- What does a diet do for cholecystitis?
- Diet therapy for acute cholecystitis
- Principles of diet for chronic cholecystitis
- What not to eat: prohibited foods
- What is allowed to be eaten?
- Sample menu for chronic cholecystitis
Diet therapy is the basis for the treatment and prevention of exacerbations in most diseases of the digestive tract. For people with cholecystitis, a well-designed diet becomes the basis for treatment and prevention of recurrent exacerbations. At the same time, the restrictions apply to both the composition of the food basket and the method of heat treatment, and the severity of the diet depends on the stage of the inflammatory process and the form of the disease.
What does a diet do for cholecystitis?
For many people with chronic cholecystitis, a well-designed daily menu with rational dietary restrictions is an opportunity to prevent the appearance of many manifestations of the disease and at the same time receive all the necessary nutrients. With the help of a diet you can:
- do not experience discomfort after eating;
- avoid pain, a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium and side;
- prevent re-exacerbation of cholecystitis;
- with concomitant cholelithiasis - slow down the process of stone formation in the gallbladder and bile ducts;
- reduce the risk of secondary liver damage associated with severe stagnation of bile;
- ensure normal functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
In acute cholecystitis, a strict diet helps relieve excess load from the gallbladder. Its combination with drug therapy promotes rapid relief of the condition, subsidence of the inflammatory process, and harmonization of the entire biliary system. This also reduces the risk of developing secondary pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), and this disease accompanies cholecystitis in at least 1/3 of patients.
Is it possible to have onions for pancreatitis?
The beneficial properties of onions are associated with its unique composition. The vegetable has antimicrobial characteristics and helps cope with pathogens of dangerous diseases.
The composition contains antioxidants that strengthen the immune system and increase the body's resistance to harmful agents.
Onions contain quercetin, which has anti-cancer effects.
The product helps cope with pain and inflammation. It participates in metabolic processes, restores normal cholesterol levels in the blood and minimizes the threat of atherosclerosis.
The product helps prevent cell atrophy in the body, including pancreatic tissue. This is of particular importance in chronic pancreatitis.
It is worth considering that the vegetable brings not only benefits. In case of acute pancreatitis or relapse of the chronic pathology of the disease, there is a risk of serious deterioration in health.
The vegetable contains many antioxidants, which stimulate the activation of the synthesis of pancreatic enzymes, which increases the load on the organ. If the disease relapses, a person must follow a starvation diet, which will relieve the burden on the pancreas.
In addition, onions contain coarse fiber. It provokes flatulence. This can lead to diarrhea. It takes a lot of effort to break down and digest fibers. This negatively affects the condition of people with such a diagnosis.
Onions provoke flatulence
Diet therapy for acute cholecystitis
Acute cholecystitis and exacerbation of chronic inflammation of the gallbladder require a special approach to the composition of the diet.
- In the first 1–3 days, in case of severe exacerbation with severe pain and severe nausea, the doctor may prescribe therapeutic fasting, which will complement intensive drug therapy. It is recommended to drink enough fluids to prevent significant dehydration. If this is not possible, the patient is given infusion therapy (intravenous solutions). But with an exacerbation of calculous cholecystitis, a starvation diet can provoke even greater stagnation of bile with the addition of pancreatitis, so the decision to refuse to eat any food should be made only by a doctor.
- Subsequently, a so-called “liquid diet” is recommended for several days, when the patient receives only liquid and semi-liquid meals. At first, only diluted compotes, jelly, and herbal decoctions are taken. Then gradually introduce semi-liquid vegetable puree soups, slimy liquid pureed porridges in water (rice, oatmeal, semolina are preferred). On days 4-5, weak broths and low-fat fermented milk products are allowed.
- As the signs of acute inflammation subside, the diet is gradually expanded, introducing steamed and boiled products from the permitted list.
After the exacerbation has stopped, the patient is transferred to table No. 5 according to Pevzner, during this period his diet already corresponds to the diet for chronic cholecystitis.
Principles of diet for chronic cholecystitis
A diet for cholecystitis without exacerbation is a balanced, fairly varied, complete menu in composition and calorie content. It corresponds to treatment table No. 5 according to Pevzner.
The food you eat should not overstimulate the gallbladder and increase the risk of stones forming in it, which can lead to an attack of biliary colic. Therefore, a person after suffering acute cholecystitis or with newly diagnosed latent (asymptomatic) chronic cholecystitis will have to reconsider his diet.
Some foods and methods of preparing them will have to be abandoned, and these restrictions should not be short-term. A diet for chronic cholecystitis is actually a way of life, a healthy and preventive daily diet. Of course, it has its own characteristics:
- Meals for cholecystitis should be divided, 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks are recommended. This regimen will allow you to avoid overeating and “hungry” periods, which will ensure uniform load on the gallbladder.
- It is advisable to eat at approximately the same hours. This will contribute to the timely appearance of appetite and the natural preparation of the digestive tract and gall bladder for the intake of nutrients.
- The menu should include all essential nutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates), vitamins and minerals. The total caloric content of the diet and the balance of substances are compiled taking into account age, gender and physical activity. In this case, fats must be distributed fairly evenly between all meals.
