What to eat for better management

A diverticulitis diet includes the foods you eat during flare-ups and recovery. If symptoms return, experts recommend consuming a clear liquid diet for several days. During recovery, slowly introduce low-fiber solid foods into your diet, such as white bread and low-fiber cereals.

Once you feel better, the standard recommendation is to eat fiber-rich foods with little or no red meat. However, add fiber to your diet slowly. Consider keeping a food diary to record what you eat and how you feel.

This article provides an overview of dietary therapy for diverticulitis. Learn what to eat when diverticulitis flares up and what foods to avoid if you get diverticulitis. We’ll also detail how to slowly add fiber to your diet to avoid painful symptoms returning.

What to eat when diverticulitis flares up

During diverticulitis flare-ups, your bowels may need time to rest. This usually means eating only clear liquids for several days.

Foods to consume during the early stages of diverticulitis flare-up include:

• broth
• Fruit juices without pulp, such as apple juice
• gelatin
• ice chips
• Ice pops without pieces of fruit or pulp
• tea or coffee without cream
• water

A liquid diet should only be continued for a few days before moving on to the next stage.

Low fiber diet during recovery

A low-fiber or low-residue diet is recommended during recovery from a diverticulitis attack. Also known as a soft diet, this temporary healing diet includes foods such as:

• starchy foods: White bread, white rice, potato (without skin)
• dairy products: Milk, cottage cheese
• protein:Eggs, fish, lean chicken, yogurt, gelatin
• fruits: Applesauce, canned or cooked fruit, fruit juice (without pulp)
• vegetables: well cooked vegetables
• liquid: soup, ice pop

foods to avoid

Avoid foods rich in fiber while recovering from a flare-up. Also this:

• Beans and legumes: Lentils, split peas, pinto beans, black beans, etc.
• High fiber cereals: Bran, shredded wheat, granola, oats, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, quinoa, chia seeds, etc.
• fruits: fresh or dried fruit
• vegetables: raw vegetables, potato skins
• Whole grain starch: bread, pasta, brown rice

Long-term diverticulitis diet

After you recover from a diverticulitis attack, your health care provider may recommend adding more fiber to your diet. Eating more fiber or taking fiber supplements can help prevent future attacks.

This is because dietary fiber softens stool and helps prevent constipation. Avoiding constipation reduces pressure in the colon and prevents future episodes of diverticulitis.

However, when you first start trying to consume more fiber, you should take it slow. Start by consuming 5 to 15 grams of fiber a day. Add a small amount of fiber to your diet at a time and gradually increase your daily intake. If you have bloating or gas, reduce the amount of fiber in your diet for a few days.

When increasing dietary fiber, you should also pay attention to your water intake. Fibers require water to function properly. If you don’t drink enough water, your stool may become too hard and difficult to pass.

High-fiber foods recommended to prevent diverticulitis include:

• Beans and legumes
• Whole-grain cereals such as bran, whole-wheat bread, and oatmeal
• brown rice
• Fruits such as apples, bananas, and pears
• Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, corn, and pumpkin
• whole grain pasta

meal timing

Some people with digestive disorders find it better to eat small, frequent meals rather than sitting down to eat three meals a day.

However, this is highly individual and there are no standard recommendations for meal timing in diverticular disease. You may need to experiment with meal timing and meal sizes that work best for you.

Customize your diverticulitis diet

When first starting a diverticulitis diet, it is often recommended to keep a record of your meals and symptoms. This will help you and your health care team see if certain foods cause your symptoms to flare up.

If you have symptoms when you are first diagnosed with diverticular disease, your health care provider may recommend an elimination diet. This allows you to gradually reduce certain foods or food groups until you eventually stop eating them altogether.

Track how you feel after giving your body time to adapt to the changes (usually over a few weeks). Eventually, you’ll reintroduce that food and notice how or if it’s affecting your symptoms as well.

If certain foods are having a negative effect on you, your health care provider can help you find substitute foods to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition.

Benefits of diet for diverticulitis

The two main factors that affect diverticulitis are inflammation and maintaining healthy bowel movements. Diet affects both of these, and changing what you eat can help manage diverticulitis and reduce your risk of developing diverticula in the first place.

Dietary treatment for diverticulitis has the following effects:

• reduces inflammation: Eliminating or limiting certain inflammatory foods, as outlined in Diverticulitis Diet, may relieve some of your symptoms.
• Promotes gut health: Fiber helps prevent constipation, which is a risk factor for developing diverticular disease or exacerbating existing conditions. Regular bowel movements may prevent symptoms and help heal acute diverticulitis episodes in the intestines.

