A person ultimately becomes what he eats. If the food is harmful, saturated with difficult-to-digest substances, nitrates and other toxins, and has not been treated with antibacterial agents, sooner or later the digestive system will malfunction and ask for help. In order not to go through pain and unspeakable suffering, it is necessary to consume foods that are beneficial for the liver and pancreas - those vital organs that should be supported first.
Main digestive organ
The pancreas is the main digestive organ, secreting enzymes that can digest up to 10 kg of food per day. With its small size (about 20 cm) and weight of 100 g, it performs a decisive function in processing the most complex part of products - fats, which are broken down only by steapsin. Direct work occurs in the duodenum, where food comes from the stomach after primary processing, bile from the gallbladder, and necessary enzymes from the gland.
It is very important that the main digestive organ secretes the required amount of them, because both their deficiency and excess are dangerous for the body. Foods that are healthy for the pancreas help maintain the necessary balance.
In addition to the exocrine (digestive) function, the organ also performs an endocrine function - the production of insulin. The health of the pancreas determines whether a person will suffer from diabetes or not. Of the most important factors affecting the functioning of the main digestive organ, three should be highlighted:
- fatty food;
- alcohol and nicotine;
- gallstones, which impede the proper discharge of bile and cause inflammation.
Considering that stones are formed when there is an excess of cholesterol-rich foods in the body, you should know which foods to avoid.
Fresh juices
With the development of pancreatitis, the patient is recommended to consume real juices from fresh vegetables and fruits. When preparing, avoid adding sugar and citric acid, which will exacerbate the inflammatory process of the pancreas and the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. After their preparation, they are diluted in a ratio of 1 part juice to 2 parts water or 1:1 during stable remission of pancreatitis. What can you drink if you have pancreatitis of the pancreas:
potato juice
Potato juice. This type of juice has anti-inflammatory properties for the human body. Relieves spasms of the intestines and stomach, promotes the speedy healing of ulcers and wounds. It is consumed 20-30 minutes before a meal, in a freshly prepared form, since in the fresh air it quickly loses its beneficial properties. To improve the taste and benefits for the body, it is allowed to add carrot juice containing vitamins A.
tomato juice
Fresh juice from tomatoes. It is prohibited to consume tomato drink during the acute phase of pancreatitis. The only permitted use of the juice is for persistent remission of the disease, and then in small quantities diluted with water, up to 300 ml per day. Tomatoes have an abundant content of amino acids and minerals (magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, copper), which, if consumed correctly, will not cause irritation to the walls of the gastrointestinal tract and will bring significant benefits to the patient.
carrot juice
Fresh carrot juice. A very healthy drink, but it has limitations. The drink should not be consumed during an attack of acute pancreatitis; at this stage it is better to avoid it altogether. If the disease progresses calmly, carrot juice is useful for its essential components and nutrients. Has a good effect on the pancreas. Mixed fruit juice with potato juice has a positive effect on the patient’s health, the main remedy used in folk medicine.
pumpkin juice
Pumpkin juice. Pumpkin juice relieves a number of inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal spasms, swelling of the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Consumption occurs 15-25 minutes before meals, 120 ml, improves the functioning of the digestive system.
In addition to vegetable drinks, it is recommended to drink juices from fresh fruits:
- apricot;
- peach;
- pear;
- melon drink;
- watermelon.
All drinks consumed by a person with pancreatitis must be fresh.
Store-bought juices are completely contraindicated for consumption.
Pancreas: healthy and harmful plant foods
Fruits
It is advisable to exclude sour fruits from your diet. Does not like the main digestive organ and coarse fiber. You can enjoy eating: watermelons, strawberries, pineapples, papaya, sweet green apples. If you have problems with the pancreas, it is better to bake them. You should refrain from pears, all types of citrus fruits, cherry plums, mangoes, plums, peaches and sour apples. If desired, you can eat them in small quantities or pureed.
Vegetables
If you have a healthy gastrointestinal tract, you can eat any vegetables. All of them have vitamins and microelements necessary for humans, but if problems arise, it is undesirable to use sorrel, white cabbage, rutabaga, radishes, spinach, radishes and turnips. But you can always add greens to ready-made dishes - parsley, dill and lettuce. There is a lot of controversy about tomatoes, beloved by Russians, which remove cholesterol from the blood. One part of experts considers the vegetable harmful to the pancreas, while the other says the opposite. But both believe that when baked, these are very beneficial products for the pancreas. Like cucumbers, which are quite suitable raw.
