Can You Eat Sweet Potatoes With Pancreatitis?

Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, requires that you alter your diet to treat its chronic form, according to the Mayo Clinic. While specific foods aren’t forbidden when you have chronic pancreatitis, you’re encouraged to follow a low-fat diet that’s generally healthy. This is great news if you love sweet potatoes — they’re a nutrient-dense food that can fit easily into a healthy diet, depending on how you prepare them.

Pancreatitis

Your pancreas is the glandular organ behind the stomach and is responsible for making insulin, the hormone that helps control blood sugar levels, and digestive enzymes, which help break down food, the Mayo Clinic says. Pancreatitis can be either acute or chronic; both forms are serious and require medical attention. Either form is usually caused by gallstones or excessive alcohol use — these causes make up 80 percent of cases, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

While acute pancreatitis gets better, chronic pancreatitis does not. Pancreatic enzymes are normally not active until they reach the small intestines. But when they’re turned on too soon, they become active in the pancreas and can damage or destroy cells, the Mayo Clinic says. This leads to immune system responses that cause inflammation and other actions that affect how the pancreas functions.

During a pancreatitis attack you won’t be allowed to eat until you can do so without pain or vomiting, the Mayo Clinic says. Hospitalization is required to administer pain control, nutrition, and hydration. Depending on the cause and severity of your case, you may need a surgical procedure. Supplementation with dietary enzymes, along with a low-fat diet, is recommended to manage chronic pancreatitis. You’ll also be advised to avoid alcohol, since it can worsen pancreatitis, according to the Oregon Clinic. With acute pancreatitis, you likely won’t have dietary restrictions once you recover, unless you’re feeling full fast — in that case, a low-fat diet may be recommended, the World Gastroenterology Organisation says.

Low-Fat Diet

Your pancreas supplies enzymes that help you digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, StatPearls says. Lipase, the enzyme that digests fats, is released in large amounts when you have pancreatitis, MedlinePlus notes. Consuming foods high in fat can cause pancreatitis flare-ups and even malabsorption, Columbia University says. While there’s no standardized recommendation for how much fat you should eat, limiting your daily fat intake to 40 to 50 grams (g) per day can help prevent symptoms, UW Health says. Avoiding or limiting fried foods, high-fat meats, high-fat dairy products, and high-fat sauces can help you keep your intake low.

Sweet Potato Nutrition

Sweet potatoes are naturally very low in fat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says, and are a healthy addition to your diet. One cup of raw sweet potato cubes contains 114 calories, 0.07 g of fat, 73.2 milligrams (mg) of sodium, 26.7 g of carbohydrates, about 4 g of fiber, and about 2.1 g of protein.

Sweet potatoes contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as other compounds that are beneficial to health, according to research. They’re an excellent source of vitamin A, with 943 micrograms (mcg) in each cup, giving you about 105 percent of the daily value (DV), according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They’re also an excellent source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), providing about 1.1 mg, which is about 21 percent of the DV, the NIH says. They’re a good source of vitamin B6, the NIH says, providing about 0.3 mg, or about 16 percent of the DV.

Sweet potatoes provide 0.34 mg of manganese, or about 15 percent of the DV, the NIH says, making them a good source. Sweet potatoes contain about 4 g of fiber per cup, providing about 14 percent of the DV, making them a good source of this nutrient as well, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says. They’re also a good source of potassium, with each cup containing 448 mg, or about 10 percent of the DV, the NIH says.

When to Avoid Sweet Potatoes

A baked or steamed sweet potato makes for a healthy, low-fat choice when you have pancreatitis, the USDA says. But sweet potatoes prepared in other ways may not be. Sweet potato fries, for example, contain about 23.9 g of fat per 3.5-ounce (oz) serving, the USDA says. Sweet potato chips are also high in fat — a small, 1.2 oz bag contains 11 g, according to the USDA.

You may also want to be careful about mashed sweet potatoes — if you make them at home, consider how much butter and milk you’re using. You might even want to opt for nonfat dairy or dairy substitutes that contain less fat, or which contain healthier fats. If you like roasted sweet potatoes, try cooking them with a limited amount of added oil, or air fry them without oil.