixture into apples and cottage cheese, stir. Pour the finished creamy dough into a greased pan and bake at 180 degrees for 25–40 minutes.
All prescriptions are allowed in the chronic stage of pancreatitis. They are not only healthy, but also very tasty, which allows you to take your mind off thoughts of junk food and enjoy a healthy diet.
A strict diet for pancreatitis is the main component in the treatment of a dangerous pathology. Allowed foods are rich in vitamins and minerals, which makes the diet complete and healthy. It is important to give up junk food, bad habits and strictly follow the doctor’s instructions. This will help prevent exacerbations of the disease and achieve long-term remissions.
Bean broth
It is considered incredibly useful for any weakened body, but it will only help if you prepare it correctly. To do this, it is important to purchase dried bean leaves in advance; they must belong to mature varieties.
The effect in most situations is excellent, because the patient’s general condition improves, and inflammation is gradually relieved. Doctors mention that the decoction is especially useful for those people who, in addition to pancreatitis, also suffer from diabetes (regardless of its type). The fact is that glucokinin contained in the decoction perfectly regulates the level of glucose in human blood. Here is the recipe for this decoction:
- Grind the previously mentioned flaps, the method does not really matter (this can be done, for example, in a blender).
- Pour 50 g of the mixture directly into the thermos.
- Now all that remains is to pour half a liter of boiling water and leave it for 9 hours.
Note! A prerequisite for use is shaking this drink, and this must be done every time. As for the dosage, it should be discussed with your doctor, but most often drink half a glass before meals.
There are also contraindications that are absolute, that is, they do not allow the possibility of use at all. We are talking about the period of lactation or pregnancy, as well as hypoglycemia.