Pancreatic Liquid Diet

If you have suffered from an acute pancreatitis attack most Doctors will usually start treatment by removing you from all foods.  This gives your Pancreas a chance to “Cool Down” and stop the inflammation.

This period will usually last as long as your lipase numbers are elevated.  Once the Pancreas is cooled down your Doctor will start you back on a Pancreatic Liquid Diet to slowly start you eating food again.

Pancreatic Liquid Diet

After the pancreas has cooled down and the pain faded then the next step will probably be to use a pancreatic liquid diet to slowly reintroduce you to food.

The diet that you will be prescribed are usually called a clear liquids diet and a full liquids diet.  The idea that Doctors use is that food needs to be introduced slowly to allow the pancreas to slowly start full functioning again.

Clear Pancreatic Liquid Diet

Clear liquids will generally be introduced first then if the pancreatitis tolerates this well either a full liquid diet or a solid diet will be prescribed.

Clear Liquids are described as those that can be seen through.  These liquids are more easily absorbed by the intestines and cause less stress to the pancreas.

Even though they contain some nutrition they are incapable of meeting the bodies energy requirements for more than a couple of days. This type of diet would include things like:

  • Bouillon soup without vegetables or noodles.
  • Coffee.
  • Fruit juices without pulp.
  • Gelatin
  • Popsicles
  • Soft drinks
  • Sports drinks
  • Tea
  • Water

After several days or more recovering from an attack of Pancreatitis it’s amazing how good even gelatin can taste.

It’s almost like your taste buds have been reset and are tasting the food you are eating anew.

Full Pancreatic Liquid Diet

In some cases after you tolerate a pancreatic clear liquid diet instead of allowing a person to start a solid diet Doctors will want to have you try a full liquid diet.

These pancreatic liquid diets include everything in a clear liquid diet but also include:

  • Cream of wheat
  • Fruit juices with pulp
  • Honey
  • Jelly
  • Milk, milkshakes and ice cream
  • Nutrition supplement drinks like Ensure or Boost
  • Pureed meats or vegetables
  • Soups with only a few solids
  • Vegetable juices
  • Yogurt and pudding

Final Thoughts

Of course many times people with pancreatitis also have Diabetis so these liquid diets may be further modified by your Doctor.

The timing between these changes also differs from Doctor to Doctor and usually will partially depend upon the severity of the attack.

If even these types of Pancreatic Liquid Diet irritate your Pancreas you will need to start back at the beginning and give your Pancreas a little more time to heal.

If you have started to back eating solid foods you should probably avoid fatty or greasy food for a while to let your Pancreas continue to heal.

In my case it takes almost twice as long to recover as whatever time I was in the hospital.

The hospital stay always leaves me a bit weak and I have to be very careful about what I eat to avoid getting another flare up.

39 thoughts on “Pancreatic Liquid Diet

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  18. Louise

    After having a second mild pancreatic attact, my family physician did not have my blood results yet. I was reluctant to check myself into the hospital. After 1 day of being on a clear diet, my pain reduced from a 7 to 1!

    I believe prayer, rest and staying on clear liquids has put mynfeet on the healing path. Thanks to your article I now know which foods to try as my healing progresses.

    G0D bless you!

    Reply
  19. Pingback: Pancreatitis Diet Tips - pancreatitisfacts.com

  20. Frank

    Hi ,I have pancreatitis and I’ve lost a lot of weight ,, any tips for athe least keeping the weight at one level,,,please and thank yall

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      Hey Frank – Pancreatitis can cause weight loss. I drink things like ensure to try to get nutrition and keep on weight. I also eat more smaller meals that are easier to digest.

      Reply
  21. Charles Millar

    My wife had her first ever pancreatitis attack yesterday with a trip to Emergency and a start on the clear liquid routine. This article and your other trials and tribulations through Google have been invaluable to us. She has had type 2 diabetes at a level of averaging about 8 without medication, a gall bladder or alcohol for many years. The elevated blood sugar may have damaged her pancreas. A cousin also has somewhat similar issues. Thank you for helping her deal with this problem.

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s problems. Dealing with Pancreatitis is really sucky! It starts to feel like you are juggling a whole lot of balls trying to keep everything in check and dealing with all these new problems. I hope that everything goes well for you!

      Reply
  22. Leslie Dyar

    I recently was diagnosed with pancreatitis.How do they know if it’s cancerous and what are the tests.?They’re doing a third blood draw this friday checking my liver again.

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      Having Pancreatitis doesn’t automatically mean that you also have cancer. Only a small portion of people who have Pancreatitis will get cancer although there is an increased risk compared to someone who doesn’t have Pancreatitis.

      Reply
  23. Karen Hande

    thank you for this blog! much more in formation than received from the ER Drs.
    my son, 33 years young, was told his liver was inflamed with nothing about his pancreas. Five days later he had bruises on his back near kidneys bloated stomach and severe pain.

    ER Dr, once it was determined it was alcohol induced, seemed to quickly discharge him, the only info he had was on his discharge papers!

    Now over a three day Memorial Day holiday, he has been in severe pain even after two day with nothing but fluids and yesterday just a bit of rice or bland fish.

    He caller ER in hopes of more information and only answer was get a PC.

