Vegetables in pancreatitis: recommendations of nutritionists

By limiting the consumption of certain foods, the diet helps treat patients with digestive diseases, including inflammation of the pancreas. In addition to fatty, spicy and fried foods, there is also a limit on vegetables for pancreatitis.

Knowing exactly which vegetables can and cannot be consumed, it is possible not only to significantly improve the condition of this most important organ of the digestive and endocrine systems, but also to prevent the recurrence of acute pancreatitis. [ 1 ]

What vegetables should not be eaten if you have pancreatitis?

The functional specificity of the pancreas and the nature of its damage due to inflammation lead, on the one hand, to the release of an excessive amount of the enzyme trypsin (more precisely, to its premature activation) and autophagy of the organ's own cells. On the other hand, with chronic inflammation, the exocrine function of the pancreas is disrupted, leading to a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes (lipase, amylase, protease) necessary for normal digestion.

That is why both the diet and the methods of cooking products are regulated for this disease. And in gastroenterology, a diet for chronic pancreatitis has long been recognized as part of the treatment, and the most important one at that. Usually, patients are prescribed diet 5 for pancreatitis (No. 5P according to Pevzner). [ 2 ]

A special dietary approach is also used for the consumption of vegetables, which may be present in the diet - during acute inflammation, its remission or chronic pancreatitis.

Giving a negative answer to the question of whether it is possible to eat raw vegetables with pancreatitis, nutritionists give a compelling argument: uncooked fibrous plant tissues (cellulose), although not digested in the stomach, have a stimulating effect on the digestive system, including the pancreas, and this is unacceptable when it is inflamed. On the contrary, it is necessary to reduce the load to a minimum - especially with acute pancreatitis or exacerbation of the chronic form of the disease. And this can be achieved if vegetables with pancreatitis are boiled, baked or stewed without fats and spices. But do not fry!

Not only that, so that even processed fiber does not cause additional secretion of digestive enzymes, vegetables should be homogenized as much as possible, that is, crushed to a puree state - to facilitate the absorption of food. As the condition of the gland stabilizes, during the period of weakening of the inflammatory process (remission), they switch to eating less crushed boiled and stewed vegetables, and then some raw ones.

But there are still restrictions on the range of vegetables in the diet, and they concern, for example, white cabbage, see - Cabbage for pancreatitis.

Due to the ability of all cruciferous vegetables to cause flatulence, nutritionists also do not recommend eating cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and broccoli if you have pancreatitis.

By the way, the cruciferous family also includes radishes, horseradish, turnips, rutabaga and turnips, and, in addition to causing bloating, they increase the secretion of gastric juice (and subsequently pancreatic enzymes), so turnips are prohibited for pancreatitis. [ 3 ]

Nutritionists also added sorrel, lettuce, spinach, onions (raw) and, despite all its beneficial properties, garlic for pancreatitis to the list of prohibited foods.

Regular beans for pancreatitis, as well as green beans, are excluded from the diet due to the gas-forming effect of legumes.

Although corn and mushrooms are not related to vegetable crops, it is worth considering the following: neither canned nor boiled corn is consumed with pancreatitis, since it is considered a grain that is difficult to digest even for a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Also, you should not consume corn oil with this diagnosis.

As for basidiomycetes, such as champignons, honey fungus or chanterelles, mushrooms are quite rightly included in the list of absolute prohibitions for pancreatitis. The fact is that the cell membranes of the mushroom pulp consist of chitin fibers, which are not digested in the stomach.

When is dietary compromise possible?

There are a number of popular vegetable crops that can be included in the diet when emerging from the acute condition (after three to four weeks) and when symptoms continue to decrease/absent for a long time in the case of chronic pancreatitis.

Only under the specified conditions do nutritionists allow – not often and in small quantities – sweet bell peppers for pancreatitis: baked or stewed (without skin).

Eggplants are allowed for pancreatitis in the form of stewed caviar (from blanched and peeled fruits) or mixed with boiled carrots in a stew.

