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Diet Table 3: what you can and cannot do

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025
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Therapeutic nutrition methods created in the middle of the last century have not lost their relevance today. For convenience, they are numbered and called "tables". Diet No. 3 is designed to activate the gastrointestinal tract and eliminate obstruction caused by unfavorable factors or age. Dietary nutrition prevents the progression of the disease and restores normal functioning of the digestive organs.

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Indications

The goal of diet #3 is to restore normal functions, activate the regeneration of epithelium on the mucous membranes, and normalize metabolism. It is used for constipation caused by poor nutrition, if there are no pronounced symptoms of irritation of the mucous membrane. The recommended food helps to increase motility for bowel movements.

  • Indications for prescribing diet table number 3 are chronic pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract, as well as the presence of anal fissures and hemorrhoids.

Meals should be steamed, boiled in water or baked. To avoid dietary nutrition being a burden, you should use all the available variety of products and recipes. Fortunately, patients are allowed to do a lot, the main thing is to cook and eat what is prepared correctly.

This diet can be used periodically by healthy people, especially those who are overweight, but always with breaks. Regular bowel movements ensure the timely removal of toxins and waste, which has a beneficial effect on all organs. The balanced diet of diet number three fully meets the energy and nutritional needs of the body.

Therapeutic diet No. 3 according to Pevzner

Doctor M. Pevzner developed a cycle of diets for various groups of pathologies: gastritis, ulcers, inflammation of the pancreas, infectious and urolithiasis. Therapeutic diet No. 3 according to Pevzner is prescribed for constipation caused by chronic intestinal pathologies, at the stage of mild or fading exacerbation, or in the absence of such. The goal of diet No. 3 is to stimulate peristalsis, improve metabolism, and renew the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.

  • The basis of the diet is vegetables and fruits in fresh or processed form, without excessive grinding. On the contrary, large pieces of plant fruits are more effective.

Dried flour products, crackers and similar cookies, pretzels are excellent for improving intestinal motility.

Cereals are used in soups, porridges, casseroles. Porridges are prepared crumbly, and borscht and soups are thick. First courses should be eaten daily.

Lean meats, fish and other seafood (except smoked and canned) are allowed.

Of the dairy products, low-fat varieties are suitable.

For desserts, you should prefer home-made jelly, smoothies, and marmalade.

The best drinks are chicory, light tea, juices, compotes, and rosehip infusion.

To improve the taste of the main products, dill, bay leaf, and parsley are recommended. Of the fats, lean and cow butter are used.

  • Additional tips include the following: eat in small portions at the same time, drink plenty of water constantly, don’t starve, but don’t overeat either.

If necessary, take diet food with you to work. Physical activity – walking, exercise – increases the effectiveness of the diet. And bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol, on the contrary, lead to diseases and reduce to zero all efforts associated with diet No. 3.

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Diet #3 for constipation

Constipation is the main indication for the use of diet No. 3. It helps to get rid of intestinal problems without the use of drugs. The essence of the problem is the difficulty in emptying the digestive tract, which occurs due to improper nutrition (lack of routine, dry food, etc.) or intestinal pathologies. Such problems are typical for any age, so diet No. 3 for constipation is prescribed, with some differences, to both adults and children.

Basic rules of diet number 3:

  • Consume maximum fiber.
  • Drink plenty of good quality water.
  • Eat often, in small portions.
  • Cook from natural products.
  • Eliminate foods that are harmful to digestion.

The dietary nutrition for eliminating constipation is based on carbohydrate foods. The proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrates are as follows - 1:1:4. In grams, it looks like this: protein - 100 g, equal parts animal and non-animal. Not less than 30 g of daily fat - of plant origin. Carbohydrates - the "lion's share", that is, 400 g. These are fresh and processed vegetables, cooked whole or in large pieces.

The minimum volume of liquid is one and a half liters, salt – no more than 15 g. The energy value of such a diet is 3000 kcal.

In case of constipation, cold drinks are recommended to stimulate the bowels. But not too cold, and not too hot. Those who are afraid of the word "diet" should know that if the prescriptions are followed, the third table does not actually present any particular difficulties - neither for the patient, nor for those who prepare food for him.

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Diet #3 for anal fissure

Overeating, not following the regime, and dry food are the main factors that provoke problems in the rectum. Constipation causes venous congestion and injures the mucous membrane during defecation. Diet No. 3 is necessary both for prevention and for eliminating the problem.

