The list of functions of the human pancreas includes the production of most digestive enzymes, without which the normal course of vital processes of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the synthesis of insulin, is impossible. When a malfunction occurs in the work of this organ, pancreatitis develops. This disease is an inflammation of the pancreas, generally it is caused by the suspension of the normal excretion of enzymes.
Nutritional characteristics 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, gradually beginning to corrode its inner layer. Most 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 following a special diet for pancreatitis, which involves preparing a rough menu.
Acute pancreatitis: diet menu for the week
To normalize the state of the patient's body, the nutritionist prescribes special therapeutic nutrition to eliminate swelling and inflammation in the pancreas. In addition to drug treatment, short-term fasting is also prescribed, thanks to which surgery can be avoided. During fasting, gastric juice stops being produced and the activity of enzymes also decreases, which will help the damaged organ to recover in a few days.
In the first days of this fast, it is recommended to drink mineral water without gases, diluted green tea or rosehip broth in small portions several times a day. Drinking will help prevent dehydration, but after you break the fast, you should gradually move on to eating. In the presence of acute pancreatitis, a strict diet is followed, the week's menu must be drawn up by a specialist. The standard diet for 5 days includes the following foods:
- dry bread or loaf of wheat flour;
- liquid gelatin or fruit drinks;
- slimy rice or oat broth;
- liquid mashed potatoes with no added oil;
- pureed cereals, for example, oats, rice, semolina or buckwheat;
- dry crackers;
- 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 small amount of sugar or honey with the addition of milk, beet juice with a small amount of mineral water. The list of allowed foods includes:
- steamed protein omelette;
- curd souffle;
- ground or minced meat;
- liquid slimy soups;
- berry or apple mousses and jellies;
- Steamed vegetable puree and oil-free puddings.
Sample menu for pancreatitis for a week
The diet for acute pancreatitis should be quite strict, so the patient must 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, a fruit, for example, an orange, pear or apple, weak tea with the addition of honey.
- Late breakfast. Pumpkin puree, steamed fish or minced chicken cutlets, rosehip broth.
- Lunch. Fish or beef broth, mashed potatoes, dry white bread, baked apple for dessert.
- Afternoon snack. A small portion of cottage cheese and weak tea with the addition of honey.
- Dinner. A protein-based steamed omelette, a dry slice of white bread, mashed vegetable puree.
Second day
- Breakfast. Oat milk, jelly, or tea (green or black).
- Late breakfast. Applesauce mixed with cottage cheese.
- Lunch. Soup of pureed broccoli or cauliflower, steamed chicken meatballs.
- Afternoon snack. Dry cookies and green tea.
- Dinner. Rice or cottage cheese pudding, jam or tea.
3rd day
- Breakfast. Liquid rice-based porridge, green tea with a dry cracker.
- Late breakfast. Baked apple with honey or cottage cheese.
- Lunch. Vegetable soup based on cauliflower, potatoes, peas or carrots combined with meatballs, compote of nuts.
- Afternoon snack. Pureed cottage cheese and weak tea.
- Dinner. Low-fat, baked, or steamed fish.
Common recipes
The sample menu may include special recipes recommended for pancreatic pancreatitis. To prevent deterioration of the condition, each of the components of an individual dish should be coordinated with a doctor or nutritionist, who usually recommend the preparation of specific first and second dishes, as well as special desserts.
Pumpkin and carrot puree
To prepare such a diet puree, you will need 400 grams of pumpkin and two carrots, they need to be peeled and cut into medium cubes. Then the vegetables are boiled in boiling water until they are soft enough. After cooking is finished, the water in the pan can be completely or partially drained to obtain a finer batter. With a blender, you need to turn the vegetables into a homogeneous mass and serve.
Chowder
To prepare a liquid soup puree, it is necessary to take half a kilo of any lean fish, for example, cod, hake, walleye or flounder, a liter and a half 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 preheated milk to a boil separately with the melted butter, pour in the fish broth and add the fillets, 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 pancreatic pancreatitis and a rough menu, many gastroenterologists recommend sticking to the well-known diet number 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. Normally, such a diet is divided into two stages, each of which is different in time.
In the process of the first stage, you can only take pureed food for two weeks, after it is finished, the patient is transferred to the second, less strict menu option, which lasts at least six to eight months. At the first stage, you can eat unsalted liquid 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 dieting, calories should be increased gradually, while limiting fat intake. From the sixth to the ninth day of such a diet, the total caloric content of the food consumed 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 pancreatitis diet option 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 occur periodically due to improper nutrition, especially if the list of dishes includes forbidden foods, including hard-boiled eggs, candy, chocolate, milk, soda, and other similar foods. Symptoms of the disease are bloating, noticeable heaviness after the next meal, frequent vomiting. Very often, chronic pancreatitis provokes the appearance of diabetes mellitus, especially in cases when the patient did not go to the doctor in time and did not start taking special drugs.
A dietitian or gastroenterologist must necessarily develop a special menu for pancreatitis for one week, which includes light and fast-digesting foods. It will be especially useful to drink still mineral water 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 fat 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 should include:
- wheat biscuits (purchased or prepared on your own);
- liquid vegetable or cereal soups;
- baked or boiled meat, including chicken, beef, or rabbit;
- steamed lean fish;
- low-fat cottage cheese;
- unsalted and low-fat cheeses;
- semi-liquid and liquid cereals;
- vegetable puree and stew;
- baked and grated fruits;
- light gelatins, mousses and compotes.
Sample menu and list of prohibited dishes
The menu for chronic pancreatitis in adults and children should certainly be varied, despite rather strict restrictions, while it is necessary to carefully monitor compliance with the daily routine and eat for hours. Usually a specialist draws up a weekly menu that 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, mild tea.
- Lunch. Carrot and pumpkin soup puree, steamed fish and tea.
- Afternoon snack. Cottage cheese for infant feeding.
- Dinner. Zucchini stew with carrots, boiled chicken breast, compote of dried fruits.
- Dinner. A glass of low-fat kefir.
The diet for inflammation of the pancreas and the approximate menu involve strict restrictions, as 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 preserves;
- meat and fish broths, as well as mushroom soups;
- cabbage soup, borscht, okroshka;
- fatty dairy products;
- fried and hard boiled eggs;
- all kinds of legumes, white cabbage, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, sorrel, aubergine, bell peppers and mushrooms;
- butter and flour, bakery products, sweets, chocolate;
- coffee, strong black tea, cocoa, carbonated drinks.
Recipes for chronic pancreatitis
Nutrition for pancreatic pancreatitis and the correct menu should be selected by a specialist, patients will have 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 soft. Then you need to drain the water and make mashed potatoes with a blender.
Apple pastilla
To make a healthy diet marshmallow, you need 1 kg of apples, diced and peeled, put in a saucepan, add water and cook. Once they have boiled enough, you should remove the pan from the heat, drain the water and cool the apples. Then they are crushed with a blender, the resulting puree is 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 it has a syrupy consistency. After that, the juice is mixed with mashed potatoes, the dough is rolled out on a baking sheet and placed in a preheated 120 degree oven to dry the marshmallow.
Doctor's recommendations
In most cases, a diet with pancreatitis and adherence to a strict menu for a week give excellent results, since such a system of nutrition has a very mild effect on internal organs. According to doctors, according to the results of such diets, the work of the pancreas stabilizes, mainly 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 functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, thanks to the menu for inflammation of the pancreas and light food, you can significantly reduce weight and improve the general condition of the body.