The pancreas is one of the digestive organs responsible for assisting with food digestion and blood sugar regulation. After you eat, the pancreas releases a host of digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin, which break down foods and modulate blood sugars. People with pancreatic cancer face myriad digestion and nutrition concerns, including malnutrition due to taste and absorption changes, as well as weight loss and fatigue from treatments. Juicing foods might help patients obtain the full healing power of fruits and vegetables.
Step 1
Eat a diet that includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and that is low in fat and animal products. Juicing fruits and vegetables will provide these servings in an easily digestible liquid form.
Step 2
Break the servings of juiced fruits and vegetables into five or six servings throughout the day -- don't try to drink them all at once. Juice for one day's worth of food only. Once juiced, fruits and vegetables might start to lose their nutritional value sitting in the refrigerator.
Step 3
Choose foods that you enjoy in their natural state. Your taste and appetite might change because of the pancreatic cancer or from the treatments. Some easy vegetables to start juicing include celery and cucumbers. Progress to lettuce and endive, then to dark, leafy green veggies.
Step 4
Add 1/4 to 1/2 of a citrus fruit, such as lemons or oranges, to counteract the bitterness of the dark veggies. Pancreatic cancer might inhibit your ability to regulate blood sugars, so limit intake of super-sweet fruits such as bananas or berries in your juicing.
Step 5
Add commercial protein drinks, powders or instant breakfast mixes to your juicing to increase caloric and nutrient intake. Your caloric needs might increase with your cancer treatment. Adding dry milk powder to juices can increase calories as well.
Tips and Warnings
- Purchase organic fruits and vegetables to limit pesticide toxins. Spinach, celery, lettuce, carrots and cucumbers tend to be more loaded with pesticides than other produce.
