Diet for the gastrointestinal tract

April 25, 2011

Intestinal diseases interfere with the absorption of nutrients. How to organize meals to get everything you need from food?

Intestinal diseases most often lead to malabsorption of nutrients. The body experiences not only a deficiency of proteins or fats, but also other substances important for normal functioning - vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron. How should you organize your diet so that your body gets everything it needs from food?

General recommendations for catering

An inflamed pancreas, like a problematic stomach, needs a gentle diet. Therefore, the general principles of organizing the diet are the same for both pancreatitis and gastritis:

1. Food portions should be small (up to 150 grams).
2. It is better to eat often, but little, without burdening the digestive organs with prolonged work. The most rational solution is to switch to 5 meals a day (breakfast - 2nd breakfast - lunch - afternoon snack - dinner).
3. All products are crushed during the cooking process and chewed thoroughly during eating.
4. Food should not be cold. All dishes and drinks are better absorbed when warm.
5. Products should not be dry, hard or have sharp edges. Rusks or drying should be soaked in broth or tea.
6. The diet is strictly on an hourly basis. The stomach, getting used to a certain regime, begins to secrete juice in advance for better absorption of foods.

2 hours before bedtime, food is completely excluded. You need to give the gastrointestinal tract time to stop working and have a good rest overnight. It is not recommended to overload the body immediately upon waking up or to snack on the go. You need to eat calmly and slowly.

The most important

In case of serious intestinal diseases, the absorption of nutrients is very difficult, so the diet should be as balanced as possible and sufficiently high in calories.
But at the same time, you will have to exclude foods that can increase the load on the digestive organs and provoke an increase in the disease. Diet No. 4 is also a good way to regain the weight lost during illness. Tags:

• Diets
• Diet
• Intestines
• Therapeutic diets

1 comment • To leave a comment you must be an authorized user

• sasha_alexandra I used to suffer from intestinal problems, it all started after taking antibiotics for a long time. The microflora suffered, but I only found out that this was not the case right away. I also tried to eat healthy, mainly the above-mentioned foods. But only after a course of Evalar’s ​​multiflora completely resolved the issue with the intestines. In short, it couldn’t have happened without support from the pharmacy.

General tips for organizing meals

The main thing in diet therapy is a clear distinction between foods that are beneficial and those that are harmful. There are a number of products that can be found on the approved lists. But even they become dangerous if used incorrectly.

For example, if you have pancreatitis or gastritis, it is acceptable to eat steamed egg omelet. But hard-boiled eggs are strictly prohibited by gastroenterologists. Baked chicken meat is a provocateur of exacerbation of pancreatitis or gastritis. While chicken broth has a healing effect on the inflamed organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

If we talk about cooking methods, we definitely exclude frying, smoking and drying. Products for the diet menu are boiled or cooked until ready by steaming, in a slow cooker, or in the oven.

Authorized Products

During periods when pancreatitis and gastritis are exacerbated, ingredients that do not increase the acidity of the stomach and do not irritate the mucous membrane are considered the least dangerous.

Table of allowed food groups:

Decoctions of herbs or rose hips, Borjomi, weak black tea, and homemade jelly are recommended for drinking.

Note: the described ingredients constitute a special menu number 5 in its expanded form, intended for people with pancreatitis, gastritis, cholecystitis and hepatitis.

Prohibited Products

In fact, all components that are not included in the table approved by gastroenterologists are considered harmful to people suffering from pancreatitis and gastritis. This means that “taboo” is declared:

• any smoked meats;
• preserves and marinades;
• spicy and sour dishes;
• fatty varieties of fish, meat, cheeses;
• mushrooms;
• sweet and rich baked goods;
• nuts and seeds;
• coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks.

Legumes (peas, beans, corn) are prohibited - they cause bloating and belching. Regular cabbage is dangerous - its acid provokes heartburn. The same applies to sorrel, spinach, radish, and lettuce. A categorical “no” will have to be said to horseradish, garlic and onions, including green ones.

During the remission stage, a small amount of salt is allowed. Iodized is best. It is recommended to add salt to dishes at the end of cooking.

