The holidays are such an easy time to stuff yourself.
If you have pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis then you know that eating too much is not the sort of think you can afford to do no matter how good the holiday food looks.
If you are having someone over to your house that has pancreatitis please do not try to get them to eat more no matter how thin they are or how good your food is.
Trust me, people with chronic pancreatitis know how good food is even if we aren't eating much of it. We don't eat too much before it can send our system into an attack that could literally kill us. Would you like your holiday dinner guest to die on your lovely holiday living room
floor an hour after dinner? Probably not. Even if they don't die from over eating it is probably better if they don't hurt their pancreas further from over eating.
If you were newly diagnosed with pancreatitis there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Do not drink alcohol at all. No exception! Toast with sparkling apple cider or whatever other non-alcoholic drink you might have in your hand.
2. Do not overeat. The rule of thumb is that your pancreas will not start to hurt until about an hour or an hour-and-a-half after you finish eating. Therefore you need to be prudent while eating. Don't expect to feel the pain while you are eating and for that to let you know that you need to stop eating. Instead, eat a lite meal. You can always nibble throughout the night. But once you've eaten you can't take it back. Therefore, you want to ensure that you are not over eating in the first place.
3. Sugars, spicy foods and fatty foods are hard on your pancreas to digest. Try to stay away from them.
Enjoy the holiday season! Pancreatitis is not a friendly disease. Its mortality rate scarily high. Be good to your pancreas as that could perhaps help your lifespan.
The holidays are about joy, family, friends, happiness and good times not about food and booze.
The holidays are a great time to be around the ones you love. A time when we truly get to remember how precious life is and how much we enjoy it and the wonderful things in our lives!
I had my first attack of pancreatitis about 3 1/2 years ago. I have read much on this disease, including numerous articles from medical and scientific journals. Your experiences are very similar to mine. What I did not realize, and you have certainly cleared this up for me, is that spicy foods are not good for the pancreas. I was wondering why homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup & horseradish) was giving me abdominal pains and discomfort. Now I understand -- thank you! It was the spicy horseradish making my pancreas act up!
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