Diet No. 3 for anal fissure promotes remission, and after eliminating the problem helps prevent recurrence of the disease. The food offered by the third table softens residual masses, reduces gas formation and irritation of the mucous membrane, normalizes peristalsis. As a result, exacerbations do not recur, and recovery occurs.

The basis of the diet is cereals, fruits and vegetables. Namely: apples, dried apricots, dried plums, bananas, cereal porridges (except semolina and rice), bread, vegetables (without starch).

  • The peculiarity of nutrition during an exacerbation is that you cannot eat anything at all during the first day. As the painful symptoms disappear, water is allowed, then fruits, cereals, fruits, and lean meat are gradually introduced into the menu.

A sick person's day begins with a cup of water before breakfast. Then porridge, salad or an egg are offered. The food should be washed down with light tea.

For the 2nd breakfast, a serving of kefir or one apple is enough.

For lunch they prepare a lean soup, meat with a vegetable side dish, and jelly for dessert.

An excellent afternoon snack is softened dried fruit or cottage cheese with added apple.

A healthy dinner would be cabbage rolls or porridge seasoned with fruit. And finally – sour milk or ryazhenka.

With anal fissures, diet alone is not enough. Qualified treatment is required, sometimes surgery. But then, to avoid relapses, diet No. 3 should become a way of life for such a patient.

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General information of diet #3

Constipation is when there is no bowel movement for three to five days. Therapeutic nutrition, known in medicine as "Diet No. 3", is designed to restore peristalsis and normalize digestion, which is disrupted due to very common gastrointestinal diseases. They are provoked by typical "scourges" of modern life - irregular meals, sedentary work, low-quality food.

The essence of diet No. 3 is to activate intestinal motility and move feces closer to the "exit". To restore motor function, appropriate food is recommended - mainly plant-based, with increased fiber content. These are vegetable, cereal dishes, fermented milk drinks.

  • Products that cause rotting or fermentation are prohibited. Nutritionists do not recommend such food even to healthy people, and it is strictly contraindicated for patients with digestive problems. This includes fried, smoked, pickled, high-fat foods, carbonated and unnatural drinks.

Despite the restrictions, table No. 3 is a balanced diet and contains a full range of nutrients. The diet is standard: you should eat often, but little by little, without long pauses and overeating.

Diet #3 for children

Constipation in children is considered to be the absence of bowel movements for a period of three days. One of the reasons for this condition is children's shyness, due to which they suffer for a long time, being outside the home. This causes a decrease in the sensitivity of baroreceptors and a weakening of the tone of the terminal section of the intestine. Treatment of constipation is impossible without diet No. 3.

  • The particular danger is that rotting masses form toxins that are absorbed into the blood and poison the child's body. If effective measures are not taken urgently, painful defecation leads to cracks in the rectum. A dietary ration can cope with the problem and cleanse the child's intestines.

Diet No. 3 for children is left depending on age. There are no fundamental differences between the children's and adult menus. The differences concern the weight of portions and the method of processing products.

The first place in the list of permitted products is the fruit and vegetable group. The fiber they contain coats the inner walls of the gastrointestinal tract and cleanses them of deposited toxins. Tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, beets, cucumbers, cauliflower, pumpkin, peeled baked potatoes - all these fruits are useful for children's constipation. Popular berries and fruits are almost all good. The maximum amount of plant food is eaten raw and with the skin. It is recommended to enrich salads with bran. Soaked dried fruits, baked apples are an excellent dessert and medicinal food at the same time, and all children like them.

The diet includes fish and meat dishes - steamed, boiled, baked - no more than 3 times a week, soups on broths diluted with water - daily. Buckwheat, wheat and barley porridges are recommended as side dishes. Portions should be such as not to overload the stomach.

It is recommended to eat up to 250 g of yesterday's black bread with useful additives per day, and wash down honey, which has a gentle laxative effect, with plain water. Not too sweet compotes, jellies, jams and preserves are allowed in children's table number 3, and from dairy - homemade kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese. They compensate for the lack of protein food. Fermented milk products can be washed down with food.

In addition to water, healthy drinks include vegetable and fruit juices and light tea. It is advisable not to give green tea to children under 12 years of age. Details depend on age, and a competent nutritionist will definitely take these features into account. For example, in case of constipation in infants, adjustments are made to the mother's diet.

It is important to have a variety of food and drinks so that the child does not get used to any of them. Motor skills are activated gradually, the result - stabilization of stool - is visible after about 10 days. Recommendations on the duration of therapeutic nutrition should be given by a pediatrician individually in each case.

