Tomatoes and cucumbers are allowed foods for pancreatitis, because they not only contain a large amount of vitamins and beneficial elements, but are also not considered heavy foods because they contain a large amount of water.
- Tomatoes for pancreatitis
- Cucumbers for pancreatitis
- Recipes
It is worth noting that it is best to eat them without the peel, and it is also necessary to cut off the area near the stalk. Only in such cases, neither cucumbers nor tomatoes will harm the affected organ. Also, patients with an inflammatory process in the pancreas should remember to follow a strict diet in cases of an acute attack or during an exacerbation of the chronic form. Diet therapy excludes the consumption of tomatoes and cucumbers, which is why they can be eaten only when stable remission of pancreatitis is achieved.
There are quite a few recipes that include similar ingredients, but it must be taken into account that they can only be prepared using gentle methods:
- cooking;
- stewing;
- steaming;
- baking without adding fat.
Cucumbers and tomatoes in any other form are strictly prohibited.
Useful properties of cucumber
Cucumber contains up to 95% water, the remaining 5-10% accounts for the entire mineral and vitamin composition (Table 1). Still, cucumber is very useful for the following reasons:
- The water included in its composition corresponds to the needs of the body as closely as possible in structure.
- Due to its diuretic properties, cucumber is useful for hypertension, heart and kidney diseases accompanied by edema.
- Fiber improves the motor function of the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn improves the absorption of nutrients from the intestinal mucosa.
- The special enzymatic composition of cucumber juice improves the quality of digestion of animal proteins and the taste of meat dishes.
- Water in combination with fiber is one of the best natural adsorbents - substances that help remove harmful food components from the body.
- Cucumber juice helps destroy some types of gallstones (cholelithiasis is one of the causes of pancreatitis, eliminating it, cucumber juice helps eliminate one of the causes of exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis).
- Cucumber puree relieves inflammation of the pancreatic mucosa.
- The iodine and alkaline salts contained in cucumbers help improve metabolism. The dose of iodine is certainly not therapeutic, but, nevertheless, cucumbers are very good for maintaining the balance of microelements in food.
How to eat
Cucumbers can only be consumed in their natural form in case of pancreatic pathology. During a pancreatic crisis, plant foods are not indicated.
At the remission stage in the chronic stage, lightly salted cucumbers can be consumed in small doses. This can only be done after consulting with your doctor, and if the inflammatory processes have not recurred for more than a year .
Afterwards, the possible reaction of the digestive system to the introduced food component is monitored.
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Cucumbers for acute pancreatitis and relapse of chronic pancreatitis
In acute pancreatitis or exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis, particularly strict requirements are imposed on the diet, including the exclusion of oral nutrition. As a rule, in case of illness, hunger, cold and rest are recommended for the first 2-4 days. Additional measures may be prescribed to suppress the enzymatic activity of the pancreas, including the removal of gastric contents and the administration of intravenous nutrition containing special anti-enzymatic drugs.
Liquid and carbohydrate-containing foods are then prescribed because they are the least stimulating to the pancreas. Until the 25th day of the disease, only liquid or semi-liquid dishes are allowed (mashed soups with vegetable broth, pureed soups with water from cereals, steamed cutlets, steamed and pureed vegetables). After such a diet, the patient is offered an unprocessed version of dietary table No. 5 P (pancreatic).
There is no talk of eating fresh or salted vegetables, including cucumbers, over the next year.
Tomatoes are prohibited
To summarize what has been said, we can confidently answer the question “is it possible or not to have fresh tomatoes for pancreatitis.” They are completely incompatible with the acute phase. Until good treatment results are achieved, you will have to control yourself. And don’t decide for yourself when you can treat yourself to a fresh vegetable. Only a doctor can decide this based on tests. Therefore, do not forget that you need to come to a specialist not only to prescribe a course of treatment, but also to monitor the dynamics.
Fresh cucumbers for chronic pancreatitis
Despite the obvious beneficial properties of cucumber for chronic pancreatitis, even when nutritionists gradually expand the patient’s product line, it is better to refrain from fresh cucumber salad in the first months after an attack.
Fresh cucumbers for pancreatitis should be introduced into the diet gradually. You should remove a thick layer of the skin and the area near the stalk, since this vegetable accumulates harmful substances closer to the surface. You need to choose a ripe cucumber, preferably a homemade one, in the cultivation of which no chemicals were used to improve growth and protect against insects. There is an opinion that the coarse fiber of the vegetable harms the diseased organ. However, much more harm is caused by nitrates and pesticides, used by unscrupulous business executives in dosages that exceed the norm to give the fruit an attractive appearance. It is better not to buy early cucumbers, because they may contain more harmful substances (especially nitrates) than late vegetables.
