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Diet in inflammation of the pancreas
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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First of all, the occurrence of pancreatitis is indicated by acute pain in the left hypochondrium. The disease itself can occur both in acute and chronic forms. In any case, an integral part is a diet for inflammation of the pancreas.
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) is one of the rather serious and common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. When it occurs, a metabolic disorder occurs, in particular, the level of glucose in the blood is disturbed. Since this is what the hormones of the pancreas are responsible for.
In this case, it is not just an accompanying method of supporting the organ during stress, but a completely effective method of treatment. Using a diet for inflammation of the pancreas helps to restore the functions of the organ faster, prevent the aggravation of the inflammatory process, and generally influence the normalization of metabolism. When following a diet, the symptoms of the disease itself are alleviated, a person can more easily endure the acute period, and the rehabilitation period is significantly accelerated. In this case, the main function of the diet is to facilitate the absorption of food, its digestion, and provide a gentle regime for the entire gastrointestinal tract.
What is the diet for inflammation of the pancreas?
When treating inflammation of the pancreas with diet, you can not only resort to general recommendations on the composition of food, the possibility or impossibility of eating certain foods, but also use existing dietary plans developed by doctors.
Read also: Diet for pancreatitis
The most common approach is the use of diet options (so-called diet tables), which were developed by Professor M.I. Pevzner.
Each of these tables is designed for use in a specific range of diseases. Moreover, the entire diet is selected in such a way that the dishes and products included in it do not cause a deterioration in the patient's condition, even in severe cases.
In particular, for the treatment of inflammation of the pancreas with a diet, table No. 5p is recommended. This table is designed to inhibit the external secretion of the pancreas, a gentle regime for the gastrointestinal tract from the point of view of both chemical and mechanical irritants, prevention of dystrophy of the pancreas itself, and the effect on the liver and gall bladder is also taken into account.
Five or six meals a day are offered. The food portions are small. The diet mainly includes boiled or steamed food of a relatively liquid consistency.
This diet is low in energy (1500-1700 kcal), has reduced fat and carbohydrate content, and excludes foods that stimulate intestinal and glandular secretion, as well as coarse fiber.
Diet menu for inflammation of the pancreas
The diet for treating inflammation of the pancreas in its chemical composition should contain about 80 g of proteins, 40-60 g of fats, 200 g of carbohydrates. It is recommended to drink about 1.5 liters of liquid per day. Salt - no more than 8-10 g.
The menu includes wheat bread rusks, tender beef, chicken, rabbit or turkey, lean fish in the form of soufflé or quenelles, steamed egg white omelette (no more than half a yolk per day can be consumed in various dishes). Milk can be used in cooking (but not raw), as well as fresh pasty cottage cheese, steamed milk puddings. You can use butter and refined vegetable oil in ready-made dishes. Porridges should be mashed, in the form of soufflé or puddings. Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, can also be steamed, in the form of puddings. Soups should also be viscous - cream soups made from meat, slimy soups with the addition of pearl barley, semolina, oatmeal, rice. Recommended are strained compotes, jelly, mousses, as well as rosehip infusion or weak tea.
In any case, the dietary treatment tactics for inflammation of the pancreas are chosen by the doctor, therefore any changes in the diet or menu must be agreed with him and can even be made initially by the decision of the attending physician.
Diet recipes for inflammation of the pancreas
There are many classic recipes for cooking products that are listed in the menu. But when treating inflammation of the pancreas with a diet, they must be modified so as not to harm health. Here are some examples of recipes for dishes that will be not only healthy, but also tasty when using a diet to treat inflammation of the pancreas.
Cream of meat soup
Compound:
- Lean beef – 100 g.
- Lentils – 200 g.
- Dill (greens) – 50 g.
- Salt and in very limited quantities.
Pre-soak the lentils for 20 minutes, then boil in 1 liter of water. Cut the meat into small slices and add to the lentils when they are ready (approximately 2 hours). When the meat is ready, grind the entire contents of the pan in a blender or rub through a fine sieve. Season the resulting cream with salt, garnish with finely chopped herbs. You can also add wheat bread croutons to the cream soup.
Tea and milk pudding
Compound:
- Egg 1 pc (1 white and ½ yolk).
- Sugar 1 tbsp.
- Milk 1 glass
- Tea leaves 3 teaspoons.
Add tea leaves to milk, bring to a boil and cool. Beat the egg with sugar and add to milk. Then pour into molds and put in the oven to bake for half an hour. Serve cold.
Steamed vegetables
Compound:
- Zucchini 1 pc.
- Carrots 2 pcs.
- Potatoes 2 pcs.
- Water 1 glass.
- Olive oil 2 teaspoons.
Peel the potatoes and carrots, remove the skin and seeds from the zucchini. Cut all the vegetables into small slices. Then, for steaming, you can use a steamer or place the vegetables in a sieve over a steam bath. After they are ready (in 20-30 minutes), add water (preferably preheated to a warm state) and olive oil, then grind in a blender. If you cannot use a blender, rub the vegetables through a sieve with the addition of water, and only then add the oil. Salt can be added in small quantities.
Read also: Pancreatitis Diet Recipes
It is important to remember that a diet for inflammation of the pancreas implies warm temperatures of dishes, their delicate consistency, and also a non-irritating taste, so you should use salt and other spices and seasonings as carefully as possible.
What can you eat if your pancreas is inflamed?
When treating inflammation of the pancreas with a diet, recommendations concern not so much the list of foods consumed, but the method of their processing and preparation. It is so important to eat foods that are easy to digest, have a soft texture and do not cause difficulties and discomfort when passing through the intestines. At the same time, food should not be either too hot or too cold. Food should be warm, since this is when they will be absorbed faster and best. It is important to pay attention to spices. When pancreatitis occurs, all food should contain a moderate amount of salt, and should not contain spicy, sour, bitter components that irritate the intestines.
Speaking about specific products - a diet for inflammation of the pancreas involves eating cereals, especially buckwheat, oatmeal and rice, it is permissible to eat pasta, noodles, vegetables, which should be boiled and, if possible, pureed, strained soups and vegetable purees, some fermented milk products, you need to be careful with vegetable oils, since they can cause severe intestinal upset, but you should not completely give them up.
What should you not eat if you have inflammation of the pancreas?
Dietary treatment for inflammation of the pancreas involves the categorical exclusion of a number of food products for the period until the period of illness subsides, as well as for the rehabilitation period. With the development of chronic pancreatitis, the restriction of products also remains. But even if the disease is successfully cured, the very fact that it was, caused serious harm to health, therefore in the future it is important to be careful about the diet and diet in order to avoid possible relapses.
In case of inflammation of the pancreas, nutrition through the gastrointestinal tract is completely excluded in the first day after the attack. The patient, being on drug support, can receive a number of nutrients to support the body intravenously.
After this, you can gradually begin to eat non-acidic dairy products, such as low-fat cottage cheese and kefir. Fruit purees, which are often considered dietary, are completely excluded not only in the first days, but also for some time thereafter. They are rich in fruit acids, and this is very irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. You should be especially careful with the apples we are used to. The main thing is to exclude red apples, which are much harder on the pancreas. If you eat apples, then peel them and green varieties. It is better to bake apples than eat them raw. As with many other diseases of the digestive system, when treating inflammation of the pancreas with a diet, you should do without fatty, fried, spicy, sour, bitter foods. You should not eat bread with bran, any bread should be dried or simply not the freshest, porridge from coarse cereals or those that burden digestion (for example, millet).