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Diet for pancreatic cancer

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Diet for pancreatic cancer is one of the rules of recovery. The diet must be strictly followed, and the patient must be aware of the seriousness of proper nutrition. Let's look at the principles of nutrition, dietary features and an approximate diet menu for a week.

A diet for pancreatic cancer is a set of nutritional rules that are prescribed to reduce the load on the stomach and not provoke excessive activity in the pancreas. The essence of nutrition comes down to establishing a diet and eating foods that the stomach digests without problems. Accordingly, the pancreas will not feel the need for increased production of its enzymes to break down food.

When following a diet for pancreatic cancer, the patient should eat food cooked using heat treatment, gentle on the stomach (steamed, baked, boiled). It is necessary to limit the amount of fat, increase the proportion of proteins and plant products. Of the fermented milk products, low-fat, preferably fat-free (or with a low percentage of fat) and non-acidic types are recommended. Products should be chopped in a convenient way (meat grinder, grater, knife, blender).

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What is the diet for pancreatic cancer?

What is the diet for pancreatic cancer, what rules should be followed when preparing food and what food should be banned? Let's consider these questions in more detail.

  • So, first of all, the patient should eat boiled or steamed food. Baked products can also be consumed.
  • The products should be soft, without adding salt or other spices, for better absorption. It is necessary to refuse fried, spicy and smoked food.
  • You will have to forget about alcoholic drinks and soda forever. It is not recommended to drink coffee, tea is allowed, but weakly brewed.
  • A ban has also been imposed on all bakery products and sweets.
  • It is not advisable to eat fatty fish such as: catfish, silver carp, carp and others. However, during the diet you can cook from pike, bream, pike perch, flounder, hake, pollock and other types of lean fish.

In addition to nutrition, there are other factors responsible for relapses of the disease. Factors that provoke pancreatic cancer include: bad habits, addiction to alcohol and smoking, frequent overeating and consumption of fatty, high-calorie foods. A diet based on fruits and vegetables, that is, a practically vegetarian diet, prevents the development of tumors and relapses of pancreatic diseases.

Pancreatic Cancer Diet Recipes

Interesting and varied recipes for a diet for pancreatic cancer will help to diversify everyday life, because even with contraindications in food, there is always the opportunity to eat deliciously. We offer you several simple but delicious recipes.

  • Kefir-curd cocktail

To prepare this drink, you need to take 100-150 g of low-fat cottage cheese or the lowest fat content. You will also need 500 ml of low-fat kefir. The cocktail can be made sweet or leaner. For sweet, you can take some dried fruits: raisins, dried apricots, prunes. Fresh fruits are also suitable - peach, banana. For the lean version, take a small bunch of parsley, a peeled cucumber and half a sweet bell pepper.

The cocktail is best prepared in a hand blender. Pour some kefir into the blender bowl and add cottage cheese. Your task is to grind the curd lumps so that the cottage cheese has the same consistency as the kefir. Now add the remaining kefir and products of your choice: dried fruits, fruits or cucumber, parsley, pepper. Grind to an acceptable consistency, pour into a cup and enjoy. The cocktail can be drunk with biscuits or diet bread.

  • Zucchini casserole

This is an ideal dish for people on a diet for pancreatic cancer. To prepare it, we need 3 zucchini, 2 eggs, 100-150 g of hard cheese, 1-2 tomatoes, 1 sweet bell pepper and any greens you like for taste (parsley, dill, cilantro).

So, peel the zucchini, wash it well, cut it into cubes and put it in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. While the zucchini is cooking, grate the cheese on a coarse grater, cut the tomato into pieces, the bell pepper into half rings, beat the eggs with pre-chopped greens. Remove the zucchini from the heat and drain the water well.

