Foods to Avoid with Pancreatitis

Foods to Avoid with Pancreatitis Located behind the stomach, the Pancreas">Pancreas is the gland that secrets digestive juices and enzymes, which help digest food. Your pancreas is also responsible for producing hormones that regulate the glucose your body takes from food. Sometimes, the pancreas fails to work properly because it becomes inflamed. This happens due to a condition called pancreatitis. If you already have this condition, you need to pay attention to your diet. Be sure to limit certain foods to avoid making your condition worse.

Foods to Avoid with Pancreatitis
Be cautious about foods that can aggravate your symptoms. Here is what you should exclude from your diet when you have pancreatitis.

1. Excessive Alcohol


You have to limit your intake of alcohol when you have pancreatitis. It is important to avoid all types of wine, beer, and liquor. It is equally important to quit smoking cigarettes because they amplify the negative effect of alcohol on your pancreas. It is never easy to stop drinking especially if you have been drinking for years, but you can seek help from a professional or join a recovery group to leave alcohol.

2. Fried or Fatty Foods


Eliminate foods rich in saturated fats when you are prone to pancreatitis. Fatty foods increase your risk of having another attack of pancreatitis when you are recovering from one. Ensure that you do not eat greasy foods, such as French fries and burger; fatty meats, such as bacon, organ meat, and salami; foods rich in Trans-fats, such as fast food, baked goods, and frozen pizza; and full-fat milk, including cheese and yogurt.

3. Starches and Breads


When it comes to foods to avoid with pancreatitis, you should also avoid grains and breads with high fat content to avoid making your symptoms worse. When you have pancreatitis, your body cannot digest added fat found in stuff like doughnuts, croissants, biscuits, high-fat crackers, and waffles. You will be better off including whole-grain starches in your diet. Some of the best options are pasta, brown rice, hot cereals, and lower-fat crackers.

4. Veggies and Fruits
While most fruits and veggies are safe, you should avoid the ones with high fat content. A great example is avocados that should be avoided at all cost. Similarly, you should avoid dishes that are breaded or fried. Also, avoid veggies that are prepared with oil sauce or cheese.

5. Dairy and Other Beverages
Your symptoms may become worse if you do not exclude high-fat dairy products from your diet. Avoid full-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt and try lower fat alternatives. Water, juice, tea, coffee, and nutritional supplements can be included in your diet for better hydration.

6. Meat and Protein Sources


Certain protein sources are also on the list of foods to avoid with pancreatitis. It is better to avoid nuts and seeds, high-fat meats, and meat with skin. Ground meats with 15% to 25% fat should also be avoided. Similarly, you should not eat cuts of beef, chicken, or pork with visible fat. Breaded and fried meats also have no place in your diet. You can get protein from beans, lean meats, and eggs.

7. Sweets and Desserts
Brownies, cake, cookies, pie, and ice cream usually require added fat, which is the reason why you may want to avoid these foods, especially when they are made with heavy whipping cream, whole milk, or large amounts of margarine.

8. Added Fats and Cooking Oils
Whatever you are cooking, be sure to limit the amount of fat you use. Moreover, you also need to avoid overeating butter, sour cream, vegetable oils, margarine, and full-fat salad dressings.

Foods to Eat with Pancreatitis
While dealing with pancreatitis, it is better to go 'vegan' until you no longer have any pain. A modified vegan diet is usually a better option. You can include safe protein sources in your diet when you have no symptoms, such as nausea or pain. Here are some safe foods options for anyone suffering from pancreatitis:

• Fish, especially white meat fish, such as halibut, cod, crappie, bass, orange roughy, catfish, Pollack, etc.


• Seafood, including crab, shrimp, lobster, clam, scallops, etc.


• Poultry, including skinless chicken, grouse, turkey, quail, and pheasant


• Egg whites


• Legumes, such as peas, lentils, and beans


• Leafy green and cruciferous vegetables


• Fruits, such as coconut, berries, squash, and cherries


• Whole grains such as rice, oats, barley, and wheat


• Spices, including garlic, cayenne, black pepper, turmeric, and ginger

It is important to check the fat content of foods you eat. Some safer protein sources may still have enough fat to make your symptoms worse – this is especially true when you are still healing from a bout of pancreatitis. Moreover, you should drink plenty of water to avoid dealing with Dehydration, which can lead to flare-ups. It is fine to drink Gatorade or other available sports drinks, but be sure to check their sugar content first.

Can You Prevent Pancreatitis?
It really helps to pay attention to your diet and know about foods to avoid with pancreatitis, but the truth is that you cannot completely prevent pancreatitis, especially when it is caused by gallstones.

• Ensure that you eat regular, balanced meals. Never skip meals and ensure you go for low-fat options only. This prevents gallstones and lowers your risk of dealing with pancreatitis. Also, limit saturated fat and include fiber in your diet.


• It is important to lower your weight because overweight people are at a greater risk of developing gallstones, which in turn makes them vulnerable to developing acute pancreatitis. Maintaining a healthy body weight, sticking to a balanced diet, and following a good exercise program may help lower your risk of forming gallstones.