Authorized Products

The diet of patients should consist of:

• Soups prepared in recycled meat/fish broth with the addition of well-cooked and mashed cereals and vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, young fresh peas, pumpkin, beets). Soups can be seasoned with dried flour (not fried), a small amount of cream or milk, an egg-milk mixture or butter at 100-110°C (without changing color). Fat sautéing of vegetables is avoided. Puree soups (puree and creamy) are less irritating to the gastrointestinal tract, so they are recommended for exacerbation of diseases.
• Veal, lean beef, lean pork (occasionally), chicken, turkey, boiled or steamed rabbit. Dishes made from pureed and chopped minced meat (cutlets, dumplings, purees, pate, soufflé, casseroles, puddings) are well tolerated by patients. To reduce the stimulating effect of extractive substances, it is recommended to first boil all meat products and then stew or bake.
• Low-fat fish (pike perch, carp, hake, pollock, cod, sea fish fillet), boiled or steamed. Fish can be consumed in pieces and in the form of minced meat products.
• Fresh butter and vegetable oil. Milk and sour cream sauces with the addition of a small amount of flour and fresh eggs.
• Boiled, stewed, pureed or chopped vegetables. Vegetables used include beets, pumpkin, kohlrabi, cauliflower inflorescences, potatoes, green peas (young), parsley and dill. Skinless tomatoes unless they cause heartburn. Vegetables are stewed in a small amount of water, and butter is added before serving. A double boiler is suitable for cooking meat, fish or vegetables. Avoid eating fried potatoes.
• Cereal dishes. In case of exacerbation and the presence of diarrhea, only decoctions of rice and oatmeal without milk and fat are recommended, then the same porridges are allowed, but pureed and in liquid form. During the period of remission, you can eat not pureed, but well-cooked porridges, casseroles, cereals, charlottes, and puddings. During the period of remission, you can prepare pilaf with dried fruits, pumpkin and carrots, boiled thin noodles and vermicelli. Ready-made dishes are seasoned with butter or any vegetable oil. It is enough to add 5 g of butter or a teaspoon of vegetable oil to the dish.
• Low-fat milk and dairy products, low-fat cottage cheese in its natural form and various dishes made from it (casseroles, cereals, puddings, baked cheesecakes). Milk is added to cereals, puddings or tea. For peptic ulcers and high acidity, milk is the main product. Some patients tolerate fermented milk products better.
• Non-acidic fruits and berries, from which compotes, jelly, jellies, and mousses are prepared. You can eat baked apples and small quantities of chopped, peeled and fresh ones.
• Bread and baked goods (biscuit, biscuits). We recommend white and gray bread, freshly baked yesterday.
• Desserts - semolina pudding with apples, cottage cheese casserole with prunes, carrots or pumpkin, apricot jelly and puree, fruit jelly and creams. You can drink rosehip infusion and vegetable juices as drinks.
• Spices that do not irritate the mucous membranes: parsley, dill, bay leaf, cumin. It is good to add cumin grains to meat, soups, and stewed vegetables, and in case of exacerbation, only its decoction. When adding it to prepared dishes, it is better to pour boiling water over it to soften it.

Table of permitted products

Nutrition during exacerbation of pathologies

The diet is especially strictly controlled during exacerbation of gastritis and pancreatitis. After an attack, the patient is advised to fast for at least 1 day until the pain and nausea subside. Refusal to eat is necessary in order not to develop swelling and necrosis.

When the signs of acute inflammation are behind, healing decoctions, light broths and black crackers are introduced into the menu. On days 3–5, the patient is transferred to diet number 5, which includes products from the permitted list in the table above.

Important! Dishes are added to the diet gradually, one new ingredient per day, with close monitoring of any changes in symptoms.

Following broths and decoctions, vegetable puree soups and porridges (at first without oil) are returned to the diet. Only then – boiled white meat and fermented milk products. And if there are no new signs of inflammation of the pancreas, the menu is varied with fruits, herbs and permitted spices.

Fully or partially limited products

The diet for stomach diseases with normal/high acidity should exclude/limit:

• Fast food products/semi-finished products.
• Soups with fried dressing, first courses with the addition of onions, legumes, onion soup, kidneys, cabbage, millet. All soups are made with meat/fish/mushroom broths.
• Stringy/fatty/salted and fried meat, fish, smoked meats, fried potatoes, lard, pancakes, goose, duck, pancakes, fried donuts, canned fish.
• Meat, mushroom, fish, onion, garlic, mayonnaise-based sauces.
• Bean dishes, millet, wheat, corn, pearl barley, barley porridge. Difficult-to-digest foods (mushrooms), vegetables with coarse fiber (radishes), irritating coolants (ginger, garlic, green onions, pickled vegetables), hot spices/seasonings.
• Ice cream, chocolate, nut and raisin casseroles, sweet nut buns.
• Some fruits (grapes, figs, pears, lingonberries, raspberries, blueberries).
• Fatty fermented milk drinks, sour cottage cheese, fatty cheese.

