The pancreas produces pancreatic juice, rich in enzymes, to break down and subsequently digest food.If the pancreatic ducts are blocked, the enzymes produced are delayed and begin to break down the organ itself, leading to inflammation and pancreatitis.In the modern world, pancreatitis is a common disease.A person who leads an unhealthy lifestyle is more susceptible to the disease than others: smoking, abusing alcohol, and eating junk food.The causes of the disease are varied:
- Drinking alcohol.
- Poor nutrition, overeating.
- Abdominal injuries.
- Infectious diseases of the digestive system.
- Gallstone disease.
- Parasites.
- Taking certain medications and allergic reactions.
- Complication after surgery (approximately 5%).
It is necessary to eliminate the factors influencing the development of the disease.In special cases, when pancreatitis is a consequence of injury or another disease, for example, gallstones, a cure is possible.
Basic nutrition for pancreatitis
Unfortunately, it is often impossible to be completely cured, but there are likely chances to stop the destruction of the pancreas and try to reduce relapses.Nutrition for pancreatitis of the pancreas is of great importance.The acute condition is relieved with medications; dietary nutrition remains the main thing.
The basic principle of nutrition for pancreatitis is not to burden the pancreas.Try to reduce enzyme production.Food should be easily digestible without causing fermentation.You need to eat often, in small portions.A smaller portion means less load on the diseased organ.During an exacerbation, frequent split meals are excluded.The less and less often a person eats, the better.Meal breaks reach 12 hours.For pancreatitis, food with a warm, soft consistency is welcome.
It is important for a patient with pancreatitis to study in detail what should not be consumed categorically, what foods should be avoided during pancreatitis, and what foods are allowed to be eaten.
Authorized Products
- Dried bread or crackers.
- Dietary meat: lean beef, rabbit, white part of chicken and turkey.
- Dairy products: milk, low-sour cottage cheese and yogurt.It is necessary to monitor the fat content of the product.Cottage cheese no more than 2%, preferably low-fat.It is advisable to exclude fermented baked milk, sour cream, and cream.
- Lean fish.Preferably cod.
- Cereals and any pasta.
- Vegetables that do not cause strong gas formation.Carrots, potatoes, beets, pumpkin, zucchini.
- Fruits: exclusively green apples, pears, bananas, avocados, persimmons.It is advisable to bake fruits.
- Weak teas, compotes of dried fruits or berries.
Prohibited Products
- Alcohol.Even low-alcohol drinks will have to be completely excluded during the diet!
- Chocolate, sugar, desserts, cakes, pastries, baked goods and other products containing a lot of sugar.
- Pork and red fish.
- Seasonings, spices, salt, smoked meats.
- Fermentable vegetables: white cabbage, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, radish.
- Fruits: grapes, red apples, citrus fruits, peaches, plums.
- Coffee, strong black or green tea, cocoa, carbonated drinks, packaged juice.
- Cereals and porridges: millet, pearl barley, corn.
- Legumes, mushrooms, nuts.
During the period of remission, minor relaxations are allowed.For example, it is acceptable to drink weak coffee with milk.For dressing, use low-fat sour cream, olive or linseed oil.
Soups that stimulate gastric secretion are not recommended for pancreatitis.However, outside of an exacerbation, it is allowed to eat soups with vegetable broths.A spoonful of honey for dessert won't hurt.
Despite the meager variety of food products for pancreatitis, a well-designed menu makes the diet varied.
Type of pancreatitis and nutrition
Pancreatitis is classified according to the nature of the disease:
- Acute pancreatitis.
- Chronic pancreatitis.
Depending on the type, appropriate treatment and diet are prescribed, which is developed by the doctor.
Acute pancreatitis is treated in a hospital setting.This is a serious condition and can be fatal without immediate medical attention.In addition to the surgical intervention performed, in case of acute pancreatitis the following conditions must be met:
- Bed rest.
- Depression of pancreatic function.
- Drug treatment.
- Starvation diet.
During exacerbation of pancreatitis, fasting is indicated.The fasting diet can last up to three days.A person should drink 1.5-2 liters of liquid - mineral water will do, the gas needs to be released, weak black or green tea or rosehip infusion, just clean water.If the patient’s condition is severe, then fasting is extended to seven days, nutrients are supplied intravenously.
The diet for acute pancreatitis immediately after fasting should be gentle.It is allowed to eat oatmeal, slimy soups, and boiled rice.The basic rule during an exacerbation is that food is introduced gradually.In the first days, the food is low-calorie, mucous, and does not irritate the gastrointestinal tract.Volume and calorie content increase as recovery progresses.
After the acute phase, the disease becomes chronic.Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by low-grade inflammation and periodic pain.Attacks are triggered by drinking alcohol and irritating foods.
To prevent frequent relapses and reduce pain, the diet for pancreatitis of the pancreas should remain lifelong.The diet must contain protein of plant and animal origin.But the amount of fat is reduced to the limit.Handle carbohydrates with care.The diet for chronic pancreatitis is carefully developed so that, despite the meager permitted list of foods, the patient receives the necessary nutrients.Additionally, vitamins may be prescribed.
Therapeutic diet for pancreatitis
How to eat properly during pancreatitis so as not to harm the pancreas?
Soviet doctors also developed a special therapeutic diet for patients with pancreatitis.It's called the Pevzner diet No. 5. And although diet therapy has changed over the years, therapeutic nutrition for pancreatitis is still based on diet No. 5.In case of exacerbation, the Pevzner diet No. 5p is prescribed.
