Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas that produces your digestive enzymes becomes inflamed.
The pancreas produces insulin and digestive enzymes, but these enzymes may end up irritating the organ itself. This irritation may stop the pancreas from performing its function and this condition is called pancreatitis.
Because of the close nature of the pancreas and the digestive system, what you choose to eat can have a major effect.
Although pancreatitis inflammation is often caused by gallstones, chronic pancreatitis is even more closely related to your day-to-day diet.
This article will cover everything you need to know about following a diet to help with pancreatitis and offer a sample 7 day plan to follow.
Pancreatitis Diet Foods to Eat
In a nutshell, a pancreas-friendly diet contains lots of protein from lean meats and contains little animal fat or simple sugars.
This means you should get the majority of your protein sources from poultry, seafood and low-fat dairy.
If you eat red meats, make sure you get lean meats with reduced saturated fat.
These foods should make up the majority of your meals:
- Dairy – low-fat cheeses like feta and mozzarella, low-fat milk and yogurt, eggs.
- Fruits and vegetables – all kinds of fruit and veggies. Higher-fat fruits and vegetables like avocado are fine in moderation.
- Beans and legumes – black beans, chickpeas, lentils.
- Whole grains – whole grain bread and pasta, barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa.
Chronic pancreatitis can often cause malnutrition as the pancreas doesn’t function as effectively. You should be aware that Vitamins A, D, E, and K are most commonly found to be lacking due to pancreatitis.
Vitamin deficiency due to malabsorption can cause osteoporosis, digestive problems and other symptoms.
Pancreatitis Diet Foods to Avoid
These are the sorts of foods you should limit or avoid:
- Organ meats – liver, kidneys, heart
- Fried foods – french fries, donuts and fried meats are high in saturated fats
- Processed meats – sausages and bacon
- Drinks with added sugar – fruit juices and soda
- Alcohol – alcohol consumption can worsen a pancreatitis attack acute and contribute to chronic pancreatitis
- Full-fat dairy – high-fat cheese (e.g cheddar and brie) and whole milk contains a lot of saturated fat
- High-fat spreads – margarine and butter
In particular, cooked or deep-fried foods may cause a pancreatitis flare-up. Refined grains such as white bread, flour and rice can also be problematic as they cause your insulin levels to spike.
Alcohol can also worsen an acute pancreatitis attack and contribute to chronic pancreatitis. Many of us drink too much already and heavy alcohol intake has been associated with increased pancreatic cancer risk (1, 2, 3).
How a Mediterranean Diet Can Help Pancreatitis
Some research says that some people can tolerate roughly 30-40% of their calories from fat when it’s from whole-food plant sources or medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).
Others may find they work better with less fat in their diet, but generally, you’ll want a low-medium fat diet that’s predominantly plant-based and low in saturated fats.
The Mediterranean diet fits this specification well.
It focuses on the foods mentioned above and prioritizes fats from healthy sources like extra virgin olive oil rather than saturated fats.
Many leading organizations support eating a Mediterranean diet for pancreatitis as well as overall health, including:
It also consistently tops the best diets to follow, both because of how healthy it is and how sustainable it is to follow over the long-term. US News ranked it as the number 1 diet.
This is great for people who want a long-term solution that they can stick to forever rather than a short-term fix.
Various studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet can help with a range of health-related diseases, such as:
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular events, and coronary heart disease, (4, 5)
- Reduced risk of coronary heart disease (6, 7)
- Reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (8)
- Risk of breast cancer (9)
- Reduced obesity (10)
- Better cognitive function (11)
Pancreatitis Diet Meal Plan
Cholesterol Lowering Diet Meal Plan
Sample Menu
In the meal plan are recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Greek Salad | Haddock Risotto |
| Tues | Basil & Spinach Scramble | Falafel Wraps | Eggplant & Lentil Bake |
| Wed | Tomato & Watermelon Salad | Carrot, Orange & Avocado Salad | Mediterranean Chicken, Quinoa & Greek Salad |
| Thurs | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Mixed Bean Salad | Grilled Vegetables with Bean Mash |
| Fri | Basil & Spinach Scramble | Panzanella Salad | Salmon & Chickpea Salad |
| Sat | Tomato & Watermelon Salad | Spiced Carrot & Lentil Soup | Chicken Gyros |
| Sun | Blueberry Blues Porridge | Moroccan Chickpea Soup | Spicy Mediterranean Beet Salad |
Snacks are recommended between meal times. Some good snacks include:
- A handful of nuts or seeds
- A piece of fruit
- Carrots or baby carrots
- Berries or grapes
Day 1: Monday
Breakfast: Breakfast Blues Porridge
Nutrition
- Calories – 347
- Protein – 15g
- Carbs – 42g
- Fat – 15g
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- ½ cup (50g) porridge oats
- ⅚ cup (200ml) milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- ⅛ cup (25g) chia seeds
- ¾ cup (150g) blueberries
- ⅓ cup (25g) flaked almonds
Instructions
- Mix the porridge oats, milk, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt and chia seeds in a bowl and soak for one minute. Once the oats have softened, add some of the blueberries.
- Place the mixture into two bowls and add any remaining berries and almonds.
Lunch: Greek Salad
Nutrition
- Calories – 273
- Protein – 6g
- Carbs – 14g
- Fat – 24g
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- ⅘ cup (120g) cherry tomatoes,
- 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ (60g) or about 16 Kalamata olives
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ cup (50g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and lightly season. Serve with wholemeal bread.
Dinner: Haddock Risotto
Nutrition
- Calories – 508
- Protein – 40g
- Carbs – 46g
- Fat – 15g
Prep time + cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients (for 2 people)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (100g) risotto rice, such as arborio or carnaroli
- 1 ½ cups (350ml) vegetable stock
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- 9-10 oz (280g) smoked haddock,
- skinned and cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 ⅔ cups (50g) baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400F (200C). Heat the oil in an oven-proof dish over a medium heat. Cook the leek for 4-5 minutes, until just tender. Add the rice and stir for 2 extra minutes.
- Add the stock and milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the haddock on top. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 18 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Add the Greek yogurt and spinach and season. Cover the pan again and leave to rest out of the oven for 3 minutes before serving.