Table of prohibited products

Dietary recommendations for illnesses

A balanced diet organized for pancreatitis and gastritis takes into account the daily norms of valuable components:

• total calories – up to 2.5 thousand kcal;
• carbohydrates – up to 300 grams;
• proteins – 120 g;
• fat – 80 g.

The total number of elements is approximate. Individual standards are calculated by a nutritionist.

The treating gastroenterologist can adjust the list of permitted products. This is especially true for people with gastritis and duodenitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane). If the acidity is high, it is forbidden to consume fermented milk products. During the remission stage, a little boiled milk is sometimes allowed.

To minimize stress and pressure in the digestive organs, follow the cooking instructions:

• products are consumed crushed or pureed;
• meat and fish broths - second cooking;
• exclude frying and smoking; food must be boiled, stewed, steamed or in a slow cooker.

We must not forget about a constant meal schedule. It is better not to miss scheduled meals. There is no need to arrange additional snacks.

Reviews and results

Therapeutic nutrition for stomach diseases is extremely important for patients and, according to numerous reviews, helps to quickly relieve symptoms. Basic diets for gastroenterological patients are physiologically complete and suitable for long-term use.

• “... Chronic gastritis for 15 years. Sometimes it seems that I was born with it. Exacerbation 1-2 times a year. Of course, I immediately switch to diet food for about a month. I cook for myself, mostly in a slow cooker, sometimes I bake it in the oven. When there is no exacerbation, I switch to my usual diet, although I limit alcohol, especially beer, smoked meats, and spicy foods”;
• “...I checked my stomach. Gastroscopy revealed antral gastritis, low acidity, and Heliobacter was detected. She underwent eridification treatment and was prescribed a diet and medication. Now I understand how wrong I was eating, I ate a lot of spicy, fried, smoked foods, and often ate dry food. Now I’ve decided to normalize my diet and bring my stomach back to normal.”

Sample menu for the week (for every day), what can you eat and what should the food be?

Nutritionists have developed ready-made approximate meal plans for patients with gastritis and pancreatitis. This greatly simplifies the task of organizing proper nutrition at home.

The table shows one of the most common weekly menu options:

Dishes can be alternated in a circle. Or rearrange for next week. It is advisable to ensure that variety is maintained: if you already had oatmeal for breakfast, then it is better to postpone the oat jelly to the next day.

Herbal infusions

The menu for treating gastrointestinal problems should include a lot of warm drinks. Regular black tea (not strong and slightly sweetened with honey) is a very good component in a set lunch, breakfast or dinner. But you shouldn’t drink it often.

Herbal infusions bring variety and great benefits to the diet:

• from plantain;
• St. John's wort;
• yarrow;
• rosehip.

Natural medicines soothe inflamed tissues, promote their regeneration, stimulate normal gastric motility and equalize the acid-base balance.

The best way to brew herbs and rose hips is in a thermos. But you can boil the components in a steam bath. Approximate combination of ingredients – 1 tsp. per glass of water.

Dish recipes

Food can be not only useful in the treatment of gastritis and pancreatitis, but also tasty if you know how to prepare it correctly. Below are the most popular recipes that will help diversify your diet menu and enjoy the taste of the products.

Meatballs with carrots

Small carrots are peeled, grated on a fine grater and placed on the bottom of an enamel bowl. Fill with water and put on fire.

For minced meat, you can use boneless chicken or turkey fillet (sometimes lean veal is allowed). Grind twice in a meat grinder, achieving maximum grinding. Finely chopped herbs (green parsley is best) and a small pinch of salt are added to the minced meat. Roll the mixture into small balls with a tablespoon and lower them one by one into boiling water (this will prevent them from falling apart).

The meatballs are cooked for 20–25 minutes and then removed from the water. The water is drained through a colander, and the boiled carrots are used as a side dish.

Thanks to thorough mashing, the meat will be easily digestible, and because of the carrots, it will seem juicy and very tasty. Vegetable puree soup

Usually such a soup is prepared with a second chicken broth, but it will be delicious without it.

Pour peeled and diced vegetables into boiling broth or just water (the liquid should barely cover the vegetables).

Combinations of:

• carrots and zucchini;
• potatoes with eggplants;
• pumpkins with carrots;
• potatoes with beets and celery.

Vegetables are cooked until fully cooked (when checking, the cube can be easily cut in water with a knife). Part of the water is poured into a mug to make it easier to crush the vegetables to a homogeneous consistency.

Add chopped herbs (fresh dill or parsley) to the cooked vegetables, lightly add salt and pound, gradually adding vegetable broth from the mug.

Before serving, you can add some crackers to the puree soup. You can sprinkle the dish with a handful of flax seeds or sesame seeds - these healthy additives, rich in valuable elements, are an alternative to bread.