Zucchini for pancreatitis: possible or not, beneficial properties, recipes

The daily production of over 20 digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin are the two main functions of the pancreas in the human body. When inflammation grows in the gland tissue, an important part of the treatment is a diet with a special choice of foods, and zucchini for pancreatitis takes a special place in it. Today we will tell you about this vegetable, beloved by the Slavs, and how to prepare pancreas-friendly dishes from it.

What is pancreatitis

The pancreas, called the “finger of God” in the Talmud, weighs no more than 200 grams in an adult.

Pancreatitis is caused by inflammation in the pancreatic tissue. And this pathology is very complex. Although modern medicine is constantly expanding the capabilities of hardware diagnostics, pancreatic diseases are still difficult to diagnose.

In chronic pancreatitis, diagnostic errors reach 43%. Among the many reasons for this situation are the variety of clinical manifestations, a large number of factors leading to chronic pancreatitis, the frequent development of this disease as a secondary condition not directly related to the pancreas, the difficulty of visualizing the gland in studies due to its hidden retroperitoneal location.

Despite the fact that acute and chronic pancreatitis are the most common diseases of the pancreas, high mortality from acute pathology remains to this day. This is because it is difficult for doctors to make an early diagnosis, and insufficient standard treatment often leads to failure.

In such a situation, every person with a timely diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is lucky!

The success of treating pancreatitis relies on the significant contribution of the person himself. Yes, yes, not only doctors are responsible for success. Especially when it comes to pathology, in the treatment of which the role of a special gentle diet is so important.

We hasten to console those who wince at the words “disease” and “diet.” When the exacerbation subsides, the diet for pancreatic health can be gradually expanded.

As a result, a person comes to almost complete proper nutrition, with the exception of particularly aggressive “heavy” foods and dishes, which are useful to limit even for healthy people.

Absolute severity for any pancreatitis applies only to alcohol. Do you want to live? Also of high quality? Then not a drop of alcohol is the only way out.

Why is it good to eat

Zucchini is highly valued by nutritionists. They are rich in iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, PP and organic acids. Despite their high nutritional value, they have minimal calorie content, which is only 28 Kcal per 100 g.

Zucchini has a number of beneficial properties, so they are recommended for dietary nutrition, for problems with the gastrointestinal tract and inflammation of the pancreas. Their use contributes to:

improving digestion;
normalization of water-salt balance in the body;
removal of excess cholesterol;
removal of heavy metals and other harmful compounds from the body;
improving skin condition;
reducing the load on the pancreas.

Eating zucchini helps normalize digestion.

Zucchini contains a minimal amount of organic acids and no essential oils, so this food does not irritate the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines. They contain few simple carbohydrates and such food cannot cause a sharp jump in blood sugar concentration against the background of the development of inflammation of the pancreas.

Is it possible to eat zucchini with pancreatitis?

For acute pancreatitis, general recommendations fit into just three ascetic rules: “hunger, cold and rest.”

As treatment progresses, the attacks of pain leave the person. Approximately 14 days after the last painful attack, the time comes to expand the diet, including the use of dietary zucchini dishes.

The benefits of zucchini for pancreatitis are their main properties:

Rich mineral composition and vitamin C content;
Lack of coarse fiber;
Lack of essential oils that irritate the pancreas;
High degree of absorption during digestion;
Low calorie content;
Zucchini tolerates frost well without loss of taste;
Zucchini can be cooked deliciously with the necessary grinding of the pulp according to various recipes;
Acceptable methods of cooking zucchini are quite varied: boiling and steaming, baking, stewing.
For chronic pancreatitis, it is allowed to eat up to 250 grams of cooked zucchini per day.

Useful properties of zucchini

The ease of digestibility of zucchini makes it possible to eat them even with the most unpleasant diseases. This is facilitated by the chemical composition of the vegetable:

the product contains large quantities of vitamins A, B and C;
the vegetable is rich in beneficial microelements such as calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, etc.;
vegetable fiber contained in zucchini does not increase intestinal motility;
the culture contains no fat, it contains only a small amount of protein and simple carbohydrates;
The vegetable does not contain microelements that can provoke the occurrence of inflammatory processes in the mucous membranes of the digestive system.

