Pancreatitis & Roast Beef

I love protein. I love red meat. Always have. Always will. If that were a crime, I'd be a lifer.

Over the past 3+ years of living with chronic pancreatitis I've learned to limit my steak intake, as well as cook steak with ginger in hopes of decreasing any negative effect it might have on my pancreas. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Therefore, as the theory would go, ginger might work as an anti-inflammatory for the pancreas. My personal experience is that I like ginger and it does seem to work for me.

No that doesn't mean I get to eat whatever I want whenever I want. It means that if my pancreas is sore that I tend to eat foods with added anti-inflammatory spices to decrease the risk of my pancreas getting further inflamed.

What does this have to do with Roast Beef? Hmmm. Nothing!

But it does have to do with Steak!

Recently, while visiting family in NYC I got in the habit of buying roast beef instead of steak. Ends up, I eat roast beef in smaller portions than I do when cooking a piece of steak.

With roast beef, I find myself nibbling on it throughout the day rather than sitting down and having a 4-6 ounce steak in one sitting.

Nibbling small amounts of food might be the ideal diet for someone like me who suffers from chronic pancreatitis. It means I'm never eating too much at once. Therefore I'm not overloading my pancreas with more than it can handle yet I'm able to happily nibble away at my favorite food, red meat!

Note: I buy the roast beef without any additives, preservatives or MSG.

Pancreatic Diet & Curry Rice

I'm making a little rice with margarine and curry. I'm trying to be rather gentle on my pancreas these days.

I was recently in NYC where I perhaps ate a little more all-natural sausage, steak, roast beef, chicken and yogurt.

It's not that I can't have these foods. It is just that my pancreas doesn't like it when I eat too much of them. I, on the other hand, could eat protein rich foods all day long... if I didn't have a pancreas. So now, I'm trying to give my pancreas a break.

Rice is bland. My pancreas prefers very small quantities of bland food when it is 'resting'.

Curry is an anti-inflammatory spice. Therefore, my thought is that using curry might make food consumption easier when my pancreas is inflamed but not to the point where I can't eat at all.

In the hospital the doctor said no spicy foods.

Actually, some spices like ginger and curry might be good to cook with since these spices act as anti-inflammatories to the system. This means curry and ginger could potentially help decrease the inflammation of my pancreas while still allowing me to eat small meals.


Related Articles:
How to Stop a Pancreatic Flare Up

Pancreas Flare-up and Broth

Eating can be painful when experiencing a pancreatic flare-up. For me, the goal is for the pain to stop as soon as possible. Allowing the pancreas to rest seems to be the best cure when I am experiencing a pancreatic flare-up.

For me, allowing the pancreas to rest means either not eating or eating very little. Usually, I begin with rebelliously eating a little, then I surrender to the fact that I need to eat even less, eventually realizing and accepting that I simply need to be on liquids for a little while.

Chicken broth is one of my favorite liquids and it makes me feel good when I can't eat because my pancreas is inflammed and I'm experiencing a flare-up. The salt and warm liquid is soothing. It's also filling and soothing when I can't eat.

'A little while' could be a few days, weeks or months. Everyone is different. The severity of where a person is at with their disease and how inflamed and/or damaged the pancreas is would probably, at least in part, help to determine how long a person needs to stay away from food.

The longer I stubbornly eat the longer the flare-up will last because it will just take that much longer before my pancreas can rest and therefore heal.

For me, it is important to be willing to give up food when I am experiencing a flare-up of the pancreas. But I don't want to lose weight and I get hungry. So, I want to eat. The sooner I relinquish control and surrender to the fact that my pancreas cannot rest while I am eating the sooner my pancreas can heal and the less likely I am causing it further damage and scarring. As a result, I assume I the earlier I get on a liquid diet during times of pancreatic flare-ups the longer I will live.

Chronic pancreatitis is a dangerous disease. I'd like to live relatively pain-free for as long as possible. YEARS! Therefore, when experiencing a flare-up, I try to remember that liquids are good and food can increase the pain and delay and/or prevent recovery.

If you are or someone you love is experiencing a pancreatic flare-up then my heart goes out to you. It can pass. Patience is necessary. It is always important to remember that alcohol is no longer an option and can put your life at risk.

Pancreatitis & Low Acid Coffee

I'm making a concerted effort to switch from regular coffee to low-acid coffee because I think it might be easier on my pancreas.

