Pancreatitis, pancreatitis is a rather dangerous disease that significantly impairs people's quality of life. And an important element of the correct treatment of this unpleasant disease is proper nutrition, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the organ. What should be the diet for pancreatitis - read in our material.
Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of reputable health professionals. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment. We want to help those who struggle with pancreatic disease (by the way, among office workers and former students, pancreatitis is the third most "popular"), so in this article we have collected the basic recommendations for a diet for pancreatitis and cholecystitis. We have prepared a sample menu and several useful recipes. Read it, it will be useful!
What is pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, which is involved in the digestive process and regulates metabolism. It is a "2 in 1" organ with a complex structure: most of the gland secretes the enzymes needed to digest food into the intestines, and the so-called "pancreatic islets" are the endocrine organs that produce the insulin hormone. .
When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the release of enzymes into the duodenum stops. As a result, these aggressive substances are activated in the gland and begin to destroy it - this process is often called self-digestion. This releases toxins that travel through the bloodstream to other organs and can damage them. Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic.
Acute inflammation of the pancreas
Acute pancreatitis is a dangerous disease that requires immediate treatment, usually in a hospital setting. It is most often caused by alcohol consumption or gallstone disease when a stone blocks the duct. The disease is characterized by severe pain in the upper abdomen, sometimes radiating to the back; nausea; vomit; general deterioration.
Chronic pancreatitis
With chronic inflammation of the pancreas, the organ gradually dies. The main causes of the disease are alcohol consumption and smoking. Its most characteristic manifestation is abdominal pain, which usually occurs after eating. The lack of digestive secretion of the pancreas causes the fact that food is poorly digested, bloating and flatulence occur. There is often no appetite and weight may drop.
Symptoms of pancreatitis
The main symptom of acute and chronic inflammation of the pancreas is upper abdominal pain. Such pains are often girdling. In chronic form, heaviness in the stomach, nausea and stool disorders are often observed. Unpleasant sensations raise the suspicion of pancreatitis, and then the diagnosis is confirmed with the help of tests and other examinations.
Why do you need a diet for pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)?
The diet for pancreatitis in adults is designed to reduce the load on the affected organ so that it recovers. In acute pancreatitis, it is also important to reduce the synthesis of enzymes to stop the process of gland destruction.
Basic principles of the diet for pancreatitis
- Refusal of foods that trigger the production of enzymes - smoked, spicy, pickled, fried.
- The food should be warm (not cold or hot), mushy.
- Meals should be fractional, portions should be small.
- The main focus in the diet is on protein products - no more than 200 grams of them should be consumed per day. But fats and carbohydrates are significantly limited.
- The amount of salt is reduced to 3-5 grams, the food is not salted during cooking.
- Raw foods are excluded. Fresh vegetables and fruits cannot be eaten, only boiled or fried.
- Carbohydrates should be consumed in moderation, but sugary foods should be limited.
What should be the diet for acute pancreatitis?
The diet for acute pancreatitis is as strict as possible: the first day's menu contains no food at all, only water. After a few days, you can eat liquid food in small portions - vegetable soups and purees, boiled porridge, slimy decoctions, liquid meat puree. You can gradually expand the selection of food by using approved products.
Diet for chronic pancreatitis
The diet menu for chronic pancreatitis is more varied, but it is recommended to follow it for a long time, at least six months. It is believed that during this time not only the condition of the pancreas improves, but the patient also gets rid of all kinds of harmful foods, such as fried, smoked and pickled foods.
Traditionally, the "5p table" diet is prescribed for chronic pancreatitis. The dietary table system was developed in the 1920s, and although it has now been abandoned, many doctors still recommend following the principles of such diets.
The "5. "Table No. 5" diet is prescribed for pancreatitis and gallbladder inflammation, but a special version of this diet - "Table 5p" is recommended especially for the recovery of the pancreas. It is distinguished not only by the reduced amount of fat in the diet, but also by the restriction of carbohydrates. You need to eat a lot of protein: proteins are necessary for the rapid recovery of pancreatic tissue.