Green peas can be used as a side dish (puree) or as an ingredient in vegetable soup for pancreatitis, but not daily and in small quantities.

Due to the terpene compounds of essential oil and coarse fiber, celery should not be consumed in acute pancreatitis. However, when pancreatitis is chronic, then in the absence of symptoms, occasionally - to avoid constipation - you can eat soup with the addition of celery root, and also include it in the menu in boiled form (during the cooking process, the fibers soften and do not cause irritation and increased intestinal peristalsis). [ 4 ]

Can you eat tomatoes with pancreatitis? Read in detail in the article – Tomatoes for chronic pancreatitis, and also see – Cucumbers for pancreatitis

What vegetables can you eat if you have pancreatitis?

According to nutritionists, vegetables for pancreatitis can provide the body with nutrients (carbohydrates, vitamins, macro- and microelements), but at the same time should not burden the inflamed pancreas.

Clinical studies have shown that most patients with this diagnosis have chronic metabolic acidosis associated with poor nutrition or alcohol abuse - a decrease in the blood pH level (hydrogen ion activity) towards the acidic side, which negatively affects the body's ability to maintain acid-base balance.

Organic, fruit or alpha-hydroxy acids and their salts contained in vegetables are converted into alkaline carbonates in the body and can help solve the biochemical problem of acidosis by alkalizing the pancreatic juice (to a pH level of 7.1-8.2), which normalizes the activity of its proteolytic enzymes.

So, carrots for pancreatitis (even boiled) are a valuable source of carbohydrates, minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron), carotenoids, folates, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sugars. In addition, root vegetables contain anthocyanins and coffee phenolic acid, which are active against free radicals and reduce inflammation, as well as organic acids - succinic and oxysuccinic (malic) - in the form of acidic salts that promote alkalization.

Like raw carrots, raw beets are not used for pancreatitis, only boiled or baked. For more details, see the article - Beets for pancreatitis.

You can eat steamed or stewed zucchini for pancreatitis, which even after freezing retain their antioxidant effects and do not lose folic and ascorbic acid, potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. True, their skin contains a lot of fiber, but heat treatment increases its digestibility without consequences for the digestive organs in patients with problems of the pancreas and gallbladder. [ 5 ]

It is necessary to eat potatoes with pancreatitis. Due to the starch content, it is a nutritious product, and due to the presence of organic acids (oxalic, citric, malic, fumaric and ascorbic) and pH ≤6.1, potatoes are a moderately alkaline-forming food.

Neither fried nor raw potatoes are consumed with pancreatitis: only as an ingredient in first courses (boiled), mashed potatoes, stews, and also baked.

Do not drink raw potato juice if you have pancreatitis: it is a home remedy for heartburn caused by increased acidity of gastric juice.

Pumpkin is considered an ideal dietary product for pancreatitis. It is difficult to list all its useful substances, but the unconditional health benefits include the presence of powerful antioxidants - beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid; riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid and pyridoxine; potassium, copper, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

And all this in addition to the alkalizing effect (thanks to organic acids - citric, malic and fumaric), low calorie content, pleasant taste and tender pulp. Raw pumpkin is not used for pancreatitis, it is prepared in different ways and used both for first courses and for desserts.

In conclusion, we cannot ignore some differences in the recommendations of Russian and Western diet therapy for pancreatitis. Thus, experts from the Academy of Food & Nutrition (USA) believe that patients with inflammation of the pancreas benefit from antioxidant-rich vegetables (primarily green leafy vegetables, including spinach) and fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat.

And experts from the National Pancreas Foundation (NPF) recommend consuming extracts of turmeric, milk thistle, ginger and dandelion roots to alleviate the condition of acute pancreatitis, as well as drinking water with added lemon juice - for the secretion of alkali (bicarbonate) by the pancreas and normalization of the condition of its excretory ducts. For the same purpose, they advise drinking an anti-inflammatory green drink from a mixture of cucumber, cabbage, celery, ginger and lemon juices.