The list of functions of the human pancreas includes the production of most of the digestive enzymes, without which the normal course of vital processes of the gastrointestinal tract is impossible, as well as the synthesis of insulin. When a malfunction occurs in the work of this organ, pancreatitis develops. This disease is an inflammation of the pancreas, it is usually caused by the suspension of the normal excretion of enzymes.
Nutritional features in acute and chronic pancreatitis
In the absence of pathologies in the body, enzymes enter the intestine, but due to pancreatitis, they remain inside this organ, starting to gradually corrode its inner shell. Quite often, patients with pancreatitis develop intoxication, as a result of which intestinal particles and enzyme residues enter the bloodstream. The acute course of the disease usually ends with surgery if therapy and diet do not give the desired results.
Chronic pancreatitis is usually caused by overeating, alcohol or drug abuse, the use of hormonal or estrogenic drugs, as well as existing diseases of the gallbladder and liver. With two types of this disease, gastroenterologists recommend adhering to a special diet for pancreatitis, which involves drawing up an approximate menu.
Acute pancreatitis: diet menu for the week
In order to normalize the state of the patient's body, the nutritionist prescribes special therapeutic nutrition for him in order to eliminate swelling and inflammation in the pancreas. In addition to treatment with medications, short-term fasting is also prescribed, thanks to which surgery can be avoided. During fasting, gastric juice ceases to be produced, and enzyme activity also decreases, which will help the damaged organ to recover in a few days.
In the first days of such fasting, it is recommended to drink mineral medicinal water without gas, diluted green tea or rosehip broth in small portions several times a day. Drinking will help prevent dehydration, but after you get out of fasting, you need to gradually move on to eating. In the presence of acute pancreatitis, a strict diet is followed, the menu for a week should be drawn up by a specialist. The standard diet for 5 days includes the following foods:
- dry bread or loaf of wheat flour;
- liquid jelly or fruit drinks;
- slimy rice or oatmeal broth;
- liquid mashed potatoes without added oil;
- pureed cereals, for example, oatmeal, rice, semolina or buckwheat;
- dry biscuits;
- bread or crackers.
After 6 days, other foods and drinks can be added to the pancreatitis menu. It can be black or green tea sweetened with a little sugar or honey with the addition of milk, beet juice with a little mineral water. The list of allowed meals includes:
- steamed protein omelet;
- curd soufflé;
- ground or minced meat;
- liquid slimy soups;
- berry or apple mousses and jellies;
- steamed vegetable puree and puddings without oil.
Sample menu for pancreatitis for a week
The diet for acute pancreatitis should be quite strict, so the patient should adhere to the menu compiled for him for a week. An example of such a diet is presented below, but at the same time, the exact list of dishes must be agreed with the doctor.
1st day
- Breakfast. Liquid porridge from rice or semolina, one fruit, for example, an orange, pear or apple, weak tea with the addition of honey.
- Late breakfast. Mashed pumpkin puree, steamed cutlets from fish or minced chicken, rosehip broth.
- Lunch. Fish or beef broth, mashed potatoes, dried white bread, baked apple as a dessert.
- Afternoon snack. A small portion of cottage cheese and weak tea with the addition of honey.
- Dinner. Protein steam omelet, dry white bread, mashed vegetable puree.
2nd day
- Breakfast. Milk oatmeal, jelly or tea (green or black).
- Late breakfast. Mashed applesauce mixed with cottage cheese.
- Lunch. Broccoli or cauliflower-based puree soup, steamed chicken meatballs.
- Afternoon snack. Dry biscuits and green tea.
- Dinner. Rice or cottage cheese pudding, jelly or tea.
3rd day
- Breakfast. Rice-based liquid porridge, green tea with one dry cookie.
- Late breakfast. Baked apple with honey or cottage cheese.
- Lunch. Vegetable soup based on cauliflower, potatoes, green peas or carrots combined with meatballs, dried fruit compote.
- Afternoon snack. Pureed cottage cheese and weak tea.
- Dinner. Low-fat fish, baked or steamed.
Common Recipes
The sample menu may include special recipes recommended for pancreatic pancreatitis. In order to prevent deterioration of the condition, each of the components of an individual dish must be agreed with a doctor or nutritionist, who usually themselves recommend preparing specific first and second courses, as well as special desserts.
Pumpkin and carrot puree
To prepare such a diet puree, you need 400 grams of pumpkin and two carrots, they must be peeled and cut into medium cubes. The vegetables are then boiled in boiling water until they are soft enough. After the end of cooking, the water from the pan can be drained completely or partially to obtain a thinner mass. Using a blender, you need to turn vegetables into a homogeneous mass and serve.
Fish soup
To prepare a liquid mashed soup, you need to take half a kilo of any lean fish, for example, cod, hake, pike perch or flounder, one and a half liters of water, a teaspoon of butter and 50 ml of milk. Fish fillets are cut into small pieces and boiled in water or vegetable broth until tender. Bring the separately preheated milk with the butter melted in it to a boil, pour in the fish broth and add the fillet, then cook everything together for several minutes.
It is worth remembering that in the acute form of pancreatitis, it is strictly forbidden to eat fatty and fried foods, foods that stimulate fermentation in the digestive tract, drink alcohol, kvass, kefir and carbonated drinks.
Pancreas inflammation menu
When it comes to the diet for pancreatitis and an exemplary menu, many gastroenterologists recommend adhering to the well-known diet No. 5, which is usually prescribed after the patient's condition has improved in the acute form of the disease. Foods allowed as part of the diet can be safely included in the diet after fasting. Typically, such a diet is divided into two stages, each of which is different in time.
