What can you eat for diverticulitis?

Answer 1

I recently spent 7 days in the hospital recovering from an especially severe case of diverticulitis. There are three stages to the problem, when not showing any symptoms you have diverticulosis (this is the structure in whih diverticilitis can form.), when showing symptoms (abdomonal pain fever cramps. ect.) this is diverticulitis, and recover this is after the diverticulitis has subsided.

When you are sure you have diverticulosis the main idea is prevention of the inflamation (diverticulitis). I have seen all kinds of foods on peoples "forbidden" list, mostly online and unreliable (I see the irony). During my recovery I was consulted by my surgeon and his dietician. I got three definite answers from them for what not to eat- popcorn, nuts and seeds. The logic behind this is anything small and hard that can get lodged into the protruding pouch structure can irritate and inflame. The dietician told me that seeds on strawberries zucchini tomatoes were fine as they were far more digestible than other seeds, but sesame seeds like on hamburger buns were a no no. I have eaten many Hamburgers without the top bun lately.

You should have a high fiber diet that lessens the chance of any possible food you have eaten that might irritate the pouches of lodging into the pouch because of increased speed of material through he colon. Always consult a physician. I have read online of people listing forbidden foods varied as Tomato Juice (they gave it to me in the hospital) to cheese, broccoli and spicy foods. I was told that spicy foods would worsen an already irritated situation but when recovered in moderation was not a problem.

During an attack (the actual diverticulitis) first see a physician if early enough treatment can range from a liquid diet and rest to antibiotics an maybe painkillers if needed. My attack was severe and I was put on an extreme I.V. antibiotic treatment and only ate ice chips for 5 days. The less your colon works in this stage the faster and more complete your healing will be.

During recovery you should start with liquids plus jello (no solids in the jello) or pudding for a couple of days. When starting solid foods think bland. You should eat soft stuff like mashed potatoes, pureed soups, cream of wheat, mashed fruits, scrambled eggs, things that are partially broken down (mashed) so you wont make the colon work as hard. Slowly introduce harder stuff poached chicken, hamburger steak, baked fish. Just be thoughtful of the seasoning even a lot of salt and pepper can irritate the once infected area. During recovery is when you are most at risk to have another flare up and I have been told inflammations during recovery onset faster and are more painful.

Answer 2

Avoid foods with small hard seeds such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Also avoid corn (in whole kernel form or cream style corn). Corn is mostly not digested and can cause pain if the kernesl gets lodged in the intestinal wall. Peanuts and other nuts can cause problems with some people who have diverticulitis. You should be able to eat just about anything else that you want. Eat foods high in fiber to assist in regulating your bowels and avoiding constipation which can make diverticulitus worse.

Answer 3

It is easier to say what you should not eat when you have diverticulitis. You should avoid foods that are hot and spicy, eggs, popcorn, and salty cold cuts. It will be a trial and error test to find the ones that will not hurt your stomach.

Answer 4

Pecans