Pancreatitis: Pancreatitis is inflammation of pancreas. Pancreas produces several enzymes to aid in the digestion of food; it also secretes hormone insulin, which controls the level of sugar in the blood. Pancreatitis represents a wide spectrum of clinical disease involving a diffuse inflammatory process of the pancreas with variable involvement of the other organ systems. The pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Some of the major causes of pancreatitis are gallstones, high blood triglyceride levels, trauma, gall bladder disease, Heavy alcohol ingestion, unknown factors. Binge alcohol drinking is a common cause of pancreatitis. The main symptoms of pancreatitis are acute, severe pain in the upper abdomen frequently accompanied by vomiting and fever.

Dietary guidelines:

• Eat low fat diet.
• Limit the amount of caffeine.
• Alcohol and nicotine should be avoided completely.
• Eat foods low in fat, high in carbohydrates and proteins to decrease work load of pancreas.
• Avoid eating fatty foods to reduce you chance of having another attack.
• Eat small frequent meals. Eating larger meals will make the pancreas over work to digest the food.
• A diet for pancreatitis should be bland diet.
• Reduce intake of sodium
• Choose a diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grain products.
• Foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids may reduce pancreatitis.
• Butter should be avoided.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Avoid spicy foods. High spicy foods can trigger an attack in your pancreas.

Foods to eat:

• Oat meal
• Soy products
• Bread
• Brown rice
• Pasta
• Fruits
• Vegetables

Foods to avoid:

• Carbonated beverages
• Chocolate
• Chilli powder
• Coffee
• Alcoholic beverages
• Black or red peppers
• Peppermints
• Citrus fruits
• Tomatoes
• Butter
• Whole milk
• Eggs
• Bacon
• Sausages