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Berries in pancreatitis: which can and which can not?
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
With chronic inflammation of the pancreas, people are forced to eat a special diet, limited by a certain list of prohibited products. Are berries included in this list for pancreatitis?
Given the specifics of the disease and all the restrictions in the diet, when eating berries, you need to follow the recommendations of gastroenterologists and nutritionists, who know exactly which berries can and cannot be eaten by patients with this diagnosis.
What berries can be eaten with pancreatitis?
In acute pancreatitis, the diet is so meager that berries are out of the question. Therefore, nutritionists consider including them in the diet only in the chronic form of this disease - depending on the weakening or strengthening of symptoms.
Due to inflammation of the pancreas and damage to its exocrine and endocrine cells that produce enzymes and hormones, the functions of the organ are disrupted, which leads to a deterioration in the absorption of nutrients. The body may also lack vitamins and microelements. Researchers have found that eating foods containing vitamins A, C, E, group B, iron and zinc helps prevent attacks of pancreatitis. Read - Diet for an attack of pancreatitis.
For obvious reasons, not all berries and fruits are allowed for patients with chronic pancreatitis. Detailed recommendations regarding fruits are given in the article - Fruits for acute and chronic pancreatitis.
And we will start with the largest, albeit false, berry that people eat.
Is it possible to eat watermelon if you have pancreatitis?
The content of fiber in watermelon pulp is relatively low (up to 0.5%), so it is considered a dietary product. In terms of iron and potassium content, watermelon is almost as good as spinach. It is also important that it contains alkaline substances that help restore the body's acid-base balance. Therefore, watermelon can be eaten with pancreatitis - in the absence of an exacerbation.
But the glycemic index of watermelon is quite high (GI 72), but it is due to fructose, which is absorbed without the participation of insulin - that is, it does not overload the beta cells of the pancreas, which in case of pancreatitis may not cope with the synthesis of the required amount of this hormone.
It should be borne in mind that, according to clinical statistics, at a certain stage of chronic pancreatitis, 25-45% of patients experience a decrease in the ability to absorb glucose, followed by the development of diabetes mellitus.
Melon is usually paired with watermelon, as it is from the same pumpkin family. It has almost the same amount of sugars (GI 65), but a little more fiber. And to the question of whether melon can be eaten with pancreatitis, nutritionists give a similar answer: only with persistent remission of the disease and in very limited quantities.
Rosehip for pancreatitis
A decoction of dried rose hips is recommended by almost all diets for any disease. Among the biologically active substances contained in these berries, vitamins A, C and E stand out, as well as plant polyphenolic compounds (flavonoids). But ascorbic acid is considered number one - vitamin C, of which 100 g of fresh fruit contains an average of 450-470 mg. So rose hips for pancreatitis (about 400-500 ml of decoction or water infusion per day) serve as a good and affordable vitamin supplement.
The body needs vitamin C for the synthesis of proteins and lipids, for the formation of collagen and tissue regeneration, the production of peptide hormones and the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, for the metabolism of tyrosine, etc. It acts as an antioxidant, reducing the oxidative degradation of phospholipids and damage to cellular proteins by free radicals.
But if patients have a history of thrombophlebitis, then they should be careful with rose hips: it contains vitamin K, which increases blood clotting.
In addition, rose hips increase urine production and have a laxative effect.
Raspberries for pancreatitis
In fact, delicate raspberries contain a lot of fiber – almost 30%, as well as high acidity (pH 3.2-3.9), which, with an inflamed pancreas, immediately sends it to the list of contraindicated products. But this applies to fresh berries, and in the form of compote made from mashed berries (i.e. without seeds), jelly, mousse or jelly – you can eat them.
By the way, most nutritionists allow fresh raspberries for pancreatitis (no more than 100 g per day a couple of times a week) - when the patient's condition is stabilized. And all because anthocyanins, flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin, derivatives of hydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic, chlorogenic, coumaric and ferulic acids provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of this berry.
Recently, researchers have focused their attention on ellagic acid, which is found in raspberries in greater quantities than in other berries. It has been established that this polyphenolic compound is capable of reducing the production and activity of cyclooxygenase-2, a pro-inflammatory enzyme, i.e. reducing inflammation. In addition, as reported in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, ellagic acid inhibits the growth of malignant cells in pancreatic cancer.
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Strawberries for pancreatitis
Strawberries or wild strawberries in pancreatitis are in the same category as raspberries. That is, due to the presence of citric, malic and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), it is sour (average pH = 3.45); contains dietary fiber and small seeds that are not digested in the stomach and can activate inflammation. Therefore, doctors do not recommend eating strawberries in their natural form during exacerbations.
On the other hand, when the patient's condition improves in the remission stage, the attending physician may allow supplementing the menu with mousse, compote, jelly or jelly from mashed berries. How to make strawberry jelly, read in the publication - Recipes for a diet for pancreatitis.
And for long-term improvement - and only in the absence of carbohydrate metabolism disorders - during the strawberry season you can eat several fresh berries a day: they also contain ellagic acid and vitamin B5.
What berries are not allowed for pancreatitis?
The fiber and acids contained in fresh berries make the pancreas produce more digestive enzymes. But with chronic inflammation, the performance of this function is limited, which makes it necessary to follow a diet for acute and chronic pancreatitis.
The skin of the berries contains the polysaccharide pectin, which is not digested or absorbed, but activates the secretion of glands involved in digestion, including the pancreas. And this is the reason why fresh berries with thick skin are contraindicated for pancreatitis.
Gooseberries do not fit into the dietary ration for pancreatitis at all - even when the pancreas has "declared a truce" and the patient's condition allows some berries to be consumed fresh. With very dense skin and a lot of seeds (all this is fiber and 2.5% pectin), the pH of these berries is also at 2.8-3.1. No, gooseberries are actually a very valuable berry, since they contain almost as much vitamin C as black currants. Gooseberries contain a lot of folic acid (it is useful for pregnant women to eat), and they help well with constipation. But in relation to pancreatitis, the choleretic effect of these berries should be taken into account.
Dark-colored berries – red, blue, purple – contain a high content of antioxidants: polyphenols and flavonoids-anthocyanins. Berries with a high level of these biologically active substances include blueberries, cherries, black and red currants, cranberries, grapes and dark cherries.
Despite this, cranberries are contraindicated for pancreatitis: with all the beneficial properties - antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory - its acidity level (pH 2.3-2.5) is close to lemon (its pH = 2-2.6), and due to the high content of organic acids, it causes increased bile secretion, activating the pancreas.
Red currants are prohibited for pancreatitis for the same reasons: thick skin and high acid content (average pH = 2.85). Sweeter cherries can be added to compote for pancreatitis, but nutritionists have included fresh berries in the list of contraindicated products.
Fresh blackcurrants inhibit the growth of the most common pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, including Helicobacter pylori, which causes gastritis. Studies have shown that acidic polysaccharides of blackcurrant seeds (galactans) can prevent bacteria from adhering to the gastric mucosa. However, with pancreatitis, blackcurrants can only be consumed as compote and only outside of exacerbation.
Due to the dense skin, high content of plant fibers and sugars, fresh cherries for pancreatitis, as well as grapes, are not recommended.
Blueberry jelly can help patients with diarrhea and inflammation of the pancreas, since fresh blueberries are also not consumed with pancreatitis.
And sea buckthorn for pancreatitis (during remission of the chronic form of the disease) is also allowed in the form of a small addition to jelly or compote - if there are no problems with the functioning of the intestines, forcing you to visit the toilet more often than usual.