In the process of the first stage, you can take only mashed food for two weeks, after its completion, the patient is transferred to the second, less strict menu option, it lasts at least six to eight months. At the first stage, you can eat liquid unsalted dishes with a predominance of carbohydrates, drink fruit drinks, juices, rosehip decoction with the addition of honey or sugar. Fatty, fried or salty foods are strictly prohibited.
After the fifth day of the diet, calories should be gradually increased, but at the same time the fat intake should be limited. From the sixth to the ninth day of such a diet, the total calorie content of foods eaten per day should not exceed 1000 calories. After the tenth, the number of calories can be increased, and the patient is transferred to the second diet option for pancreatitis for a week.
Nutrition for the chronic form of the disease
Pancreatitis often turns into a chronic form, it is in this case that special diets for pancreatic pancreatitis are more relevant than ever, thanks to which it is possible to completely normalize the state of the gastrointestinal tract. Characteristic seizures periodically occur due to improper nutrition, especially if the list of dishes includes prohibited foods, including boiled eggs, sweets, chocolate, milk, soda, and other similar foods. Symptoms of the disease are bloating, noticeable heaviness after the next meal, frequent vomiting. Quite often, chronic pancreatitis provokes the onset of diabetes mellitus, especially in cases where the patient did not go to the doctor on time and did not start taking special drugs.
A dietitian or gastroenterologist must necessarily develop a special menu for pancreatitis for a week, which includes light and quickly digestible food. It will be especially useful to drink mineral water without gas for two days, as well as a decoction of wild rose or weak weak tea. It is necessary to switch to a low-calorie diet as soon as possible, prepare meals with a minimum content of fats and carbohydrates. Food intake should be fractional, it is necessary to eat at least 5-6 times a day. The list of products that make up the menu for chronic pancreatitis must include:
- wheat rusks (purchased or prepared on your own);
- liquid vegetable or cereal soups;
- baked or boiled meat, including chicken, veal, or rabbit;
- steamed lean fish;
- cottage cheese with a low percentage of fat;
- unsalted and low-fat cheeses;
- semi-liquid and liquid cereals;
- vegetable puree and stew;
- baked and grated fruits;
- light jellies, mousses and compotes.
Sample menu and list of prohibited dishes
The menu for chronic pancreatitis in adults and children must certainly be varied, despite the rather strict restrictions, while it is necessary to carefully monitor compliance with the daily routine and eat by the hour. Usually a weekly menu is drawn up by a specialist who also gives the patient detailed instructions and advice, helps to choose suitable recipes for dishes and talks about the properties of some products. It is worth paying attention to the approximate menu for pancreatitis, which you can focus on when drawing up your own diet:
- Breakfast. Oatmeal with milk, rosehip decoction.
- Second breakfast. Steamed chicken or beef, weak tea.
- Lunch. Puree soup based on carrots and pumpkin, steamed fish and tea.
- Afternoon snack. Cottage cheese for baby food.
- Dinner. Zucchini stew with carrots, boiled chicken breast, dried fruit compote.
- Evening meal. A glass of low-fat kefir.
The diet for inflammation of the pancreas and the approximate menu imply strict restrictions, since many foods can overstimulate the secretion of the pancreas and the production of gastric juice. The list of prohibited products includes:
- fatty meats and fish, smoked meats, sausages and canned food;
- meat and fish broths, as well as mushroom soups;
- cabbage soup, borscht, okroshka;
- fatty dairy products;
- fried and boiled eggs;
- all kinds of legumes, white cabbage, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, sorrel, eggplant, bell peppers and mushrooms;
- butter and flour bakery products, sweets, chocolate;
- coffee, black strong tea, cocoa, carbonated drinks.
Recipes for chronic pancreatitis
Nutrition for pancreatic pancreatitis and the correct menu should be selected by a specialist, patients will need to master several new recipes that are ideal for normalizing the digestive tract.
Vegetable puree soup
To prepare it, you need one unsweetened yellow or green pepper, 200 g of broccoli and cauliflower, 1 zucchini. Cut the vegetables into cubes, add 1. 5 liters of water and cook until they are soft. Then you need to drain the water and make mashed potatoes with a blender.
Apple Pastila
To make a healthy diet marshmallow, you need 1 kg of apples, diced and peeled, put them in a saucepan, add water and leave to cook. After they have boiled enough, you need to remove the pan from the heat, drain the water and cool the apples. Then they are crushed with a blender, the resulting puree must be squeezed out and the excess juice is poured into a separate container. Then the juice is boiled separately in a saucepan until it thickens, add 100 g of liquid honey there and cook until a syrup is obtained. After that, the juice is mixed with mashed potatoes, put the mass on a baking sheet and put in an oven preheated to 120 degrees to dry the marshmallow.
Doctor's recommendations
In most cases, a diet for pancreatitis and adherence to a strict menu for a week give excellent results, since such a nutrition system has a very gentle effect on the internal organs. According to doctors, according to the results of such diets, the work of the pancreas is stabilized, primarily due to a decrease in the concentration of gastric juice. Experts recommend completely eliminating alcohol during treatment and constantly adhering to a balanced and proper diet. In addition to improving the digestive tract, thanks to the menu with inflammation of the pancreas and light food, you can significantly reduce weight and improve the general condition of the body.