- Prohibited foods are completely excluded from the diet, even in the absence of exacerbations for a long time. Some foods are consumed in limited quantities, and if discomfort occurs after eating, it is advisable to avoid them. Errors in nutrition during cholecystitis are fraught with overload of the gallbladder with the development of biliary colic or activation of the inflammatory process.
- Food can be prepared by steaming, boiling, baking (without forming a crust). Frying and marinating are strictly prohibited. Stewing is also undesirable in case of frequent exacerbations, because with this method of cooking quite a lot of extractive substances are formed.
- Overeating should be avoided, both in terms of calories and portion size.
- It is necessary to drink enough water to avoid thickening of body fluids (including bile).
In case of chronic cholecystitis, nutrition does not imply fasting and consuming a small range of foods. These are rather reasonable dietary restrictions while maintaining nutritional value and sufficient dietary diversity. In general, the diet for cholecystitis is approximately the same as for pancreatitis.
Green onions
Onions are divided into two varieties: green and onions. If we take into circulation the green variety (the bulbs are small, the leaves are long, used in cooking), we can confidently say: such a plant is contraindicated for patients with digestive disorders. If the disease is in aggravation or has already taken an acute form, it is better to forget about green onions.
The decision was caused by similar harmful effects on the body:
- The presence of essential oils, considered aggressive, gives onions a specific taste. When consuming such products, the secretion of gastric and pancreatic juice sharply increases, provoking a new attack of pancreatitis.
- The presence of fiber is the main nutritional element that causes discomfort in pancreatitis. The element is tough and coarse, difficult to digest, and is contraindicated for inflammation of the pancreas.
When the exacerbation passes and the disease becomes stable and chronic, patients can experiment and introduce green onions into the diet. Be careful: the leaves are thermally processed to remove as much unpleasant taste and essential oils as possible. For example, you can try making onion pie or a decoction of the leaves.
It is better to forget about fresh, untreated leaves, as they can provoke a repeat attack.
The benefits of green onions
There are known cases of introducing the product into the diet. The medicinal properties of green onions cannot be denied; the vegetable is capable of:
- restore the digestion of carbohydrates, and as a result, metabolism;
- improve the supply of nutrients to the heart muscle;
- lower blood glucose levels (due to insufficient insulin production, glucose accumulates in the lymph, annoying a person until diabetes develops);
- rid the patient of excess cholesterol in the heart;
- strengthen the immune system due to phytoncides that protect the body from various microorganisms and microbes;
- remove ailments from the body;
- protect the patient from the possible development of cancer.
Green onions should be administered carefully, according to medical advice. In case of unpleasant sensations after consumption (abdominal cramps, other symptoms of a pancreatic attack), it is better to immediately exclude it from the diet.
What not to eat: prohibited foods
What to eat for cholecystitis is the main question for people who have been diagnosed with gallbladder problems. It is recommended to exclude from the diet for this disease:
WHAT IS EXCLUDED | WHY EXCLUDE |
Any smoked meats (industrial and home production) | They have a choleretic effect, which can lead to exacerbation of existing chronic cholecystitis. |
Fried foods, and the ban applies to both meat and vegetable dishes. Deep frying is also not allowed, including for preparing dessert dishes. | Excessively activate enzyme systems, have an excessive choleretic effect |
Spicy foods, most spices and herbs, products with essential oils (citrus fruits, garlic), horseradish, radish, onions (without heat treatment). | Spices and herbs have a stimulating effect on the digestive tract, which can provoke impaired motility of the biliary system and an imbalance between the secretion and consumption of bile. |
Fatty food. For cholecystitis, it is recommended to exclude fatty meats (pork, lamb, lean beef, goose, duck), interior fat, lard, cholesterol-rich offal (brains, liver, kidneys). Cottage cheese above 5% fat content, cream, fatty dairy and fermented milk products, ice cream (cream and ice cream), mayonnaise, margarine, avocado, confectionery butter cream, nuts, kozinaki, halva are removed from the diet. Oils (butter, vegetable) and yolks are used in limited quantities. Cheeses are limited, with preference given to low-fat varieties. | Complete digestion of fats is possible only with the help of bile, which has an emulsifying effect and thereby helps pancreatic enzymes act more actively. Therefore, all fatty foods have a choleretic effect, and their consumption is fraught with exacerbation of cholecystitis. Excess animal fats in the diet also increases the likelihood of cholesterol stones forming in the lumen of the gallbladder. But fats cannot be completely excluded from the diet, because they are alternative energy and are necessary for the body to build cell walls and synthesize hormones and enzymes. |
Extractive dishes (fatty, strong meat and fish broths in the first water, concentrated cabbage broth). | They irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and provoke excessive secretion of prokinins - biologically active substances that activate the motility of the gallbladder and intestines. Therefore, consumption of strong broths is fraught with the development of spasm of the neck of the gallbladder and an imbalance in the functioning of the biliary tract. |
Fresh white bread, baked goods based on premium wheat flour, especially from butter, cake and shortbread dough. | They adversely affect the functioning of the intestines and overstimulate the activity of the pancreas, which secondarily disrupts the functioning of the gallbladder. And some types of dough contain an increased amount of fat, which provokes increased bile formation. |
Products with a large amount of oxalic acid: spinach, sorrel, rhubarb, leaf mustard, sorrel, meingold, strawberries. | May provoke the formation of oxalate stones. |
Canned and pickled foods. | Overstimulates the digestive system. |
Mushrooms (in any form and any varieties) | Difficult to digest, excessively stimulate bile formation. |
Any foods that contribute to increased gas formation in the large intestine. These include: fresh white cabbage, legumes, turnips. | In most people, they provoke increased fermentation and putrefactive processes in the lumen of the large intestine, which is accompanied by flatulence. |
Chocolate, concentrated cocoa, strong coffee, strong tea, carbonated drinks | They have a stimulating effect. |
Alcohol | Stimulates the gallbladder and at the same time increases the likelihood of biliary tract development (imbalance in the motility of different departments). |
If you have any doubts about whether you can eat certain foods if you have cholecystitis, consult your doctor or nutritionist.