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Menu for each day for a week of diet #3

There are many menu options for each day of the week of diet No. 3. This makes it possible to take into account the taste preferences of each patient.

General principles of diet #3 – eat at least 4-5 times a day, meals of normal temperature and saltiness, preferably at the same time. Cooking technology is important: boiling in water or steaming is most often used, and fresh vegetables for salads are not chopped too much. If the disease is associated with inflammation of the inner lining, then it is better to eat boiled vegetables to protect it.

You need to start the day with a glass of honey drink or fresh juice. Breakfast and dinner end with tea, before going to bed it is recommended to have a glass of kefir or prunes. Sample menu by day.

  • 1.

Breakfast: vegetables with olive oil, omelette (9.00).

2nd breakfast: apple (11.00).

Lunch: cabbage soup, beef with vegetables, uzvar (14.00).

Afternoon snack: yogurt or other fermented milk product (16.00).

Dinner: cabbage rolls, cottage cheese (18.00).

  • 2.

Breakfast: tuna salad, fresh homemade cheese with honey.

2nd breakfast: fruit salad.

Lunch: soup, omelette, vegetables, compote.

Afternoon snack: light dessert.

Dinner: fish with buckwheat garnish.

  • 3.

Breakfast: vegetable salad, omelette.

2nd breakfast: bake an apple.

Lunch: lean soup, baked meat, beetroot salad.

Afternoon snack: yogurt.

Dinner: cottage cheese with sour cream.

  • 4.

Breakfast: buckwheat, honey.

2nd breakfast: sour cream, cottage cheese.

Lunch: borscht in liquid broth, cutlet.

Afternoon snack: yogurt.

Dinner: vinaigrette, mashed potatoes.

  • 5.

Breakfast: muesli with dried fruits, kefir.

2nd breakfast: apple and plum puree.

Lunch: shrimp soup, vegetables with tuna.

Afternoon snack: crackers with plum jam.

Dinner: fish cutlet with buckwheat, fermented baked milk.

  • 6.

Breakfast: omelette, cabbage salad, pear compote.

2nd breakfast: herbal drink with honey.

Lunch: broth, beetroot salad, tomato juice.

Afternoon snack: carrot and seaweed salad.

Dinner: cabbage rolls without rice, prune pie, compote.

  • 7.

Breakfast: buckwheat, cucumbers, yogurt.

2nd breakfast: cottage cheese and peach puree.

Lunch: chicken fillet, cucumber and tomato salad, soup.

Afternoon snack: fruit puree.

Dinner: baked pumpkin with honey, milk.

Recipes for Diet No. 3

When a tasty product enters the upper digestive tract, the lower sections contract reflexively, which promotes the movement of the contents and emptying of the rectum. The appetizing appearance and aroma of food activates this process, so it is important that the dishes of diet No. 3 cause appetite and the desire to eat them.

  • A tasty soup is made from several types of vegetables: Tomatoes, sweet peppers, carrots, onions, and also regular, cauliflower, or broccoli are chopped or separated into florets. Everything is placed in hot water at the same time, except for the tomatoes – they are added a little later. Basil, bay leaf, and sour cream will enrich the flavor bouquet of the dish.
  • Stewed cabbage is ideal for stimulating the intestines. It is cooked in a frying pan with high sides. First, fry the onion and carrot cut into strips, then add the shredded cabbage and water. By the way, other fruits will also come in handy - tomatoes, peppers. If they are of different colors, the dish will also be beautiful. Add salt before the end of stewing, which lasts about half an hour. During this time, the water boils away, and the cabbage retains the flavor and aroma of all the vegetables.

The recipes for diet No. 3 for children are very varied and tasty.

  • Beetroot salad with prunes is prepared as follows. Ingredients are boiled separately, dried plums are pre-soaked. Ready beets are grated, prunes are cut into strips, seasoned with sour cream. For taste, you can add a drop of lemon juice.
  • Fish with vegetables is a hearty and appetizing dish. 300 g of fish (pike, carp) are laid out in pieces on a baking sheet, then – vegetables in balls: zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower, grated carrots. The baking sheet is placed in the oven for about half an hour.

Benefits

Diet No. 3 is designed to gently affect peristalsis, eliminate fecal matter naturally and establish regular bowel movements. The diet has a double benefit: in addition to the effects listed, therapeutic nutrition helps cleanse the body, remove toxins and normalize weight. This happens thanks to laxative products and properly prepared food.