To bake the dish, you can use heat-resistant glassware or a non-stick form, or, in extreme cases, use baking paper or foil. Add a mixture of eggs, cheese and herbs to the zucchini and mix well. Pour 1/2 of the entire mixture onto the dish, place some of the tomatoes and bell peppers on top. Pour the remaining baking mixture and decorate with peppers and tomatoes on top. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees.

  • Delicious oatmeal cookies

When following a diet for pancreatic cancer, you can eat not only healthy, but also tasty. To prepare the cookies, you will need 3-4 ripe bananas, 200 g of oatmeal and 100 g of raisins or prunes. Mash the bananas with a fork until mushy, add the oatmeal and mix well. Now add the dried fruit and mix again. If you have a blender, you can grind all the ingredients in it in a couple of seconds.

We will bake the cookies in the oven, on a baking sheet with baking paper. To put the future cookies on the baking sheet, use a spoon and a glass of water. Wet the spoon in water and carefully scoop out some of the banana-oat mixture. It is advisable to make the cookies flat, so that they bake better. As soon as you fill the baking sheet with cookie blanks, put them in the oven for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 160-180 degrees. Periodically look into the oven to monitor the baking process.

  • Fish in the oven

If you like fish dishes, then you will like hake baked in the oven. So, to prepare the dish, you will need 2 carcasses of fresh or frozen hake. And also 500 mg of low-fat sour cream, 2 heads of red sweet onions, 50-100 g of hard cheese, carrots, fresh sweet peppers and bay leaf for taste.

Rinse the fish well with running water and leave to dry a little. Cut the pepper, carrot and onion into half rings. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater and mix with sour cream. The fish can be baked either whole or cut into pieces.

Place some of the vegetables in a baking dish, then place the fish and remaining vegetables on top. Pour the mixture of sour cream and cheese over everything. Place a bay leaf on top, cover with a lid or foil and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180-200 degrees. As soon as the dish is ready, take it out of the oven, pull out and throw away the bay leaf and wait until the fish cools down a little.

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Pancreatic Cancer Diet Menu

The diet menu for pancreatic cancer should be made by a nutritionist or a doctor when you are discharged from the hospital. This is necessary so that you have an idea of what you can eat. From the above, we can try to make a menu for a week ourselves. But you should remember that when making a menu, it is necessary to take into account the psychological, age and physiological characteristics of the patient, as well as the stage of the cancer.

Monday

  • Breakfast: a glass of yogurt and 80 g of crispbread.
  • Second breakfast: cream of cauliflower and carrot soup 100 g, steamed cutlets 50 g.
  • Lunch: boiled fillet 150 g. A glass of weak tea, unsweetened cookies 50 g.
  • Afternoon snack: baked apple.
  • Dinner: steamed stew 60 g, low-fat cottage cheese 50 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of low-fat kefir 150 g.

Tuesday

  • Breakfast: oatmeal porridge with water and dried fruits 100 g, tea with milk 200 g.
  • Second breakfast: cottage cheese pudding 150 g, herbal tea 100 g.
  • Lunch: baked fish fillet 100 g. Buckwheat porridge 100 g.
  • Afternoon snack: protein omelette from 1 egg 80 g. Carrot juice 150 g.
  • Dinner: buckwheat casserole 250 g, tea 200 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of kefir with 200 g of vegetable oil.

Wednesday

  • Breakfast: a glass of juice and 1 banana.
  • Second breakfast: vegetable salad 150 g, steamed cutlet 60 g.
  • Lunch: barley porridge with butter 150 g, salad 100 g and tea 100 g.
  • Afternoon snack: 100 g yogurt, 50 g crispbread.
  • Dinner: boiled chicken fillet 100 g, glass of juice 100 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of 150g kefir and oatmeal cookies.

Thursday

  • Breakfast: 150 g glass of juice, 50 g biscuits.
  • Second breakfast: buckwheat porridge with butter 100 g, salad 100 g.
  • Lunch: vegetable soup 200 g, bread 30 g.
  • Afternoon snack: 80 g cottage cheese casserole, 100 g glass of kefir.
  • Dinner: steamed cutlet 50 g, salad 100 g, tea 100 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of kefir 100 g.

