Pancreatitis & Juice

One of the things I learned early on after being diagnosed with acute severe pancreatitis was that I didn't have a well-rounded diet and that it was probably important to change my and improve my diet to promote better overall health.

Initially, this seemed as though it would force me to eat more which would be in direct conflict of what I was capable of doing without hurting my pancreas. There were so many fruits and vegetables I really needed to include in my diet if I were to increase the overall nutrients.

Juice. Bolthouse is one of my favorites but Odwalla and Naked drinks are very good as well. There are so many juices out there that have a multitude of fruits and vegetables in them. My job now seems to be more about choosing red, green, yellow and blue juices than any one particular fruit juice or berry. As a result, the process if fun and easy!

One thing to note is quantity. I can't drink very much juice at one time because it can hurt my pancreas. That isn't an issue. An ounce or two of any particular kind of juice is probably plenty for my system to receive the varied nutrients it needs from each of the color categories. No. They aren't really color categories but if I get green, red, purple and yellow/orange juices then I've probably covered the spectrum of the fruits and veggies my body needs to be well-balanced.

So even if I only have a total of 6-8 ounces of juice throughout the day but I'm taking in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as a result I feel as though I'm giving my body the varied nutrients it needs from these food sources without hurting my pancreas by overeating or over drinking.

If you live on your own, you might want to buy the smallest bottles available. I used to buy the largest bottles available because my daughter drinks so much juice but after she moved out I found that I was either trying to finish the bottle (which inevitably would overwork the pancreas) or half the container would be thrown out. Now, I don't sweat it. I buy small quantities and toss it when need be. The whole idea is to help the pancreas not to cause stress to it. Therefore, tossing old juice is always better than drinking it at the risk of overworking the pancreas. While I tend to be thrifty it is important to prioritize, as well. The health of the pancreas comes first!