Worldwide, more than 10,000 people suffer from inflammation of the pancreas or pancreatitis. Depending on the severity of the disease, pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. In order to speed up recovery and prevent complications such as abnormal blood sugar levels, kidney problems, and recurrence of acute pancreatitis, you must follow a diet suitable for this disease. This article from the department Nutrition And read Dr. Salam’s Diseases for information such as knowing what foods to eat and what foods to avoid, as well as making lifestyle changes. But first, we give a brief explanation about pancreatitis.
What are the causes of pancreatitis?
Pancreatitis or inflammation of the pancreas is usually very painful and may require surgery. The pancreas is an elongated gland located in the visceral cavity and covered by the stomach and duodenum. The main function of the pancreas is to secrete pancreatic enzymes and hormones. The pancreas secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon, which help regulate blood sugar, and secretes digestive enzymes such as trypsin, amylase, and lipase, which are responsible for breaking down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Normally, pancreatic enzymes are secreted in the upper part of the small intestine where the main breakdown of food and absorption of nutrients takes place. But due to the presence of gallstones, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, autoimmune diseases or defective genes, pancreatic enzymes are secreted inside the pancreas instead of being secreted in the small intestine, which leads to Inflammation and inability to digest and absorb food.
This disease is of two types:
What is the difference between acute and chronic pancreatitis?
Acute pancreatitis involves serious inflammation of the pancreas, which causes sudden onset of abdominal pain and increased levels of blood enzymes. The pain may increase after eating and may occur in the upper middle or left side of the abdomen and in some cases may last for several days. Severe cases of acute pancreatitis may require surgery.
Chronic pancreatitis is also a type of disease in which the pain is not as severe as acute pancreatitis, but it damages the pancreas by producing calcium, inflammation of the ducts, and fibrosis. And this is bad news because the pancreas is no longer active and you may be prone to diabetes, liver problems, anemia and malnutrition.
Now, we will examine the symptoms of acute and chronic pancreatitis.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis
About 30 out of 100,000 people have acute pancreatitis, and the symptoms are usually as follows:
Pain in the upper abdomen that may be transient or persistent
- Fever
- Inability to digest food
- nausea
- Pain after meals
- Vomit
- stomach ache
- high heart rate
- Pain in the back and shoulders
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis
About 5 to 12 out of 100,000 people have chronic pancreatitis. Not having a diet of this disease, even after the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, leads to the occurrence of chronic pancreatitis. Here are the symptoms of chronic pancreatitis:
- Severe weight loss
- Excretion of abnormal amounts of fat with feces due to reduced absorption of fat by the intestine – fat feces with an unpleasant smell
- Difficulty breathing
- tiredness
- dehydration
- diarrhea
- nausea
- Vomit
In some cases, the pain may subside, indicating that the pancreas has stopped working.
Keep in mind that you may experience abdominal pain for various reasons. Do not worry at all and see a specialist doctor.
To reduce the recurrence of the pain of this disease, you should be careful about what you eat. Here are some guidelines for the diet of this disease.
Pancreatitis recipes
Here are some recipes for acute and chronic pancreatitis:
- Always pay attention to eating healthy food.
- A low-fat diet prevents inflammation from worsening.
- Quitting alcohol and smoking
- Consumption of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) because they do not need to be digested by pancreatic enzymes.
- Talk to your doctor about taking digestive enzyme supplements.
- Talk to your doctor about taking vitamin A, E, D, K, and B12 supplements.
- Talk to your doctor about taking minerals like calcium and iron.
- Eat 6 to 7 small meals throughout the day
- Do not eat foods that contain too much fiber at once.
- Use boiled and pureed vegetables to put less pressure on the stomach.
Pancreatitis diet and foods you are allowed to eat
- Plants such as spinach, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chives, carrots, beets and cucumbers.
- Fruits such as cherries, blueberries, peeled apples and pineapples.
- MCTs such as coconut, coconut oil, yogurt and milk.
- Protein such as lentils, beans and lean meats.