What is not advisable to eat from other foods?
Alcohol, nicotine and excessively fatty foods can “kill” the pancreas, so you should absolutely not eat the following foods: meat and fatty fish, as well as strong broths made from them, fast food in all forms, lard and smoked foods, canned food, spicy and fried foods , including all kinds of chips and salted nuts; cakes, pastries and other confectionery products. It is not advisable to eat fresh baked goods, including bread. It is better to eat it a day later or in the form of crackers.
Coffee, all types of lemonades and strong brewed tea are also not foods that are good for the pancreas. The list can be continued with all types of overcooked meat (sausages, frankfurters and small sausages), as well as high-fat dairy products, including cheeses. All this refers to substances that are difficult to digest by the main digestive organ.
What foods are good for the pancreas and liver?
The liver is the largest human gland, taking on the effects of toxins and poisons, storing nutrients, and also needs protection and rest. Therefore, when determining a diet, you should choose foods that are equally beneficial for the liver and pancreas. The list must include:
- Beets containing flavonoids and nicotinic acid, fiber, betanin, betaine and other useful elements. It is able to fight inflammatory processes, stimulate the production of bile, remove cholesterol and excess fluid from the body. This product can be consumed in the form of juice, raw or boiled.
- Pumpkin and melon are rich in magnesium.
- Cauliflower and broccoli, rich in glucosinolate, actively fight harmful toxins and carcinogens, protecting against cancer.
- Oranges and lemons, due to the presence of vitamin C, are very beneficial for the liver, but if you have problems with the pancreas, it is still better to avoid them.
- Greens containing selenium, phosphorus and iron help fight unpleasant bitterness in the mouth and pain in the liver and pancreas.
- Apples are suppliers of potassium, magnesium and iron.
What does the pancreas like?
In our age of abundance of chemicals and poor ecology, we need to be very careful about our own health. This, first of all, applies to internal organs, because an unhealthy lifestyle, and, in particular, poor nutrition, can seriously impair the functioning of the stomach, liver, etc. But, perhaps, the pancreas can be called the true “princess and the pea” in this regard. Violation of its functions can cause diseases such as pancreatitis or even diabetes.
What functions in the body are assigned to the pancreas?
This organ looks like a grayish tadpole, 20 centimeters long and about 3 centimeters wide. Despite its small size, the pancreas is one of the vital organs. It is she who produces pancreatic juice, which, along with gastric juice, plays a significant role in the digestion of food. In addition, the pancreas produces insulin, which regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism.
What diet should you follow to keep your pancreas healthy?
In order to maintain the pancreas in proper condition, first of all, you need to eat right. And since “correct” is a very relative concept, below is a list of foods that the pancreas loves.
- Lean meats (such as chicken or veal) and fish;
- First courses (not too sour water soups, which include various cereals - rice, buckwheat, millet, etc., will be especially useful);
- Dairy products. If you have diseases of the pancreas, it is better not to consume fresh milk, which cannot be said about products such as kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk are quite suitable;
- Fruits. Here you need to be very selective: under no circumstances should you eat sour fruits and berries. For example, you can treat yourself to bananas, baked sweet apples, etc.
Of course, this is not a complete list of foods that the pancreas loves. The main thing is that the dishes are light, neutral in taste and lean (that is, do not contain too much fat). It is best to give preference to boiled or steamed food.
What foods should you avoid?
So, the main foods that the pancreas loves were listed above. Now you can move on to those foods that are strictly prohibited to eat if you have pancreatic diseases. These include:
- Fatty dishes. Fat is one of the main foods that the pancreas does not like. Moreover, this applies equally to both animal and vegetable fats. Therefore, you should not eat fatty meat, fish, fried foods, fatty sauces (mayonnaise, tartar);
- Smoked meats;
- Spicy and salty foods. It is necessary to exclude the use of ketchup, adjika, mustard, pepper and other hot sauces and seasonings. In this case, eating pickles is also harmful;
- Sweet soda;
- Too strong tea or coffee;
- Alcohol. A healthy pancreas does not really like alcoholic drinks, and if there are disturbances in the functioning of the pancreas, then you certainly should not drink alcohol;
- Fresh bread. If you are overcome by a craving for flour, then it is better to eat dried bread products: bagels, crackers.