Lack of zucchini

The only thing that may confuse us about how to cook zucchini for pancreatitis is the high nitrate content in this convenient vegetable. This concern is especially true for early zucchini.

This disadvantage can be circumvented if you use any of the methods for removing nitrates from vegetables.

Boiling

When using young zucchini for pancreatitis, boil them in water. To reduce nitrates:

place the zucchini in boiling water;
Boil, adding salt only at the end of cooking;
Drain the hot water immediately after cooking.

Soaking

Or soak the zucchini:

cut into small or medium pieces
prepare a 1% salt solution;
Soak the zucchini for 30-60 minutes before cooking.

Let's start preparing zucchini dishes for pancreatitis with vegetable soup.

Cooking recipes

Stewed

Stewed zucchini is easy to prepare. To do this, you need to peel the vegetable, cut it and remove the pulp and seeds. Then you should cut it into cubes, place it in a saucepan with a thick bottom, add a little water and cook over low heat for 10-20 minutes with the lid closed.

At the end of stewing, you can soften the pieces with a fork or use a blender to obtain a puree. Cooking time depends on the size of the cubes. If you grate the product on a fine grater, the stew will cook faster. It is not recommended to add salt to it if there are problems with the functioning of the pancreas.

If you pour a lot of water into the pan, you will get boiled zucchini. This dish is also good for the pancreas, but when cooked, some of the water-soluble vitamins go into the vegetable broth and the nutritional value decreases. During the cooking process, a lot of liquid is released from the zucchini. Taking this into account, at the very beginning of stewing, you can add only 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan.

Cream soup

Dietary puree soup is an excellent option for those who suffer from chronic pancreatitis. To prepare it, you need to peel a small zucchini, remove the pulp and seeds, and cut into small cubes. A medium carrot and a quarter of a head of cauliflower should also be peeled and chopped. The carrots should be grated, and the cabbage should be disassembled into inflorescences.

Add vegetables to boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes. Do not fry carrots before cooking. You can add onions to the soup, but in small quantities and only if pancreatitis is in remission. At the end of cooking, you need to grind the ingredients in a blender until you obtain a liquid puree.

Milk and vegetable soup is prepared according to the same recipe, but the water is completely replaced with milk or the liquids are diluted in a 1:1 ratio. In this case, the soup acquires a richer taste.

To increase the nutritional value of the dish, you can cook it with the addition of potatoes.

Vareniki

To prepare zucchini dumplings, peel half of a medium-sized vegetable, cut it into cubes, simmer in a thick-bottomed pan for 5-10 minutes, and then grind until puree, draining off excess liquid.

To get an elastic dough, you need to sift a glass of flour into a wide bowl, add a little salt, a teaspoon of olive oil and gradually pour in 2-3 tablespoons of water. To make the dough easier to work with, you need to knead it well and then let it sit for about 30 minutes. The resulting dough should be rolled out on a flat surface, cut into squares, put zucchini puree in the center of each of them as a filling, and form dumplings in the form of envelopes.

The semi-finished product can be boiled in water for 5 minutes or steamed. The dumplings should be cooked in a steamer for about 10 minutes.

Cutlets

Steamed zucchini cutlets have minimal calorie content. A medium-sized vegetable needs to be peeled, seeds removed, and grated on a fine grater. Add the white of one raw egg and a tablespoon of flour to the resulting mass. Provided you feel well and there have been no cases of exacerbation of the disease over the past few months, you can put finely grated potatoes in the cutlets, as well as a small amount of salt.