    So I will save this blog and share it with him as well. thank you for letting me vent! yes it was his life style but Dr should still care for him as a young person who appears to know more than he does!!!!

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      It can be tough to get sympathy when drinking has caused Pancreatitis – but a large percentage of people who get this disease is because of drinking. But I agree with you that it shouldn’t determine the level of care that your son receives. It seems though that Medical Personnel can be very judgmental. Feel free to vent anytime that you want and check out my Facebook page to see the issues that other people are having with tis disease.

      Reply
  24. Samantha

    I am 29 years old and I recently had an attack (my first) of gut wrenching pains in my lower abdomen and my back. I spent two days thinking it was gas and/or complications with my diet. I ended up crawling myself into my dads truck for him to take me to the ER. The pain was so severe. They diagnosed me with acute pancreatitis and the first question out of the doctors mouth, “How much alcohol do you drink?” Automatically, I felt like the sympathy card couldn’t be played due to the fact that I am young, blonde and I guess he took me for a party girl. However, I am not. I ended up being admitted for a week and the two doctors I had were sure that it was due to excessive drinking. I however believe that my diet was poor due to me not eating but one meal a day and my blood pressure was through the roof. I now have been home for a solid week and I still have myself on a full liquid diet. I no longer drink any wine, soft drinks and especially no meat or dairy. I have converted to Vegan or the time being. I am too scared to eat or drink anything because I do NOT want that pain to come back. Enough of my rambling, any advice on protein? They have me on 7 different pills and I am taking supplements, but can you drink Boost or Ensure without having another bout?

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      I’m sorry to hear about your problems. It always seems that the first question Doctors always ask about is drinking. Even if you don’t they often just assume that you are lying. I’m not sure about a Vegan diet but any meat protein that you eat will be easier on your Pancreas if it is lean. It seems that everyone has different things that they can and can’t eat with Pancreatitis. For me, moderation seems to help a lot. Also, the feeling of anxiety about the pain returning is a really common thing that most of us experience.

      Reply
    2. Joyce

      Yes I drink ensure chocolates the best every morning. I was diagnosed this past march a little more severe due the on my 3rd round of chemo coming soon. By the way doctors need not assume just ask. I’ve never been a drinker but got pancrititus anyways with more. I’m very sorry you got treated like that. Joy

      Reply
  25. Theresa

    My son has been to the ER three times in 4 weeks. They let him out too soon after the first two times and they’re letting him out after 6 days this time. He had been a heavy drinker and that may have caused it but he had also gone to Central America and had come back with diarrhea and a bad infection for which the private doc gave him antibiotics. The first attack happened right after he finished the antibiotics. Two major attack later they still haven’t done a parasite test. Seems like they should have done that right off the bat even if it’s alcohol related. How to get doctors to listen?

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      I hate hearing about the problems everyone is having getting Doctors to listen about this awful disease. So many times it seems that they think you are exaggerating or just drug seeking. Although one alternative is to find another Doctor there are many times when this isn’t possible. The only solution that I have found is to keep advocating for the care that I need to get through a flare-up. This is easier said than done and how successful it is will depend totally upon what type of Doctor that you get.

      Reply
  26. Erik Leben

    I’m a 41 year old male and had a pancreatitis attack last week. I’m not a heavy drinker but I do drink. I’m in good health work out regularly and eat a balanced diet. My only health issue is high blood pressure but it’s been under control for years with a small dose of lisinipril 20mg. I’ve been on the liquid diet for 3 days now and do feel better. I will be going to the hospital Wednesday for a ERCD test to see if there are stones etc.. very scary and painful wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I’m going to try half a baked potato today hopefully it goes well. Any advice or similar situations I’d appreciate your response.

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      Listen to your body as far as what it can and can’t eat. Also, remember that drinking is not the only way to get this disease. Good Luck!

      Reply
  27. Anonymous

    Astonishing as it may sound, after battling pancreatitis and gastroparesis for 10 years this is the first site that I have encountered that connects the two. Even the specialists that I saw failed to advise me of the connection. the first incident involved an inflamed pancreas. It was a physicians assistant who diagnosed gastroparesis just a few years ago after I had lost so much weight and hair loss from being malnourished. Following a low fiber diet really helped. I recently experienced the longest period of good health (four months) only to be walloped with intense pancreatic pain after eating a vegan burger. So now I start all over again with a liquid diet and hope I can recover more quickly than I have in the past. Good luck to all who suffer from these issues. By the way I also was suspected of being a drinker because at the time I first got sick i owned a bar! But I seldom drank alcohol and have not had any alcohol what so ever in ten years. That type of pain will turn off any desire to drink .

    Reply
    1. bcurrent Post author

      Thanks for sharing your experiences. This disease causes so many side issues that it’s hard for most Doctors to really understand it.

      Reply
  28. JBC

    I have recently had a pancreatitis attack that put me in the hospital for two days. They released me and I am waiting for a follow up with my PCP. It has been 4 days since I was released from hospital. I’m terrified to eat anything solid. I’m trying to move from clear liquids to full and easy digestible foods but I am unsure what I can have. Can I have V8, bananas, seedless watermelon, puddings? Where can I get protein?

    Reply

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