Friday

  • Breakfast: rice porridge 100 g, glass of herbal tea 150 g.
  • Second breakfast: stuffed peppers 170 g.
  • Lunch: vegetarian soup with buckwheat 200 g, bread 20 g.
  • Afternoon snack: non-acidic fruit.
  • Dinner: steamed fish 100 g, boiled potatoes 80 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of kefir 200 g.

Saturday

  • Breakfast: 200 g glass of kefir, 70 g oatmeal cookies.
  • Second breakfast: boiled rice 130 g. Steamed fish cutlets 70 g.
  • Lunch: cabbage rolls 150g, glass of compote 100g.
  • Afternoon snack: 200 g jelly, 1 baked apple.
  • Dinner: 200 g vegetable puree, 100 g salad and 150 g tea
  • Second dinner: kefir 200 g.

Sunday

  • Breakfast: a glass of yogurt, 1 banana.
  • Second breakfast: 200 g puree soup, 100 g tea.
  • Lunch: buckwheat porridge 100 g, salad 100 g, steamed cutlet 70 g.
  • Afternoon snack: vegetable pie 100 g, glass of kefir 150 g.
  • Dinner: buckwheat porridge 80 g, vegetable salad 100 g, herbal tea 150 g.
  • Second dinner: a glass of kefir and crispbread.

A diet for pancreatic cancer is a special dietary prescription that helps maintain the health of the affected organ. It is necessary to adhere to the diet throughout life. Despite the strict restrictions, following the diet is a safe and effective method that helps preserve the patient's body.

What can you eat if you have pancreatic cancer?

What can you eat with pancreatic cancer - you need to eat fractionally, 5-6 times a day. You can split your meals by time, it is much more convenient. You should eat no more than 3 kg of cooked food per day. It is recommended to drink no more than 2.5 liters of water per day, but do not forget about drinking teas and juices, as well as liquid food, this should also be taken into account.

Food should be steamed or boiled. There are many devices now that can help you make your life easier, such as a steamer, a multicooker. Also, do not forget that you cannot eat spicy, pickled, fried and smoked foods - this will only worsen your health. Instead of tasty rich meat broths, you can have lean vegetable soups. Do not forget that food should be consumed warm. You should not eat foods that are difficult to digest or those that cause increased gas formation. Food should be eaten in small portions and chewed thoroughly.

Foods you can eat if you have pancreatic cancer:

  • Weak tea without sugar, tea with milk (skimmed), herbal and fruit infusions, fruit and berry juices without sugar (not concentrated), still mineral water.
  • Yesterday's white bread, crackers, unsweetened cookies (biscuits, oatmeal).
  • Low-fat kefir and cottage cheese, milk in other dishes, mild hard cheese with low fat content.
  • Any vegetable soups and dishes.
  • Eggs cooked in the form of protein omelettes (up to 2 pieces per day), no more than half the yolk (in dishes).
  • Porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal, semolina, rice), pasta.
  • Olive oil (up to 15 g per day), butter (up to 30 g).
  • Non-acidic fruits and berries, preferably baked apples and pears;
  • Compotes, mousses, jellies without sugar.

What should you not eat if you have pancreatic cancer?

What you can't eat with pancreatic cancer - it is advisable to exclude heavy food. Do not eat fried, smoked, spicy, pickled foods, as well as sausages and canned goods. Confectionery and baked goods are also prohibited. You need to give up chocolate and sweets. All alcoholic and carbonated drinks are taboo.

You can't eat fatty meats and fish. You'll have to skip the first vegetables and fruits, as they contain the largest amount of nitrates, and if you still can't resist, you should peel them. You can't eat legumes and mushrooms. You should limit your oil and salt. You should also avoid seasonings, spices, and herbs. You can add fresh herbs for flavor during cooking.

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