- Whole grains such as oats, oats and white rice.
- Drinks like water, fruit juice, coconut water and buttermilk
- Toppings like chickpeas and chickpea hummus
Note: If you have chronic pancreatitis, you are not allowed to consume beans and whole grains. The doctor or nutritionist, according to the severity of the disease, will guide you in the consumption of food.
Pancreatitis diet and foods you are not allowed to eat
Foods containing a lot of sugar, these foods increase the level of triglycerides and aggravate acute pancreatitis.
- Carbonated drinks
- High-fat foods such as butter, avocado, desiccated coconut, nuts, seeds, peanut butter
- Fruits with high fiber and eating fruit with skin
- Foods that are high in sodium such as wafers, cheese, and processed meats
- Fatty meats such as beef
- mayonnaise sauce
- Very sweet drinks such as packaged juices and energy drinks
- Full fat dairy products
- Hamburgers, pizza, chips and fried chicken
- Cakes, pastries, donuts, ice cream and milkshakes
Obviously, you should avoid eating unhealthy foods because the digestive system has to struggle to digest them. In the following, we mention a list of permitted and prohibited foods and the timing and amount of meals, and if you decide to follow this diet, consult your doctor.
Food plan to improve inflammation of the pancreas
When it comes to the feet of patients with pancreatitis, the type of nutrition and food consumed becomes very difficult. The patient should have a good diet and avoid diseases caused by pancreatitis such as gallstones, pancreatic cancer, diabetes and malnutrition. Here’s a look at a diet plan for acute pancreatitis.
|
type of food |
Meal |
|
1 cup of water on an empty stomach |
early morning (7 am) |
|
1 cup of peeled apple juice + 1/2 cup of spinach + 1 carrot + 1 boiled egg or a medium bowl of green sprout porridge with vegetables |
Breakfast (8 am) |
|
1 cucumber |
Morning snack (10 am) |
|
Boiled fish without skin + cooked vegetables |
Lunch (12:30 p.m.) |
|
1 small cup of carrots and hummus |
evening (3:30 pm) |
| 1 medium bowl of vegetable soup |
Dinner (7 pm) |
This diet plan may be very boring, but it will soothe your digestive system and reduce pain.
In spite of following a proper diet for this disease, you must also have a good lifestyle. Most of the time, it’s your lifestyle that determines whether you want to live a disease-free life. So, keep the following points in mind.
Lifestyle changes regarding this disease
- Drink 3 liters of water every day
- Quit smoking and drinking alcohol
- Eating home cooked food
- Eating healthy foods and avoiding foods that cause inflammation of the pancreas
- doing exercises meditation and yoga
- walking
- Join a support group and get support from people who understand your situation
- Do not miss appointments with your doctor and renew appointments if necessary.
These lifestyle changes are necessary so you can avoid the risks.
Complications of pancreatitis
- Worsening of pancreatitis
- liver failure
- Pancreatic cancer
- kidney damage
- Malnutrition
- diabetes
Along with diet and lifestyle changes, you should also be aware of other pancreatitis treatments that are available. Take a look at the list below.
Other treatment options
fasting: As recommended by doctors, fast for a few days so that the digestive system can rest and the inflammation will decrease.
Painkillers: The pain of acute pancreatitis is unbearable, which is why doctors often recommend painkillers.
Intravenous fluid injection: When pancreatitis heals, your body may feel dry and dehydrated. Therefore, by injecting fluid through the veins, the body will be able to absorb water.
Gallbladder surgery: Because gallstones cause inflammation of the pancreas, you may need to have gallbladder surgery to remove the gallstones.
Pancreatic surgery: With pancreatic surgery, excess fluid or a damaged part of the pancreas is removed.
Removal of bile duct obstruction: This disease may be caused by the narrowing or obstruction of the bile duct. Therefore, the doctor uses methods to widen the bile duct.
Dr. Salam suggests what is the fatty liver diet article? + Read the food plan as well. If you have nutritional advice for patients with this disease, share it with us in the comments section below.