Zucchini for pancreatitis: recipes for dietary dishesHealth benefits of Zucchini

The mixture should be mixed well, formed into balls and placed on the steamer rack. In 10-15 minutes, the diet cutlets will be ready. If desired, you can sprinkle them with a small amount of herbs before starting cooking. If you have pancreatitis, you should not pour sauce over the dish.

Vegetable zucchini soup for chronic pancreatitis

Ingredients

Zucchini – 1 pc. big size;
Potatoes – 3 pcs. medium size;
Carrots – 1 pc. medium size;
Onion – ½ medium sized onion;
Dill – 1 bunch (use only leaves!);
Sunflower oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
Water – 3 l.

How to cook diet soup with zucchini

Wash carrots, potatoes, dill and zucchini.
We clean carrots by scraping the skin, potatoes and zucchini by cutting off the skin.
We cut the vegetables: potatoes - medium cube, zucchini - small cubes, onions - finely chopped, carrots - on a fine grater, dill - finely chopped only the leaves.
Bring water to a boil in a soup pot and add potato cubes. Cook for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan. Place the onion for 2 minutes, then the carrots for 2 minutes and the zucchini for 2 minutes. It is strictly forbidden to fry vegetables to a crisp! Therefore, sauté over low heat, covered, adding a little water if necessary.
Add the stewed vegetables to the water with the potatoes and cook everything together for another 10-15 minutes.
2 minutes before the end of cooking, add salt (at the tip of a knife) and all the dill.
Let the soup brew under the lid for 7-10 minutes after turning off the heat.

Options for zucchini dishes for pancreatic disorders

Vegetable soup for patients suffering from the chronic stage of pancreatitis. The dish consists of 1 zucchini, 3 potatoes, 1 carrot, half an onion, 1 bunch of onions. It is better to use purified water as a base. The potatoes are finely chopped and boiled in boiling water for 15 minutes. At this time, zucchini, carrots and onions, cut into small cubes, are sautéed over low heat in sunflower oil under a lid. You can add a little water. The ingredients are mixed and cooked for another 15 minutes. At the end dill and a little salt are added.
Steamed zucchini cutlets cooked in a slow cooker. You will need zucchini, white from one egg, 2 tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt. The main ingredient is grated on a fine grater, protein, flour, and salt are added to it. Cutlets are formed from the resulting mass and laid out on a grid. After 15 minutes the dish is ready.
A simple dietary recipe for zucchini stewed in milk. To prepare, take low-fat milk and additionally dilute it with purified water. For 1 zucchini you will need 1 glass of diluted milk, 2 tablespoons of semolina, and a pinch of salt. The vegetable is cut into cubes and stewed in milk. You can add dill for taste.

Zucchini recipes for those suffering from pancreatitis are varied, only the auxiliary ingredients change. It is advisable to expand the diet only after the consent of the attending physician.

Zucchini belongs to the group of low-calorie and dietary products. Dishes made from this vegetable are often found in the diet of patients with various diseases. However, with pancreatitis, especially during the acute stage, zucchini should be eaten with caution.

Zucchini contains a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients: vitamin C, polysaccharides, monosaccharides, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, sodium, phosphorus, etc.

Steamed zucchini cutlets in a slow cooker

Ingredients

Zucchini - 1 pc. medium size + —
Egg white (yolk can be added according to your well-being) - from 1 egg + -
Wheat flour - 1-2 tbsp. + —
Salt - 1 pinch + -

Add everything
to the shopping list
Remove everything
from the shopping list Shopping list

How to cook zucchini

We wash the zucchini and cut off the dented and veiny areas of the skin.
Grate the zucchini on a fine grater, add protein, salt and flour.
Mix thoroughly, form cutlets and place in a grid for steaming.
We send the cutlets to the multicooker, where we use the “steam” mode for 15 minutes.

Acute form of pancreatitis

Zucchini is considered a hypoallergenic vegetable, the consumption of which causes extremely rare adverse reactions. It also does not contain fiber, which stimulates the release of large amounts of enzymes and increases the load on the patient’s digestive system. Despite these features, in the presence of acute inflammation of the pancreas, consuming zucchini is contraindicated.