Onions and acute pancreatitis
Unfortunately, patients suffering from acute pancreatitis have to refrain from eating juicy onions. This is explained by the fact that onions contain:
- essential oils that stimulate the production of pancreatic enzymes, which, instead of food proteins, begin to break down the tissue of the inflamed pancreas, aggravating the existing pathological process;
- dietary fiber (up to 3 g per 100 mg), which activates intestinal motility, which increases diarrhea, bloating and provokes intestinal colic;
- acids (ascorbic, malic, citric), which can also slightly enhance pancreatic secretion.
Heat treatment of onions significantly reduces the amount of these substances, but not to a safe level. Therefore, you can resume taking onions only after the final resolution of acute pancreatitis.
What is allowed to be eaten?
Do not think that a diet for cholecystitis is a diet that is monotonous in composition and taste. Outside of an exacerbation of this disease, it is allowed to consume quite a lot of foods and dishes that are properly prepared.
The diet can include:
- Lean meats: chicken, turkey, veal, rabbit. They can be prepared as a whole piece or in small pieces, in the form of chopped cutlets (steamed or baked), minced meat balls, casseroles, and soufflés. Boiled beef tongue is allowed.
- Some types of factory-made sausages: low-fat ham, milk sausages, Doktorskaya type sausage (in natural casing).
- Fish (low-fat varieties), usually boiled or baked, as part of a soufflé or cutlets.
- Seafood.
- Soups with low-fat meat broth (preferably the second one, the first portion is drained after boiling), with vegetable broth. In this case, you should avoid using the so-called “frying” of vegetables in oil as a dressing.
- Vegetables (except those on the prohibited list) fresh or cooked. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor your well-being and avoid foods that cause a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, bloating and flatulence.
- Cottage cheese (low-fat or normal fat), low-fat fermented milk products, milk up to 5 - 6% fat.
- All cereals, including partially processed ones (couscous, semolina, cooking flakes).
- Eggs (chicken and quail), but you should remember the need to limit the consumption of yolks. Therefore, most often dishes (omelettes, scrambled eggs) are prepared using several proteins and 1 yolk. And with calculous cholecystitis, you should abandon the yolks altogether.
- Fruits, if they do not provoke increased gas formation. They can be consumed fresh and baked, as well as in the form of dried fruits.
- Stale bread (slightly stale, 2–3 days old), unsweetened bread—unsweetened crackers, biscuits.
- Drinks: weak teas of various compositions, drinks based on chicory or barley, non-concentrated compotes, jelly, rosehip decoction.
Sometimes, in case of chronic cholecystitis, in consultation with the doctor, fiber is introduced into the diet in the form of steamed bran, which improves intestinal motility and helps harmonize the functioning of the biliary system.
Onion recipes
There are many recipes for dishes that are based on onions. These products should be used with caution if you have pancreatitis.
Fresh
It is forbidden to eat raw onions if you have pancreatitis.
With prolonged remission, you can include a little vegetable in your diet. However, pain in the abdomen should be a reason to refuse the product.
Read on our website, is it possible to eat cucumbers with pancreatitis?
Stewed
Outside of exacerbation, the remedy can be used. It is not used in its pure form, but is added to other dishes. Stewed onions for pancreatitis help saturate the body with valuable components.
Baked
During the recovery stage, you can eat tender baked onions. It should be cooked in the oven until soft. Onion syrup will help cope with chronic pancreatitis.
To make it, 2 kg of onions are chopped using a meat grinder and the juice is squeezed out. Then you need to pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and add 2 cups of sugar. Bake until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved. Drink 1 large spoon three times a day. This is done for 1 month.
Boiled
Boiled onions can be one of the methods for treating chronic inflammation. Within a week, a person should eat a small head of boiled vegetable.
Onions are a very healthy vegetable that contains many valuable components. But with pancreatitis, this product should be treated with great caution. .
It irritates the inflamed organ and can aggravate the patient's condition. This applies not only to onions, but also to green and leeks. If you have inflammation, you should not eat other irritating foods, which include garlic.