Pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas, is a very dangerous disease that significantly worsens people's quality of life. And an important component of the correct treatment of this unpleasant disease is considered to be the right food, 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 authoritative experts in the field of health. But remember: only a doctor can make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. We want to help those who are faced with diseases of the pancreas (by the way, among office workers and former students, pancreatitis is in the third place "in popularity") and therefore we have collected in this article the basic diet recommendations forpancreatitis and cholecystitis. We also prepared sample menus and some useful recipes. Read it, it will be useful!
What is pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, which takes part in the digestion process and also regulates metabolism. This is a "2 in 1" organ, it has a complex structure: most of the gland secretes the enzymes needed to digest food in the intestine, and the so-called "islands of the pancreas" are an endocrine organ that produces the hormone insulin. .
When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the release of enzymes in the duodenum stops. As a result, these aggressive substances are activated in the gland itself 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 most often occurs due to alcohol abuse 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; vomiting; general deterioration of the condition.
Chronic pancreatitis
With chronic inflammation of the pancreas, the organ is gradually destroyed. The main causes of the disease are alcohol consumption and smoking. The most typical manifestation is abdominal pain, which usually occurs after eating. The lack of digestive secretion from the pancreas leads to the fact that food is poorly digested, bloating and flatulence appear. There is often no appetite and weight may decrease.
Symptoms of pancreatitis
The main symptom of acute and chronic inflammation of the pancreas is pain in the upper abdomen. Often such pains are surrounded. In the chronic form, heaviness in the stomach, nausea and defecation disorders are often observed. Unpleasant sensations make someone suspect pancreatitis, and then the diagnosis is confirmed with the help of tests and other studies.
Why do you need a diet for pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)?
Diet for pancreatitis in adults is designed to reduce the load on the affected organ so that it can heal. In acute pancreatitis, it is also important to reduce the synthesis of enzymes to stop the process of destruction of the gland.
Principles of diet for pancreatitis
- Rejection of any food that provokes the production of enzymes - smoked, spicy, pickled, fried.
- Food should be warm (not cold or hot), soft.
- Food should be partial, portions should be small.
- The main emphasis in the diet is on protein products - up to 200 grams of them should be consumed per day. But fats and carbohydrates are clearly 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 consumed, but only boiled or baked.
- Carbohydrates are consumed in moderation, but foods containing sugar 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 includes no food at all, only water. After a few days, you can eat small portions of liquid food - soup and vegetable puree, boiled porridge, mucous decoction, liquid meat puree. You can gradually expand the range of dishes using allowed products.
Diet for chronic pancreatitis
The diet menu for chronic pancreatitis is more varied, but it is recommended to adhere to it for a long time, at least six months. It is believed that during this time not only the condition of the pancreas will improve, but the patient will also avoid all kinds of harmful foods, such as fried, smoked and pickled foods.
Traditionally, for chronic pancreatitis, the "Table No. 5p" diet is prescribed. The system of diet charts was developed in the 1920s, and although it has now been abandoned, many doctors still recommend adhering to the principles of such diets.
The "Table No. 5" diet is prescribed for pancreatitis and cholecystitis, but especially for the restoration of the pancreas, a special version of this diet is recommended - "Table No. 5p". It is distinguished not only by a reduced amount of fat in the diet, but also by the restriction of carbohydrates. You need to consume a lot of protein: protein is necessary for the rapid restoration of pancreatic tissue.
Diet for exacerbation of pancreatitis is stricter, it is formed in the image and similarity of the diet recommended for the acute form of the disease. Eating pureed food, separate meals, avoiding salt and spices will help you cope with the disease faster.
What to eat if you have pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
So, it's time to understand 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 allowed products varies depending on the stage of the disease. During flare-ups it is recommended to fast and eat a very limited range of foods, but during the remission period many more foods are allowed. Low-fat cottage cheese occupies an important place in the diet of those suffering from pancreatitis.
- lean meat (beef, chicken, turkey, rabbit and even lean pork are suitable);
- lean fish (pike, pollock, sturgeon, cod);
- low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese and soft cheese;
- eggs in the form of a steam omelet made from the whites (you can eat no more than one yolk per day);
- low-fat fermented milk products;
- milk - only low-fat, if tolerated;
- cereals (oatmeal, rice, semolina, buckwheat);
- stale bread, inedible crackers;
- pasta;
- boiled or baked vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, squash);
- boiled or baked sweet fruits (apples, bananas, pears);
- dry fruit;
- jelly, marmalade, 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 without violations, enjoying only the allowed 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 added to the menu carefully if they are high in protein and low in fat, such as boiled squid.
What not to eat on a diet for pancreatitis
Diet for pancreatitis provides for serious restrictions on the menu, but the improvement of the condition can be expected only if you follow them carefully. The following foods cannot be included in the diet menu no. 5 for pancreatitis:
- legumes (the only exception is legumes in moderation, boiled or boiled);
- onions, garlic, radishes, radishes, peppers and other vegetables with a spicy taste;
- spinach, sorrel, fresh herbs;
- all types of cabbage;
- mushrooms;
- sour fruits;
- marinades and pickles;
- carbonated drinks, packaged juices (it is also 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;
- fatty meat and fish;
- sausages and delicacies;
- caviar;
- Canned food;
- smoked meat;
- meat, fish, mushroom soup.