If you have pancreatitis, you should start eating fresh cucumbers in the form of a puree (grated on a fine grater).
You can eat a small cucumber or half a medium fruit. Cucumber puree should be prepared in portions before use. If the puree is stored in the refrigerator for more than a day, it is better to refrain from eating it.
Over time, you can season the puree with a small amount of vegetable oil. And even return to cucumber salads. But no matter how healthy these vegetables are, you should refrain from excessive consumption of cucumbers in order to avoid loss of nutrients, because. Cucumbers help remove not only harmful substances from the body, but also wash away useful ones.
In some cases, patients with chronic pancreatitis may be recommended a cucumber diet, which consists of eating cucumbers and clean water for a week. However, it should be remembered that the cucumbers that will be used must be environmentally friendly, because their quantity per day can reach up to 8 kg. In this case, the content of nitrates and other chemicals, even at acceptable levels, can damage the diseased organ. In addition, a diseased pancreas reacts poorly to fresh vegetables, and in many forms of pancreatitis, such self-medication can lead to a serious exacerbation of the disease.
What to replace tomatoes with?
Exacerbation of pancreatic disease is accompanied by nausea, cutting pain in the abdomen, starting on the left, in the hypochondrium, radiating to the back. These pains do not subside even in a supine position. Apathy appears, appetite disappears, pain causes insomnia and irritability.
Painkillers temporarily solve the problem, but do not cure. Only seeing a doctor, intensive complex therapy and strict adherence to a diet can restore health.
It is best to completely avoid eating tomatoes if you have pancreatitis, and replace them with zucchini, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, beets and other vegetables.
You can eat potatoes if you don't have diabetes. Raw or stewed, steamed, these vegetables will help normalize digestion and relieve exacerbation of pancreatic disease.
About tomato paste and juice
Patients with pancreatitis can use tomato paste as food if they have prepared it themselves.
The simplest recipe:
- Take ripe, but not overripe tomatoes without signs of spoilage or mold;
- Make small cuts on the tomatoes and scald them with boiling water to make it easier to remove the skin;
- Chop coarsely and remove seeds;
- Grind and boil the resulting mass until thick, about 3-6 hours;
This tomato paste without salt, sugar and spices can be added as a sauce to various dishes.
Tomato juice is rich in vitamins and microelements. But it contains acids that have a detrimental effect on the diseased pancreas. In acute pancreatitis, juice should be discarded.
Pickled cucumbers for chronic pancreatitis
It is better to abstain from pickles if you have any form of pancreatic disease. Salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic, horseradish and any of the preservatives that housewives use to preserve cucumbers (vinegar, acetylsalicylic or citric acid) increase the enzymatic activity of the gland, which is what nutritionists are trying to avoid during the rehabilitation period of patients with inflammation of the pancreas.
To summarize, I would like to focus on some main points. Firstly, diet No. 5 P is the main diet of a patient with pancreatitis. Secondly, whether to include fresh vegetables in your diet, even such healthy ones as cucumbers, should only be in consultation with your doctor. This primarily depends on the form of the disease and the severity of its course. And thirdly, everything is good in moderation, even the healthiest vegetable must be consumed correctly, in a timely manner and in quantities that benefit the body.
Important nuances
To prevent the desire to eat tomatoes from triggering a new attack, you need to follow the rules:
- The sensitive pancreas will react if vegetables have been treated with chemicals. When a patient or relatives have the opportunity to visit the village, the local fruits will delight you with their usefulness, but you should hold off on buying them in the supermarket.
- Store-bought ketchup and tomato paste are prohibited.
- Insufficiently ripe or completely green specimens should be discarded, as they will cause harm even after heat treatment.
- Tomato juice without salt (200 ml per day) can be included in the nutrition system.
- Stewed tomatoes with the addition of carrots or zucchini will be useful.
When the disease goes into long-term remission, it is permissible to use tomato paste made at home when cooking. To do this, ripe tomatoes are passed through a juicer, after being chopped, and the resulting liquid is boiled over low heat. After 5 hours it will thicken and the harmless, spice-free ingredient will be ready.
Important: tomato should be introduced into the menu deliberately and gradually, but if the recommendations are followed, it has a beneficial effect on the affected organ and relieves inflammation of its mucous membrane.
Is additional processing needed?
Patients with organ pathology are allowed pumpkin in its natural form, not heat-treated or salted. Eating green vegetables cooked (pickles, marinades) is fraught with deterioration in health.
The fruit from the garden must be cleaned, cut or ground into cucumber puree.
The product is introduced into slicing vegetables finely chopped, without skin. For food, take medium-sized fruits that are sufficiently ripe; you cannot use large, yellow, overripe ones. It is also undesirable to choose small and unripe ones.
