Diverticulitis Diet

Diverticulitis is a medical condition that causes inflamed pouches in the lining of your intestine called diverticula. These weak spots in the intestinal wall give way under pressure, causing sections to bulge out. It usually occurs in the large intestine, which is also called your colon. Did you know that diverticulosis is more common as you age, occurring in about half Americans over the age of 60.

The condition can lead to

  • nausea
  • fever
  • severe abdominal pain
  • bloody bowel movements
  • abscess
  • fistula

Good News is that your diet can affect your symptoms of diverticulitis so you should avoid the foods that aggravate the issue and nourish your body with the foods that heal.

Foods to Avoid

Any hard or difficult-to-digest foods such as:

  • nuts
  • corn
  • popcorn hulls
  • sunflower seeds
  • pumpkin seeds
  • caraway seeds
  • sesame seeds

Questionable foods

  • stringy fiber foods like sweet potato
  • strawberries
  • kiwi fruit
  • raspberries
  • blackberries

It’s best to limit your intake of foods on the FODMAPs which stands for…

Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, And Polyols.

I know what you’re thinking, what’s FODMAPs foods so here are some examples of foods high in FODMAPs:

  • certain fruits, such as apples, pears, and plums
  • dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt, and ice cream
  • fermented foods, such as sauerkraut or kimchi
  • beans
  • cabbage
  • Brussels sprouts
  • onions and garlic

Fiber foods

Foods that are high in fiber may be helpful to help prevent the condition but if you’re having pain then it may be best to limit your intake of high fiber foods since fiber adds bulk to the stool and may increase peristalsis or colon contractions.

Fiber-rich foods to limit or avoid are:

  • beans and legumes such as navy beans, chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans, lentils, and kidney beans
  • whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, amaranth, spelt, and bulgur
  • vegetables
  • fruits

Typical Western diet foods

Foods high in fat and sugar and low in fiber may be linked with an increased incidence of diverticulitis.

Typical Western foods to avoid are:

  • refined grains
  • full-fat dairy
  • deep-fried foods
  • processed foods

So what foods are left to eat and beneficial if you have diverticulitis?

Low-fiber foods such as:

  • white rice, tapioca bread
  • processed fruits such as applesauce or pureed peaches
  • low-mercury fish, organic poultry, or eggs
  • olive oil
  • yellow squash, zucchini, or pumpkin (peeled, seeds removed, and cooked)
  • cooked spinach, beets, carrots, or asparagus
  • potatoes with no skin
  • organic vegetable juices

Clear liquid diet

  • water
  • soup broth or stock

Latest research states that gut bacteria does play a role in diverticular disease. Quality probiotic supplementation may be beneficial.  This is one of the reasons, I always recommend a high quality probiotic that is not sourced with milk, soy, maltodextrin. Click here to get your quality probiotics, once you register an account then search for these quality probiotics, for 5 billion good bacteria the Product Code is PRO-6  for 50 billion good bacteria the Product Code is: THY25  and for 150 billion good bacteria the Product Code is KTF6.

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Research:
Gut microbiota, metabolome and immune signatures in patients with uncomplicated diverticular disease
http://gut.bmj.com/content/66/7/1252.long

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