Pancreatitis is a serious medical condition requiring qualified medical care. In addition to drug treatment of inflammation of the pancreas, strict dietary intake is prescribed, excluding a lot of the usual products, before the disease.
Cabbage comes under the ban. Although during a persistent remission, this vegetable is allowed to eat only in small amounts, previously subjected to its heat treatment.
If the raw vegetable is clear, then the question arises: can you eat sauerkraut in pancreatitis?
Useful properties of sauerkraut
It is considered that a pickled vegetable is much more useful than raw. After all, in the process of fermentation, a large amount of vitamin C is formed in it. In addition, all the minerals and trace elements that are in the fresh vegetable remain unchanged.
Thanks to microorganisms, fermenting cabbage, and acids of organic origin, the formation of which occurs during fermentation, the product has a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora. Favorable effect on the flora of the intestine, is to suppress the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms, which in turn, contributes to an increase in the number of beneficial bacteria.
But, the benefit of sauerkraut, you can get only people who do not have gastrointestinal diseases. If a person has a history of pancreatitis, then from the use of this product can expect more harmful effects than good.
Hazardous properties of the product
Despite all the positive properties of the sauerkraut, for people having problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it can be harmful for the following reasons:
- cabbage in any form, is a source of a large amount of plant fiber. The irritating effect of coarse fibers on the gastrointestinal mucosa is manifested in the stimulation of intestinal peristalsis and the occurrence of flatulence. A person feels pain in the abdomen and bursting. For this reason, it is necessary to limit the use of foods with a high fiber content, even with a stable remission of the disease( inflammation of the pancreas);
- because in pancreatitis the work of the gland is disrupted and its function is to produce enzymes and pancreatic juices, then for digestion of coarse fiber, they will not be enough. There will be an excessive burden on the gland, which is highly undesirable, even during remission;
- with the traditional preparation of this dish, a considerable amount of salt is used. As you know, salt can irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach, causing increased secretion. In addition, sodium chloride, is able to retain fluid in the tissues of the body. Therefore, with an excess of salt, the pancreas develops edema, stagnant phenomena begin to occur and there is an exacerbation of the disease;
- , the presence of acid formed during squalor, can stimulate the production of both gastric juice and pancreatic. Such stimulation is undesirable in case of high acidity of the stomach, and can become a reason for the resumption of inflammatory processes.
How to reduce the danger of the product
As already mentioned, sauerkraut in pancreatitis is contraindicated. But, if you still decided to introduce this product into your diet, then to reduce the negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract of this dish, you can use the following recommendations:
- is mandatory, before use rinse the product with cold water( boiled).This is done to remove the brine, which can cause irritation due to the presence of salt in it;
- as a sample, first enter into the diet of sauerkraut, heat-treated, for example, stew. After cooking, the product becomes much softer, and easier to digest, although it loses all useful substances. If after using the heat-treated vegetable there were no problems with the digestive tract, then you can try and pickled;
- is prohibited from eating a fermented product on an empty stomach. To introduce it into the diet it is necessary with some garnish( mashed potatoes, porridge).In this form it will have the least irritating effect;
- at a time, you can eat no more than 1 tbsp.spoons of the product. It is not recommended to drink it more than once a week;
- in case of unpleasant sensations after taking a sauerkraut, it is necessary to immediately exclude it from the diet.
Alternative dish from cabbage
Because the main irritant factor when using sauerkraut is salt, then there is a way to cook this product without using sodium chloride.
The product, prepared by this method, is not inferior in value to a vegetable fermented with the use of salt. In addition, it becomes possible to use sauerkraut juice, to improve digestion with reduced acidity of the stomach.
For the preparation of salt-free sauerkraut, it will take only 3 components: cabbage( white cabbage), carrots and water( boiled, chilled).
To prepare this delicious and healthy product, do the following:
- chop cabbage and carrots on a large grater, or by using special knives for shredding vegetables;
- mix the ingredients in a suitably sized bowl, and suppress them a little with their hands, so that they let the juice in;
- transfer the chopped vegetables into a glass jar or plastic bucket, filling them up to half;
- , pour the contents of the dishes with water so that it covers it for a couple of centimeters. It should be taken into account that during ripening the vegetables will be given juice, and the volume of the liquid will increase almost 2 times;
- further, you should cover the chopped vegetables with a cabbage leaf, and put on top oppression( jar or bottle of water) so that the contents do not float up. All this construction, cover with a clean cloth, and leave for fermentation for several days. Skiving should take place at room temperature, in a dark place;
- it is necessary to mix the contents of the container 2 times a day with a wooden stick to pour out the gases accumulated during fermentation. If you do not, the finished product will not have a very pleasant smell. The fermentation process takes about 3 days on average.
- when the cabbage tastes sweet and sour, it should be transferred to another container and placed in a refrigerator. And the thus obtained saltless brine can be used to ferment the next batch of vegetables, or for ingestion, with reduced acidity of the stomach, as an enzymatic agent.
Summing up, it can be said that it is possible to introduce sauerkraut into the diet, with pancreatitis in the stage of calm, it is possible only with great care and after consulting with the attending physician.