If the disease is mild, it can be added to other dishes, for example, porridge. This vegetable is fully added to the diet only after all manifestations of the inflammatory process have subsided, as well as the disappearance of the symptoms of the disease. Start with a small amount in combination with other dishes.

To prevent unwanted effects, it is allowed to add zucchini to the diet in an amount of no more than two tablespoons per meal. However, they must be included in other dishes. If after this there are no signs of resumption of the disease, the amount is gradually increased to 100 grams. This value must not be exceeded.

Diet zucchini stewed in milk

This dish can be consumed for chronic pancreatitis by those people who do not have milk intolerance.

The fat content of milk should be low (1-1.5%) or it should be diluted with drinking water.

Ingredients

Zucchini – 1 pc. medium size;
Milk 1-1.5% - 0.5-1 glass;
Salt - on the tip of the knife;
Semolina – 1-2 tbsp. l.;
Dill – 1 tbsp. l finely chopped leaves.

Preparing dietary zucchini

We clean the zucchini and cut it into bars.
In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil.
Place the zucchini in it and simmer until tender - about 10-15 minutes, depending on the type of zucchini.
At the end of cooking, add salt and chopped dill.
The milk should cover the zucchini just a little. If there is a lot of it, you can add semolina - 1-2 tbsp. for thickening.

At the end of the story, we will have to disappoint lovers of squash caviar. Although the zucchini in this recipe is chopped and stewed, in case of acute pancreatitis the savory vegetable snack is prohibited because it contains tomatoes, vinegar and pepper, which irritate the pancreas.

You can treat yourself to caviar only after recovery or at the stage of remission of a chronic disease. Take care of yourself! Be conscious of the “queen of digestion”, and may the remission last long and steadily!

Is it possible to eat squash caviar if you are sick?

Squash caviar is a prohibited dish for pancreatitis.

In industrial conditions, it is prepared using ingredients harmful to the stomach, liver, gallbladder and pancreas:

hot seasonings, pepper;
tomato paste;
vinegar and other preservatives;
large amounts of salt;
synthetic flavors;
flavor enhancers.

Even if you cook caviar yourself, you will still have to use tomatoes, vinegar, and pepper. And such ingredients negatively affect the condition of the digestive tract, liver and pancreas.

Zucchini with cream

To prepare you need one medium zucchini, half a glass of cream with 10% fat content, 55 grams of hard cheese, salt and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg to taste.

The fruit is washed and cleaned if it is not young.
The fruit is cut crosswise into slices up to three centimeters thick.
Whip the cream with nuts and add salt.
Hard cheese is grated.
Place zucchini on a greased baking sheet, pour in the prepared sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
You can cook over a fire in a deep frying pan, covered with a lid. The fire should be small.
The sauce should not gurgle, but only sway slightly and simmer.
After twenty minutes of this boiling, the dish is removed from the heat.
Can be cooked in a slow cooker.

In case of acute pancreatitis, the dish is prohibited due to the fat content of the cream; in case of chronic pancreatitis, consumption is possible if cream and sour cream are tolerated normally.

Shrimp soup

To prepare, take a glass of water and milk, up to ten pieces of shrimp, a medium potato, one hundred grams of zucchini. Salt, parsley and a slice of bread cut into cubes are added to taste - these ingredients are allowed only during remission and from the third week after the last attack.

The zucchini and potatoes are washed, peeled and grated on a coarse grater.
Pour boiling water over the shrimp for a couple of minutes, then peel and grind in a blender.
Milk is added to water and brought to a boil over low heat.
Add grated vegetables to the mixture while stirring and bring to a boil over low heat for 15 minutes.
Then add shrimp meat, chopped parsley and boil for another two minutes.

Crackers or sliced bread are added to the soup when serving, regardless of the phase of the disease; the bread should be wheat without a crust, only pulp. It is dried on a baking sheet without oil for about five minutes.