Watermelon with pancreatitis: you can eat or not?
Watermelon is a giant berry with a unique taste. It is loved by both children and adults. Sometimes it's so hard to give up the sweet, water-saturated gift of nature that many are looking forward to summer to quench their thirst with just this delicacy.
However, some people suffering from various diseases of the digestive system can not afford to enjoy a refreshing life-giving pulp, since they do not know whether it is possible to eat a watermelon in pancreatitis. A lot of rumors and assumptions are circling around this berry. It's time to dispel them.
Since the pulp of watermelon does not contain a huge amount of proteins and fats, and everyone knows that they can only aggravate the course of the disease with pancreatitis, there would seem to be no restrictions for consumption.
The juice of this berry contains complex and simple carbohydrates that can adversely affect the secretion of pancreatic juice.
In addition, the excessive content of stimulating the active release of bile substances, can provoke an exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis, and the development of an acute form of inflammation of the pancreas.
In pancreatitis, eating watermelon can, however, this statement is true only in some cases, discussed below, because everything depends on the type of pancreatitis, its intensity. Quite unequivocally we can say that watermelon( like melon) is banned in acute pancreatitis, and its severity does not matter.
Intravenous phase
It is known that when an acute form of pancreatic inflammation occurs, all fresh fruits, berries and vegetables are prohibited. In this case, the food should be treated thermally and mashed. Of course, watermelon does not fall into the permitted category.
The fact is that the juicy pulp of this berry contains dietary fibers that can become a direct cause of increased gas generation. If the patient still dares to eat a juicy lobule, he expects the appearance of such unpleasant consequences as intense intestinal colic, repeatedly repeated severe diarrhea and bloating.
At the very end of food rehabilitation( after the inflammation subsides), you can consider the inclusion of watermelon in the diet, however, it occurs only in chronic or mild form of the disease.
Remission phase
Once the disease has passed into the phase of remission, the patient can consume watermelon. And, this applies even to those patients who have problems with the metabolism of carbohydrates. The reason for this lies in the interesting fact - in this berry contains not glucose, but fructose, which means that the body does not need to produce excessive amounts of insulin. Fresh watermelon has a very low glycemic load.
Watermelon must be consumed fresh. Together with this, it is preserved, jam, salads, candied fruits and mousses are made from it. This always green berry is an excellent diuretic, and has always been considered a natural carrier of folic acid, which increases the intensity of processing of food proteins and lactation. In addition, watermelon contains antioxidants involved in anti-inflammatory processes, which impede the development of tumors, slowing down the age-related changes. Present in abundance is low in calories actively used in various diets and during the so-called "unloading" days.
From all of the above it follows that watermelon is completely contraindicated in acute pancreatitis, but with persistent remission it can be eaten at a daily dose( depending on individual tolerability) to 1.5 kg. In the phase of exacerbation, the permissible amount is determined individually by the attending physician.
