Pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas, is a rather dangerous disease that significantly worsens people's quality of life. And an important component in the correct treatment of this unpleasant disease is considered to be proper nutrition, which has a beneficial effect on organ function. 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 dealing with pancreatic diseases (by the way, among office workers and former students, pancreatitis is in the third "popular" place) and therefore we have collected in this article basic recommendations on diet for pancreatitis and cholecystitis. We also provide sample menus and some useful recipes. Read it, hope it's useful!
What is pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas, which takes part in the digestive process and also controls metabolism. This is a "2 in 1" organ, it has a complex structure: most of the glands secrete the enzymes needed to digest food into the intestines, and the so-called "island of the pancreas" is an endocrine organ that produces the hormone insulin. .
When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the release of enzymes into 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. Often it happens because of alcohol abuse or kidney stone disease, when stones block the ducts. The disease is characterized by severe pain in the upper abdomen, sometimes radiating to the back; nausea; vomiting; general deterioration of the situation.
Chronic pancreatitis
With chronic inflammation of the pancreas, the organ is gradually destroyed. The main cause of this disease is alcohol consumption and smoking. The most typical manifestation is abdominal pain, which usually occurs after eating. The lack of digestive secretions from the pancreas leads to the fact that food is poorly digested, flatulence and flatulence occur. There is often no appetite, and weight loss may occur.
Symptoms of pancreatitis
The main symptom of both acute and chronic inflammation of the pancreas is pain in the upper abdomen. Often such pain is ligamentous. In the chronic form, heaviness in the stomach, nausea, and stool disorders are often observed. Unpleasant sensations make a person suspect pancreatitis, and then the diagnosis is confirmed with the help of other tests and 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 recover. In acute pancreatitis, it is also important to reduce enzyme synthesis to stop the process of gland destruction.
Principles of diet for pancreatitis
- Rejection of any food that triggers the production of enzymes - smoked, spicy, pickled, fried.
- Food should be warm (not cold or hot), mushy.
- Food should be fractional, portions should be small.
- The main emphasis in the diet is on protein products - up to 200 grams of them should be consumed daily. But fat and carbohydrates are very limited.
- The amount of salt is reduced to 3-5 grams; food is not salted during cooking.
- Raw food is excluded. Fresh vegetables and fruits should not be eaten, only boiled or baked ones.
- Carbohydrates are eaten 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 menu on the first day does not include food at all, only water. After a few days, you can eat small portions of liquid food - vegetable soup and puree, boiled porridge, mucus stew, liquid meat puree. You can gradually expand the range of dishes using authorized products.
Diet for chronic pancreatitis
The diet menu for chronic pancreatitis is more diverse, but it is recommended to adhere to it for a long time, at least six months. It is believed that at this time not only the condition of the pancreas will improve, but the patient will also wean himself from various types of harmful foods, such as fried foods, smoke and pickles.
Traditionally, for chronic pancreatitis, the "Table No. 5p" diet is prescribed. The diet table system was developed in the 1920s, and although it has now been abandoned, many doctors still recommend following the principles of such a diet.
The "Table No. 5" diet is prescribed for pancreatitis and cholecystitis, but especially for the recovery of the pancreas, a special version of this diet is recommended - "Table No. 5p". It is distinguished not only by reducing the amount of fat in the diet, but also by limiting carbohydrates. You need to consume a lot of protein: protein is necessary for the rapid recovery of pancreatic tissue.
The diet for exacerbation of pancreatitis is stricter, it is formed in the image and appearance of the recommended diet for the acute form of the disease. Pure food, split meals, avoiding salt and spices will help you overcome this disease faster.
What can you eat if you have pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
So, it's time to think about what you can eat on a diet for pancreatitis to recover quickly and avoid painful attacks. Let us remind you that the list of allowed products varies depending on the stage of the disease. During an exacerbation, 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, flounder, cod);
- low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat and light cheese;
- eggs in the form of a steamed omelet made of white (you can eat no more than one yolk per day);
- low-fat fermented milk products;
- milk - only low-fat, if accepted;
- cereals (semolina, rice, oats, buckwheat);
- stale bread, inedible crackers;
- pasta;
- boiled or baked vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin);
- boiled or baked sweet fruits (apples, bananas, pears);
- dried fruits;
- jelly, marmalade, honey, jelly - in small quantities.
The list of what you can eat in a diet for pancreatitis is not so short: if you want, you can easily do without violations, being satisfied with only allowed foods for a long time. It should be considered that the proposal was developed 100 years ago, and since then many new products have appeared. They can be added to the menu with caution if it contains a lot of protein and a little fat, such as boiled squid.