The diet for the exacerbation of pancreatitis is stricter, in the image and similarity of the diet recommended for the acute form of the disease. Avoiding pureed food, split meals, salt and spices will help you cope with the disease faster.
What can you eat if you have pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)?
So, it's time to figure out what you can eat on a diet for pancreatitis in order to recover quickly and avoid painful attacks. We remind you that the list of approved products varies depending on the stage of the disease. During exacerbations, it is recommended to fast and eat a very limited amount of food, but during periods of remission, much more food is allowed. Low-fat cottage cheese occupies an important place in the diet of people with pancreatitis.
- lean meat (veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit and even lean pork are suitable);
- lean fish (pike, pollock, flounder, cod);
- low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat and mild cheese;
- in the form of a steamed omelet made from egg whites (you can eat no more than one yolk per day);
- low-fat fermented milk products;
- milk - only low-fat if tolerated;
- cereals (wheat, rice, oatmeal, buckwheat);
- stale bread, inedible biscuits;
- pasta;
- boiled or fried vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin);
- boiled or baked sweet fruits (apples, bananas, pears);
- dried fruits;
- jelly, jam, honey, jelly - in small quantities.
The list of what you can eat on a diet for pancreatitis is not so short: if you want, you can easily do it without violations, being content with only permitted foods for a long time. It is worth considering that the recommendations were developed 100 years ago, and many new products have appeared since then. They can be carefully added to the menu if they contain a lot of protein and little fat, for example, boiled squid.
What not to eat on a diet for pancreatitis
The diet for pancreatitis imposes serious restrictions on the menu, but an improvement in condition can only be expected if these are strictly followed. The following foods cannot be included in the diet menu No. 5 for pancreatitis:
- legumes (the only exception is green beans in moderation, boiled or steamed);
- onions, garlic, radishes, radishes, peppers and other vegetables with a spicy taste;
- spinach, sorrel, fresh herbs;
- all kinds of cabbage;
- mushrooms;
- sour fruits;
- marinades and pickles;
- carbonated drinks, packaged juices (it is better not to drink fresh juices);
- alcohol;
- coffee and cocoa;
- ready-made sauces, mayonnaise;
- fast food;
- fresh bread, baked goods;
- any confectionery product;
- ice cream pop;
- fatty meat and fish;
- sausages and delicacies;
- caviar;
- conserve;
- smoked meats;
- meat, fish, mushroom soup.
As pancreatitis of the pancreas worsens, the diet becomes even stricter, and even those foods that can be safely included in the diet during remission may be added to the list of prohibited foods. Here you need to listen to the doctor's recommendations.
Diet for chronic pancreatitis (pancreatitis): sample menu for a week
We present an approximate diet for chronic pancreatitis for one week. This is not a dogma, but simply a guideline for those who want to restore the pancreas with proper nutrition.
Monday
- Breakfast: a sandwich made of day-old bread with low-fat cheese, a bowl of porridge with water or diluted milk.
- Second breakfast: a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with dried fruits.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, steamed beef steak with mashed potatoes in water with a little butter.
- Afternoon snack: baked apple.
- Dinner: boiled lean fish, steamed vegetables are allowed.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: oatmeal with water
- Second breakfast: baked sweet applesauce
- Lunch: vegetable cream soup, steamed chicken breast; berry jelly.
- Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt.
- Dinner: steamed omelette with vegetables.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with dried fruit
- Second breakfast: banana
- Lunch: rice and vegetable soup; steamed rabbit meat, compote.
- Afternoon snack: apple jelly, biscuits.
- Dinner: steamed fish, vegetable puree.
Thursday
- Breakfast: rice porridge, soft-boiled eggs.
- Second breakfast: yogurt, baked apple.
- Lunch: soup with pasta; minced fish with vegetable puree.
- Afternoon snack: sandwich with low-fat cheese.
- Dinner: lazy cottage cheese dumplings, a little sour cream.
Friday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with a spoonful of honey or jam.
- Second breakfast: steamed egg white omelette.
- Lunch: mashed potato soup, roast beef with steamed vegetables, jelly.