The diet for chronic pancreatitis is quite varied.Diet No. 5 allows milk sausages and doctor's sausage.Although, given modern realities, it is better to refuse sausages.If you wish, try making your own sausages.At first, before diet food becomes a habit, it is better to create a menu for the week and purchase the necessary products according to the list.You should avoid unnecessary trips to the store, anticipating the possibility of purchasing a prohibited product.
Weekly menu for pancreatitis
First day:
- Breakfast: Finely ground oatmeal, boil until viscous.Weak green tea.
- Snack: Yogurt.
- Lunch: Mashed potatoes with steamed turkey cutlets, berry compote.
- Snack: Baked green apple.
- Dinner: Pumpkin porridge with semolina, weak black tea.
- Before bed: Low-fat cottage cheese.
Second day:
- Breakfast: Steamed omelette or in the oven, rosehip infusion.
- Snack: Boiled carrots with a minimum amount of oil.
- Lunch: Vegetable puree soup.Crackers.Add a spoonful of vegetable oil.Dried fruit compote.
- Snack: Cheese sandwich, weak green tea.
- Dinner: Boiled cauliflower, steamed fish fillet.Top with 10% sour cream.
- Before bed: Yogurt.
Third day:
- Breakfast: Rice porridge with milk, boiled rice, milk diluted with water.Weak black tea.
- Snack: Cottage cheese casserole, prepared with semolina.Add a spoonful of honey.
- Lunch: Pasta and steamed meatballs made from lean beef.Dried fruit compote.
- Snack: Baked pear.
- Dinner: Milk buckwheat soup.Green tea.
- Before bed: Yogurt.
Fourth day:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal, black tea.
- Snack: Boiled or baked beets.
- Lunch: Vegetable stew with steamed chicken fillet, rose hips.
- Snack: lean bun, jelly.
- Dinner: Milk vermicelli soup.
- Before bed: Kefir.
Fifth day:
- Breakfast: Steamed omelette, black tea.It is convenient to cook an omelet in a bag.Pour the raw mixture into a food bag, tie it tightly and place it in boiling water.The omelette will cook much faster than steam, without losing its properties.
- Snack: Yogurt.
- Lunch: Vegetable soup with meatballs (meatballs are prepared separately), compote.
- Snack: Sandwich with butter and avocado, rosehip.
- Dinner: Buckwheat with steamed cutlets, jelly.
- Before bed: low-fat cottage cheese.
Sixth day:
- Breakfast: Semolina porridge cooked in water, weak coffee with milk.
- Snack: green apple fruit jelly.
- Lunch: Pumpkin puree soup, you can add a little milk, compote.
- Snack: Yogurt.
- Dinner: Rice with turkey or chicken fillet, rose hips.
- Before bed: Fruit jelly.
Seventh day:
- Breakfast: Buckwheat milk soup.Milk preferably diluted.
- Snack: banana.
- Lunch: Vermicelli, steamed rabbit cutlets, compote.
- Snack: Cottage cheese casserole, spoon of honey.
- Dinner: Steamed vegetables, tea.
- Before bed: Yogurt.
An approximate menu for chronic pancreatitis is described; it is possible to diversify the list with permitted products.The main thing is to comply with the conditions:
- It is advisable to eat foods from the region where you live.Exotic fruits and vegetables are not good for you; they are brought to stores green.
- Compotes are prepared from dried fruits with the addition of berries: lingonberries, blueberries, black currants.You are not allowed to drink fruit juice very often.Remember - the concentration of the drink is higher than compote, and can irritate the mucous membranes.
- Products undergoing heat treatment must be boiled or steamed.Vegetables and fruits are eaten exclusively in cooked form.
- Products for pancreatitis must be fresh and of high quality.The body of a healthy person is able to cope with sour cottage cheese or week-old soup.Such a diet during inflammation of the pancreas will cause an exacerbation of the disease.
Weekly menu for pancreatitis after an exacerbation
After an exacerbation, it is necessary to carefully introduce foods, starting with a small amount of calories, gradually increasing to normal.Food in the first week is poor.After eating, you need to monitor your condition; if it worsens, be sure to consult a doctor.
The first day after fasting:
- Dried bread and jelly.
- Continue to drink plenty of fluids.
Second day:
- Slimy rice soup.
- Dried bread or crackers.
- Weak black tea, rosehip infusion, jelly.
- Continue to drink plenty of fluids.
Third day:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal, thin, slimy consistency, cooked in water.
- Lunch: Liquid mashed potatoes.
- Dinner: Rusks.Weak black tea or rosehip tea.
Fourth day:
- Breakfast: Semolina porridge on water.
- Lunch: Liquid mashed potatoes.
- Dinner: Biscuits.Kissel.
Fifth day:
- Breakfast: Buckwheat milk soup.
- Lunch: Vegetable puree from potatoes and carrots.
- Dinner: Biscuits.Compote.
Sixth day:
- Breakfast: Protein omelet.
- Lunch: Slimy rice soup.
- Dinner: Vegetable puree from pumpkin and zucchini.Black tea.
Seventh day:
- Breakfast: Oatmeal cooked with diluted milk.
- Lunch: Vegetable stew, steamed turkey meatball.
- Dinner: Low-fat cottage cheese.Green tea.
- Before bed: Oatmeal jelly.
- Gradually, over 10-14 days, a return to the basic diet occurs.
Consequences of not following the diet
If a person ignores his condition and proper nutrition during pancreatitis is not followed, such behavior is fraught with constant exacerbations.Chronic recurrent pancreatitis is a dangerous condition of the pancreas.The constantly progressing disease increases the area of cell damage, leads to complete atrophy of the organ and the development of concomitant diseases - cholecystitis, peptic ulcer, threatening diabetes and pancreatic cancer.
The diet of patients with pancreatitis is the basis for a long, quality life.