There is no guarantee that following this diet will completely avoid seizures. This is especially true if you have other lifestyle choices that promote inflammation. However, it may help improve your symptoms, which means it’s worth making the change.

How certain foods affect diverticulitis

What affects someone’s diverticulitis varies from person to person, so there is no systematic plan that will definitely help. There are basics to guide our recommendations, but some of them can be trial and error.

beverage

Proper hydration prevents constipation and helps you process excess fiber you eat. Drink plenty of water and be aware that other drinks may cause or worsen your symptoms.

Drinks that bother some people with diverticular disease include:

• coffee
• tea
• soda
• wine and other alcoholic beverages

Some people only need to avoid certain drinks when recovering from a flare-up, while others find they need to avoid them all the time to keep their symptoms under control.

nuts, seeds, popcorn

Previously, patients with diverticulosis were advised to avoid these foods because they were thought to get stuck in diverticula and cause diverticulitis.

However, current research shows that these foods do not specifically cause pouch inflammation. That’s good because it’s a very good source of dietary fiber.

fruits

Fresh fruits, such as apples, contain the most fiber when eaten with the skin on. However, if you have symptoms of diverticulitis, look for low-fiber options such as applesauce.

Bananas are also a good source of fruit fiber. It’s also rich in potassium, which is especially helpful if you’re recovering from an upset stomach.

If you are prone to constipation, avoid unripe bananas. Research shows that bananas that are still slightly green, unblemished, and firm are more likely to bond because they have higher levels of tannins and resistant starch. Instead, choose bananas that are soft and speckled, which are easier to digest.

dairy products

If you can tolerate dairy products, add low-fat milk, cheese, and yogurt to your diet. (Even if you are not lactose intolerant, full-fat dairy products may be difficult to digest.)

When your symptoms flare up, especially if you have diarrhea, you may want to avoid dairy products until you feel better. Low-lactose dairy products, such as cottage cheese, may be tolerated.

grains

Whole grains are one of the best sources of dietary fiber. Choosing whole-grain breads, crackers, pasta, and brown rice are nutritious, delicious, and versatile ways to get plenty of fiber.

However, if you are not feeling well, try eating low-fiber foods such as refined white bread, white rice, and crackers until your symptoms improve.

protein

Whether you have symptoms or are feeling well, lean chicken and eggs are good sources of protein. You can also try high-fat protein sources, such as nuts and nut butters. However, these may not be the best choice if your symptoms flare up.

vegetables

If you have no symptoms and are eating a diet high in fiber, raw vegetables (especially root vegetables and cruciferous vegetables) are a source of nutrition.

However, if you have symptoms, you may want to avoid them. For example, if you suffer from inflammation, a roasted sweet potato with the skin on may be difficult to digest. Instead, peeled and mashed white potatoes may be healthier for you.

red meat

After recovering from an attack of diverticulitis, it is best to avoid red meat such as beef, pork, lamb, and venison. Red meat is associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis, but the exact reason is unclear.

Research shows that red meat changes the balance of microorganisms in the cecum, the pouch of the digestive tract where the small and large intestines meet. Researchers suspect this may cause the inflammation associated with diverticulitis.

spices

Ginger, turmeric, and garlic have anti-inflammatory properties, and ginger is a popular remedy for stomach upset.

However, some spices can irritate the lining of your gastrointestinal tract. It may be best to avoid it after the onset of acute diverticulitis. Then start with a small amount and increase according to your comfort level.

Comparison of diverticulitis diet and other diets

The diet for diverticulitis is similar to some diets prescribed for intestinal rest after surgery. These diets can also be used by people with chronic inflammatory bowel disease, acute gastrointestinal illness, or those recovering from a medical emergency such as a bowel obstruction.

BRAT diet

A BRAT diet typically consists of bananas, white rice, applesauce, and toast made from refined white bread. If your digestive system needs a break, eating soft, nutritious foods can help relieve symptoms like nausea and diarrhea and give your body time to recover.

low FODMAP diet

A low FODMAP diet results in fewer fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs), which are present in varying amounts in the foods you consume. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause some people to experience cramps, gas, and bloating. Paying attention to how high FODMAP foods affect diverticulitis symptoms may be helpful in the long run.

summary

Modifying your diet is a good first step to controlling diverticulosis. Dietary changes can help manage symptoms and reduce diverticulitis recurrence. If you have other health conditions or are not absorbing nutrients properly, your health care provider may recommend adding supplements or medications such as antibiotics to your treatment plan.

Everyone’s body is different. A diet that works for you may not work for other patients with diverticulitis. Over time, you may need to modify your diet or make other changes to your lifestyle to ensure you continue to manage your condition and overall health.