What not to eat in the diet for pancreatitis
The diet for pancreatitis sets serious restrictions on the menu, but an improvement in the condition can only be expected if you follow it strictly. The following foods cannot be included in diet menu No. 5 for pancreatitis:
- legumes (the only exception is green beans in a simple, boiled or boiled form);
- onions, garlic, turnips, radishes, peppers and other vegetables with a spicy taste;
- spinach, sorrel, fresh herbs;
- all kinds of cabbage;
- mushrooms;
- sour fruit;
- pickles and pickles;
- carbonated drinks, packaged juices (it is also better not to drink fresh juices);
- alcohol;
- coffee and cocoa;
- ready-made sauce, mayonnaise;
- snacks;
- 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 the exacerbation of pancreatic pancreatitis, the diet becomes stricter, and even foods that can be safely included in the diet during remission can be included in the list of prohibited foods. Here you need to 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 only a guideline 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 liquid milk.
- Second breakfast: a portion of low-fat cottage cheese with dried fruit.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, steamed beef cutlets with mashed potatoes on water with a small piece of butter.
- Afternoon snack: baked apple.
- Dinner: boiled fish without fat, steamed vegetables are allowed.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: oatmeal with water
- Second breakfast: baked sweet apple puree
- Lunch: vegetable cream soup, steamed chicken breast; berry jelly
- Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt.
- Dinner: steam omelet with vegetables.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with dried fruit
- Second breakfast: banana
- Lunch: rice and vegetable soup; 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: soup with pasta; fish meatballs 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: egg white steamed omelette.
- Lunch: mashed potato soup, roast beef with steamed vegetables, jelly.
- Afternoon snack: dried fruit compote.
- Dinner: lean fish quenelles, rice.
Saturday
- Breakfast: semolina 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 cutlet, 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 a bag;
- potatoes;
- carrot;
- pumpkin;
- salt.
Preparation: make rice water - cook the rice in a pot with plenty of water, then remove the bag. Grate the carrots, chop the remaining vegetables, put everything in a pan with rice water, put the rice there, cook until the vegetables are ready. Add salt, stir, turn off. If necessary, grind everything in a blender.
fish quenelles
- Lean fish fillet;
- White crackers;
- milk;
- Egg white;
- salt.
Preparation: grind fish in a meat grinder, soak crackers in milk, also through a meat grinder, mix with minced fish. Beat the egg whites until frothy, add to the minced meat, add salt and mix. Form round quenelles from the resulting minced meat. Then boiled or steamed.
Pumpkin puree soup with rolled oats
ingredients:
- pumpkin;
- potatoes;
- Hercules;
- cream;
- A little oil to boil.
Preparation: cut the pumpkin and potatoes, simmer in a deep bowl with a little oil, make sure they don't burn. Add salt, add rolled oats, add water, stir, let it boil until rolled oats are ready. Pass the contents of the pan through a blender, return to the pan, add the cream and let it boil for a few more minutes. Can be served with breadcrumbs.
According to reviews, it is not so easy to follow a diet for pancreatitis, at least in the pure food phase, but with its help you can achieve a truly stable remission. Patients note that they feel better with such a diet.
Results of treatment of chronic pancreatitis with diet
In the 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 dangerous foods for life, so as not to cause aggravation.
Together with other methods of treatment, the diet for the pancreas has a good effect on the organ and promotes its rapid recovery. The longer there is no aggravation, 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 therapy you can return to your normal eating style. However, it is better to abandon unhealthy habits and choose PP meals 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 losing weight. Human nutrition, 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 a normal physiology. Any restriction, both in composition and quantity, definitely affects our body. Each disease has its own mechanism of development, and therefore, nutrition should also be different.
Diet for pancreatitis aims to reduce inflammation in the pancreas. The sooner you start following it, the better results you can expect. In the acute stage, fasting can be used, but usually it lasts no more than two to three days. After this, foods with maximum fat restriction are introduced very smoothly. Skinless types of meat and poultry (beef, lean beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey, etc. ) are suitable. For decoration you can use buckwheat, barley, mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables. Fried, spicy, salty foods, baked foods, refractory fats (lamb, pork, goose, duck, fatty beef, chicken skin, margarine, mayonnaise) can contribute to new exacerbations.
Using additional enzyme therapy will improve the condition. Minimicrosphere and microtablet preparations 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 it is 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.