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis






Pancreas is a long gland located beneath your stomach in the upper portion. Any swelling or inflammation of the pancreas is known as pancreatitis and sometimes it can be life threatening. Pancreas is about 15 cm long and lies closely with the stomach. It secretes certain enzymes that are useful for breaking up the food particles you eat and helps digestion. It also makes important hormones like insulin that is responsible for controlling blood glucose. The hormones produced by the pancreas stay inside the endocrine cells called islets of Langerhans.

Whenever the blood sugar level is rising, it would release insulin and other hormones to control it. Thus they help in monitoring the blood glucose and store the extra glucose in the liver and muscle to use them at the times of need. The body gets regular supply of energy in the form of glucose which is needed for metabolism. In addition to insulin, pancreas also produces glucagon which helps increasing the blood sugar level whenever needed.

Types and Symptoms :

Pancreatitis occurs in two types namely acute and chronic :

Acute pancreatitis is short lived and develops suddenly. The effects of such inflammation can range from mild to very severe. For some people it causes mild discomfort but for others it can cause internal bleeding and infection. Acute form can cause severe abdominal pain that extends towards your back and the pain would become intense after eating. It would also cause nausea and vomiting for many people. Mild fever and increased heartbeat is also common in acute pancreatitis.

Chronic Pancreatitis causes slow damage to the pancreas and often alcohol is the main culprit causing it. Chronic form would cause symptoms like pain in the abdomen and produce oily stools with foul smell. The affected person will lose weight gradually due to poor absorption of food. He may also develop diabetes since the insulin hormones are not produced in enough quantity.

Causes :

Major causes of acute pancreatitis are alcohol abuse and gallstone formation. It can also be caused due to severe infections, intake of certain medications and metabolic disorders. For some cases actual cause is not known. In case of chronic pancreatitis heavy drinking is the major cause. Cystic Fibrosis, gallstones, certain medications and high triglycerides can also cause chronic pancreatitis. Abdominal surgery can also cause pancreatic problems. Increased level of calcium in the blood can cause pancreatitis.

How Pancreas becomes inflamed?

Normally during the process of digestion, pancreas releases certain digestive enzymes facilitating digestion. But sometimes the digestive enzymes are not discharged from the pancreas and remain inside. This would irritate the organ deeply causing inflammation. When this process repeats many times it leads to chronic inflammation of the pancreas.

Complications :

Acute pancreatitis must be treated immediately failing which it can cause complications like pseudocyst formation (accumulation of debris in the pancreas) and infections due to bacteria that feeds on the debris. In some people it can affect the normal lung functions causing breathing problems.

Since insulin is not produced in normal rate, blood sugar level would raise causing diabetes. In severe cases of acute pancreatitis it can affect the kidneys causing renal failure. A person with chronic pancreatitis can lose weight due to poor nutrition since essential nutrients are not absorbed into the blood. In rare cases it can cause pancreatic cancer.

Who are at risk?

Pancreatitis can develop on any person but heavy drinking and gallstone formation are the main risk factors that cause pancreatitis. A person born with cystic fibrosis is more prone to develop acute pancreatitis than others.

Diagnosis :

Your doctor will look for the above symptoms and order for blood profile, urine and stool analysis. He would also request for imaging tests like CT scan or MRI scan or endoscopy for checking the extent of inflammation in the pancreas.

Treatment :

Treatment depends on the intensity of complications caused due to pancreatitis. For mild to moderate cases the patient will be put on intravenous fluids and closely monitored for further development. If the pancreatic tissues die inside then surgery has to be done for removing such tissues. If the gallstone has blocked the pancreatic canal totally then surgery is done for removing gallstones. For people with chronic pancreatitis the doctor will keep the patient under observation and give treatment to relieve the symptoms of abdominal pain. He will be put on low fat diet or complete fasting for couple of days.

Inflammation of the pancreas is treated by looking for the underlying cause. As soon as the swelling reduces the patient can take bland foods and liquid diet. For some people with severe pain in the abdomen, feeding tube is inserted into the stomach. The patient will be given pain killers and put on IV fluids to keep them well hydrated. For people diagnosed with bile duct obstructions, ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography) is done for widening the bile duct canal and correcting it. If alcohol abuse is the root cause of pancreatitis your doctor would give suitable drugs to free you from alcohol dependence. Patients with chronic pancreatitis will be given supplementary enzymes to maintain body metabolism and process of digestion.

Home Remedies :

Once you are diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis you need to make small changes in your lifestyle. After you get out of the hospital you should stop smoking and drinking. Get help from your doctor to stop the habit of drinking. Drink plenty of fluids and clear liquids to avoid dehydration. Stick on to low fat diet as prescribed by your doctor.

Prevention :

You cannot do anything if pancreatitis is caused by reasons beyond your control. But you can stay away from alcohol to reduce the risk of developing acute pancreatitis.