Someone from this website had suggested that I switch from regular coffee to low acid coffee. She said that she had made the switch and found it helpful. I used to drink low acid coffee before I was diagnosed with pancreatitis and know from my own experience that it is much more gentle on my stomach.

The other day, I was at Fairway Market on the Upper East Side in NYC. So, while at the supermarket I decided to make the switch. I've looked for low acid coffee before and the only place I've found a coffee that is called 'Low Acid' is at Trader Joes. Fairway has a whole section coffee beach section with an employee there to help you decide what you want. I read all the labels and none of the coffees were called 'Low Acid'. So, I asked the man who worked the coffee section. He suggested three different types of coffee stating that those were the market's 'low acid' coffees.

Sumatra was one off the suggestions. I like Sumatra. It always seems smoother and gentler than most. So I bought that.

I don't know for sure if Sumatra is actually low acid or not. I am taking the word of someone who sells coffee at a supermarket. I'd research it online for more information or to see which are the best low acid coffees. For now, I'm back home with my Folgers blend.

I'll probably look into it further before I buy coffee again because I truly do want things to be as easy as possible on my system... uhhh, unless that means having to give up coffee altogether - which I'm not ready to do.

Bug in EYE and Pancreatitis

About a year ago, it seemed like every time my daughter and I would go for a walk I'd get hit with a bug in the eye!

It happened so often it was almost comical.

I had been experiencing a pancreatic flare-up and while I felt the exercise would benefit my pancreas and overall health, the bug-in-eye thing was a bit annoying to say the least!

My daughter agreed that the frequency of my bug-in-eye syndrome was statistically way out of whack and suggested that perhaps the pancreatic flare up changed my insulin levels resulting in sweeter eye juices that those pesky little gnats just could refuse!

Solution: Goggles!

About an hour ago, I was walking the dog and got slammed by gnats with at least a couple landing in my eyes. It is noteworthy to mention that I've been experiencing mild pancreatic pain recently. (Mild) pancreatic flare-up... bug-in-eye. I'm just sayin'...

Pancreatitis and Lavender Tea

Lavender is something I love to add to my tea mixes.

A pinch is enough. Lavender is strong and a little goes a long way.

Like with peppermint, lavender adds a lovely aroma and taste to the teas I make for the benefit of my pancreas.

Some of the herbs I use taste dreadful but are beneficial so adding a pinch of lavender can really enhance my tea drinking experience.

Benefits of Lavender
- Lavender may help with insomnia
- Lavender may be calming, help with nervousness and alleviating stress. (I have found that, for me, stress is a trigger point for pancreatic flare-ups.)
- Lavender may help to uplift wilting spirits!
- Lavender may help with flatulence, an upset stomach and bowel infections
- Lavender may help to headaches

As with anything I put into my system, I take it slow and see how my body reacts. Again, lavender is very strong and something I use only as a supplement to the other herbs I make tea from. The reason is because the other herbs are more directed toward reducing tumors, decreasing inflammation, detoxing, etc. Those are more prominent concerns when I'm trying to maintain a healthier pancreas. It seems to work, so I stick with it!

Pancreatitis and Peppermint Tea

Since most of what I do for my chronic pancreatitis is holistic, tea is a natural go-to because it is a liquid with each herb potentially offering healing benefits.

I've found several different herbs from which I make teas which I feel might have beneficial effects on my pancreas or parts of my system or health that I feel work in unison with my pancreas.

I love Peppermint Tea!

It tastes good. Some herbs taste really bad so it can be nice to add peppermint leaf to them to improve the overall taste of the tea.

Peppermint is considered to have many health benefits. Below is a list of some of the benefits peppermint is purported to offer.

Health Benefits of Peppermint
-Relieving Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
-Decreasing abdominal cramping and pain
-Reduction in bloating
-Helps relieve intestinal gas
-Helps with constipation and diarrhea
-Excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A
-Good source of magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, calcium, iron and Vitamin B2
-considered to nausea (my personal experience is that peppermint is very helpful in this area)
-Vomiting (my personal experience is that peppermint is very helpful in this area)
-Headaches

Peppermint is also considered to be helpful in managing mild asthma, stress and warding off the common cold.

Peppermint is one of my favorite additives when I'm making tea because of its great taste and benefits. Plus, I personally have felt no ill effects from using it in my teas! I like mixing it with Artemisia Capillaris Tea. The peppermint greatly improves the overall taste of the tea. I find that these teas help my pancreas feel better on a daily basis.



Sources:
Harvard Medical School
The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno
Benders’ Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
Wikipedia