It may seem that all these restrictions are too burdensome, because you have to give up eating many goodies. But over time, a proper diet becomes a habit, and a variety of dietary recipes will help people who monitor the condition of their pancreas to eat not only correctly, but also very, very tasty.
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Protein food
Proteins, which are the building blocks of the body, are very necessary for the liver. The most easily digestible of these are eggs (97%), dairy products (95%), fish (90%), meat (80%), and legumes (60–70%). It is better to remove the yolk from eggs, which is not included in the list of “Foods Beneficial for the Pancreas.” Milk should be used when preparing dishes: porridge, soups, omelettes, or in the form of curdled milk. Low-fat cottage cheese is useful.
Among meat products, preference should be given to turkey, which contains selenium and sodium, which contribute to the processing of carbohydrates and energy. Veal, chicken (white meat), low-fat fish (pike, cod, carp, navaga, pike perch) containing vitamin B12 and phosphorus are useful. Legumes should be consumed in the form of porridges, which are very important in the diet.
Healthy drinks
When choosing drinks, you should focus on natural ones. These are the most beneficial foods for the pancreas. Compotes from dried fruits and those berries and fruits that are undesirable for consumption raw, but are important sources of vitamins. Decoctions of which rhubarb drink is very beneficial for the liver. Popular wisdom states: “Rhubarb roots in a decoction will give death to hepatitis.”
Green tea is one of the essential products. You can diversify the menu with the help of dairy drinks, excluding whole milk, and the leader in its usefulness - mineral water, which you can drink two to three glasses a day.
Milk and milk drinks
Dairy products can be consumed for pancreatitis, but the permission comes with a large series of prohibitions. You need to drink correctly, since, being of organic origin, breaking the rules will bring strong side effects on the body. It can cause fermentation in the intestines and provoke severe symptoms of exacerbation of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, when used, it must be boiled and diluted with boiled water in a 1:1 ratio.
cow's milk
These conditions make this product suitable for use for inflammation of the pancreas, and brings additional beneficial microelements and vitamins to the body.
Undesirable use for pancreatitis:
- condensed milk;
- undiluted milk;
- certain types of cheeses;
- ice cream;
- cocktails with nutritional supplements.
In case of exacerbation of the disease, dairy products are taken into the diet menu no earlier than 4-5 days from the moment of the attack, and then in the form of diluted milk for preparing porridges. After 7 days, low-fat cottage cheese is allowed in the amount of 50 grams. Gradually increasing to 100 grams, but no more. Also, when steaming an omelet, add milk only in diluted form. During remission of pancreatitis, dairy products are recommended and must be included in the dietary menu.
How to eat healthy
It is best to start the day with a glass of water or rosehip decoction. Popular wisdom says: “If you are friends with water, you will be forever young.” The second rule is the exclusion of cold and too hot foods. A balanced diet of fats, carbohydrates and proteins is important for a person, so fats cannot be completely eliminated, but their amount should be only 60–80 g per day. It is best to use butter added to prepared dishes. 140–160 g of protein is enough. And the main rule is that for comfortable functioning of the pancreas you need fractional meals (4–5 times).
Fried foods stimulate active secretion, so nutritionists suggest steaming, stewing or baking food. If you are at risk of diabetes, you should remove sucrose from your diet; it can easily be replaced with honey, glucose or fructose. These are foods that are beneficial for the pancreas.
Bad habits
Alcohol is the main enemy of the gland. And while the liver contains enzymes that can process alcohol, the pancreas does not produce such substances. Alcohol metabolites are absorbed into the blood and lead to spasm of the ducts. As a result, gland enzymes cannot be released normally, which leads to their accumulation in the tissues of the organ and the development of pancreatitis.
Tobacco destroys not only the bronchi and lungs, but also negatively affects the functioning of the entire body. Nicotine affects the secretory function of the gland and promotes the morphological restructuring of internal structures. This may result in the development of cancer. It is known that 1/3 of patients with pancreatic cancer were heavy smokers.
Stress disrupts the functioning of the immune system and aggravates existing chronic pathology. The pancreas reacts sharply to prolonged insomnia or psychological stress. Pancreatitis often develops against the background of prolonged emotional shock. There are known cases of diabetes mellitus in people who have suffered a nervous shock.