- Afternoon snack: dried fruit compote.
- Dinner: lean fish quenelle, rice.
Saturday
- Breakfast: semolina porridge, soft-boiled eggs
- Second breakfast: yogurt.
- Lunch: fish soup with rice, steamed rabbit with potatoes, compote.
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese casserole.
- Dinner: cheese sandwich, steamed protein omelet.
Sunday
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge.
- Second breakfast: baked apple.
- Lunch: pumpkin cream soup, steamed beef steak, pasta.
- Afternoon snack: jelly, biscuits.
- Dinner: cottage cheese, boiled vegetables.
Diet for the pancreas: recipes
Despite the limited selection of products, the diet for pancreatitis can be quite varied. Here are some ideas for inspiration.
Ingredients:
- Bagged rice;
- Potato;
- Carrot;
- Pumpkin;
- Salt.
Preparation: we prepare rice water - boil the rice in a pot with plenty of water, then remove the bags. Grate the carrot, chop the remaining vegetables, put everything in a pan with rice water, add the rice, cook until the vegetables are ready. Add salt, mix, turn off. If necessary, blend everything in a blender.
Fish quenelles
- Lean fish fillet;
- White biscuits;
- Milk;
- Egg white;
- Salt.
Preparation: grind the fish in a meat grinder, soak the biscuits in milk, pass through a meat grinder, mix with the minced fish. Beat the egg whites until foamy, add to the minced meat, add salt and mix. Form round quenelles from the resulting minced meat. Then boil or steam them.
Pumpkin puree soup with rolled oats
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin;
- Potato;
- Hercules;
- Cream;
- Little oil for steaming.
Preparation: cut the pumpkin and potatoes, steam them in a deep bowl with a little oil, taking care not to burn them. Add salt, add the rolled oats, add water, mix, simmer until the oats are done. Pass the contents of the pan through a blender, return to the pan, add the cream and simmer for a few more minutes. It can be served with breadcrumbs.
According to opinions, the pancreatitis diet is not very easy to follow, at least during the phase of pureed food, but with its help you can really achieve a stable remission. Patients note that they feel much better on such a diet.
Results of dietary treatment of chronic pancreatitis
In case of chronic pancreatitis, the diet is prescribed not for a week or a month, but for at least six months. More often, it is recommended to limit yourself to harmful foods in life so as not to cause aggravation.
Together with other treatment methods, the diet of the pancreas has a beneficial effect on the organ and promotes its rapid recovery. The longer there are no exacerbations, the bolder you can expand your pancreatitis diet, including all new products.
In some cases, thanks to timely treatment and diet, the pancreas is completely restored, and after the end of therapy, you can return to your usual eating style. Still, it is better to give up unhealthy habits and choose PP foods even after complete recovery.
The number of different diets cannot be counted. Some of them are prescribed for therapeutic purposes, while others are aimed at reducing body weight. Human nutrition, like any other organism, affects its health, since the composition of food and the saturation of necessary vitamins and microelements determine the possibility of normal physiology. Any restriction, both in composition and quantity, inevitably affects our body. Each disease has its own mechanism of development, and accordingly, nutrition should be different.
The goal of the pancreatitis diet is to reduce inflammation of the pancreas. The sooner you start following it, the better results you can expect. In the acute stage, fasting can also be used, but it usually does not last longer than two or three days. After that, foods with a maximum fat content are introduced very smoothly. Skinless types of lean meat and poultry (veal, lean beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey, etc. ) are suitable. Buckwheat, barley, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables can be used as a side dish. Fried, spicy, salty foods, baked goods, refractory fats (lamb, pork, goose, duck, fatty beef, poultry skin, margarine, mayonnaise) can contribute to a further aggravation.
The use of additional enzyme therapy improves the condition. Preparations of miniature spheres and microtablets are more effective. The usual dose is about 25, 000 units. The diet described above has a right to exist, but only if its use is justified and only for a short time. Stabilization of the condition associated with pancreatitis indicates a planned and gradual expansion of the diet.