Table 3 is a high-quality diet, balanced in all respects. The diet includes three main meals and two light meals. It is important to drink enough water, fresh juices, uzvar, and other healthy drinks. Methods that preserve healthy components are used for cooking: boiling, stewing, steaming ingredients. The day begins with a drink that stimulates the intestines and ends with a fermented milk product, traditional for many diets.

Due to its diversity, dietary ration No. 3 is highly effective, easily tolerated and has almost no contraindications. It can be used by healthy people, but it is advisable to consult a doctor.

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What can and what can not?

Patients prescribed diet #3 have a lot to choose from. They are recommended a long list of foods that are good for constipation and a large selection of recipes. What can people with constipation eat?

What can you eat?

Products enriched with fiber are recommended: fresh vegetables and fruits, sauerkraut, greens. Vegetables can be boiled or stewed. Beets are especially useful. Salads and vinaigrettes are dressed with oil or mayonnaise.

  • Soups are prepared using any low-fat broth or decoction, using cereals, vegetables, and fruits.
  • Whole grain bread, dry biscuits, crispy and dietary breads are very useful for constipation.
  • Preference is given to lean oils, as well as various types of butter. Egg - one per day.
  • Porridge, green peas, casseroles, and pasta are prepared as a side dish.
  • Meat and fish are recommended boiled or baked (in pieces).
  • Dairy products – all types are useful. You can make sour cream and milk sauces, add milk to tea.
  • Prunes and dried apricots are the leaders in effectiveness against constipation. Melon, plum, apricot, puree of raw berries, tomatoes, and carrots have a laxative effect.

The total amount of liquid consumed should be at least one and a half liters. This is high-quality water, juices, rosehip infusion, tea, sweet cold drinks.

What shouldn't you eat?

When prescribing any dietary regimen, patients are interested in what they cannot eat in their case? For diseases that cause constipation, diet No. 3 is recommended, the observance of which offers a number of restrictions. In general, heavy or fermenting dishes in the digestive tract are excluded. This is the following food:

  • fried and high in cholesterol;
  • hot, spicy;
  • fatty, spicy, cooking and animal fats;
  • jelly and porridge puree;
  • vegetables containing essential substances (radishes, onions, horseradish, garlic, pepper);
  • fresh white bread, baked goods;
  • rice, semolina;
  • jelly;
  • smoked and preserved foods;
  • creams, confectionery;
  • cocoa, chocolate;
  • hot tonic drinks;
  • legumes;
  • mushrooms, caviar;
  • blueberry;
  • sour and fermentative berries;
  • fried eggs;
  • alcohol.

By following the recommendations and prohibitions of doctors, after a few weeks, patients get rid of flatulence and heaviness in the abdomen, fatigue and drowsiness. The stool is normalized, in some cases body weight and cellulite manifestations are reduced. Thanks to such a diet, it is possible to completely get rid of atonic constipation without using pharmaceuticals.

Contraindications

Diet No. 3 is not prescribed during periods of exacerbation of the disease.

Contraindications may include diseases of the pancreas, kidneys and other organs. In particular, in patients with cardiac and renal dysfunction, drinking copious amounts of fluids may cause edema.

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Possible risks

If you follow the regime and instructions, the risks associated with diet number three are minimal. On the contrary, diet number 3 has a positive effect on various organs and systems, eliminates excess body weight, and improves well-being. This is due to the balanced and complete diet.

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Complications

The prognosis for possible complications when diet No. 3 is not followed is unfavorable. Such patients risk greatly complicating their condition and the course of the disease.

If therapeutic nutrition is ignored, the process develops into chronic inflammation and complete intestinal obstruction; the problematic intestine greatly increases in size, cracks form in it, and under unfavorable circumstances, a malignant tumor.

And if various diets, sometimes questionable, are not always beneficial for the body, then healthy eating for medical reasons, which is essentially the third table, is definitely worth following.

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Reviews

Nutritionists are unanimous in their reviews: proper nutrition is the only way to eliminate constipation. They also insist on the need to combine diet No. 3 with physical activity.

A positive feature of diet No. 3 is the variety of permitted products and dishes. From this list, the doctor, together with the patient, creates an individual diet to stimulate peristalsis. An important place in nutrition for constipation is occupied by the methods of cooking, regularity and temperature of the food consumed. In severe cases, in addition to the diet, medications and procedures are prescribed.

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