With an exacerbation of pancreatic pancreatitis, the diet becomes even stricter, and even those foods that can be safely included in the diet during remission can be included in the list of prohibited foods. Here you should listen to your doctor's recommendations.
Diet for chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas): sample menu for a week
We present an approximate diet for chronic pancreatitis for a week. This is not a dogma, but simply a guide for those who want to restore the pancreas with proper nutrition.
Monday
- Breakfast: a sandwich made from old bread with low-fat cheese, a bowl of porridge with water or thin milk.
- Second breakfast: a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with dried fruit.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, steamed beef cutlet with mashed potatoes on water with a small piece of butter.
- Afternoon snack: baked apple.
- Dinner: boiled fish without fat, allowed steamed vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: oatmeal with water
- Second breakfast: sweet baked apple puree
- Lunch: soup with vegetable cream, steamed chicken breast; berry jelly.
- Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt.
- Dinner: steamed omelette with vegetables.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with dried fruits
- Second breakfast: banana
- Lunch: soup with rice and vegetables; steamed rabbit meatballs, compote.
- Afternoon snack: apple jelly, cookies.
- Dinner: steamed fish, vegetable puree.
Thursday
- Breakfast: rice porridge, soft boiled egg.
- Second breakfast: yogurt, baked apple.
- Lunch: pasta soup; fish meatballs with vegetable puree.
- Afternoon snack: low-fat cheese sandwich.
- Dinner: lazy cottage cheese bread, 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 quenelles, rice.
Saturday
- Breakfast: oatmeal porridge, soft-boiled egg
- Second breakfast: yogurt.
- Lunch: fish soup with rice, boiled 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 cutlets, pasta.
- Afternoon snack: jelly, cookies.
- Dinner: cottage cheese, boiled vegetables.
Diet for the pancreas: recipes
Despite the limited range of products, the diet for pancreatitis can be quite diverse. We offer some ideas for inspiration.
Ingredients:
- Rice in bags;
- Potatoes;
- Carrots;
- Pumpkin;
- Salt.
Preparation: make rice water - cook the rice in a pot of plenty of water, then take out the bags. Grate the carrots, chop the remaining vegetables, put everything in a pan with rice water, add the rice there, cook until the vegetables are ready. Add salt, mix, turn off. If necessary, grind everything in a blender.
Fish cages
- Fish fillet without fat;
- White crackers;
- Milk;
- Egg white;
- Salt.
Preparation: grind the fish in a meat grinder, soak the crackers in milk, pass through a meat grinder, mix with the minced fish. Beat the egg white until foamy, add to the minced meat, add salt and mix. From the resulting minced meat, form round quenelles. Then boil or steam.
Pumpkin puree soup with rolled oats
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin;
- Potatoes;
- Hercules;
- Cream;
- A little oil for cooking.
Preparation: Cut the pumpkin and potatoes, boil them in a deep pot with a little oil, taking care not to burn them. Pour salt, add rolled oats, add water, stir, let it boil until rolled oats are ready. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender, return to the pan, add the cream and let it simmer for a few more minutes. Can be served with breadcrumbs.
According to reviews, it is not very easy to follow a diet for pancreatitis, at least at the stage of pureed food, but with its help you can achieve really stable remission. Patients note that they feel much better on such a diet.
Results of treatment of chronic pancreatitis with diet
In case of chronic pancreatitis, the diet is not prescribed for a week or a month, but for at least six months. Most often it is recommended to limit yourself to foods harmful to life, so as not to provoke an aggravation.
Along with other treatment methods, a diet for the pancreas has a beneficial effect on the organ and promotes its rapid recovery. The longer there are no irritations, the bolder you can expand your diet for pancreatitis, including all new products.
In some cases, the pancreas is completely restored thanks to timely treatment and diet, and then after the end of the therapy you can return to your usual eating style. However, it is better to give up unhealthy habits and choose PP dishes even after complete recovery.
The number of different diets cannot be counted. Some of them are prescribed for therapeutic purposes, and some are aimed at reducing body weight. Human food, like any other organism, affects its health, because the composition of food and the saturation of necessary vitamins and microelements determine the possibility of having normal physiology. Any restriction, both in composition and quantity, inevitably affects our body. Each disease has its own mechanism of development, and accordingly, the diet should also be different.
The pancreatitis diet is aimed at reducing inflammation in the pancreas. The sooner you start following it, the better results you can expect. In the acute phase, fasting can be used, but it usually lasts no more than two to three days. After that, foods with maximum fat restrictions are introduced very well. Lean varieties of meat and poultry without skin (veal, lean beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey, etc. ) are suitable. For decoration you can use buckwheat, barley, mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables. Fried, spicy, salty foods, baked products, refractory fats (lamb, pork, goose, duck, fatty beef, poultry skin, margarine, mayonnaise) can contribute to a new aggravation.
The use of additional enzyme therapy will improve the condition. Preparations of minicrospheres and microtablets are more effective. The usual dose is approximately 25, 000 units. The diet described above has the right to exist, but if its use is justified and followed only for a short period of time. Stabilization of the condition with pancreatitis is an indication for a planned and gradual expansion of the diet.