Diet for Diverticulosis
A diet rich in fiber and, occasionally, mild painkillers will help ease symptoms in most cases. At most times, sudden occurence of diverticulitis is acute enough to send a person to the hospital admission and worse, possible surgery.
When you increase the amount of fiber in your diet, this will gradually decrease all the possible symptoms of diverticulosis and it can also prevent harmful complications such as diverticulitis. The fiber makes the stool soft and decreases the pressure inside the colon so that bowel contents can move through easily. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day. The table below shows the amount of fiber in some foods that you can easily add to your diet.
Amount of Fiber in Some Foods Fruits Apple, raw, with skin 1 medium = 3.3 grams Peach, raw 1 medium = 1.5 grams Pear, raw 1 medium = 5.1 grams Tangerine, raw 1 medium = 1.9 grams
Vegetables Asparagus, fresh, cooked 4 spears = 1.2 grams Broccoli, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.6 grams Brussels sprouts, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2 grams Cabbage, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 1.5 grams Carrot, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.3 grams Cauliflower, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 1.7 grams Romaine lettuce 1 cup = 1.2 grams Spinach, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 2.2 grams Summer squash, cooked 1 cup = 2.5 grams Tomato, raw 1 = 1 gram Winter squash, cooked 1 cup = 5.7 grams
Starchy Vegetables Baked beans, canned, plain 1/2 cup = 6.3 grams Kidney beans, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 5.7 grams Lima beans, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup = 6.6 grams Potato, fresh, cooked 1 = 2.3 grams
Grains Bread, whole-wheat 1 slice = 1.9 grams Brown rice, cooked 1 cup = 3.5 grams Cereal, bran flake 3/4 cup = 5.3 grams Oatmeal, plain, cooked 3/4 cup = 3 grams White rice, cooked 1 cup = 0.6 grams
The doctor may also recommend consuming fiber rich supplements / products such as Citrucel or Metamucil once a day. They can be mixed with cold water about 8 ounces, providing about 2 to 3.5 grams of fiber.
Avoiding intake of nuts, pumpkin, pop corn and sesame seeds has been highly recommended by physicians which points out that the food particles could block or irritate the diverticula. However, no scientific data support this treatment measure. Taking a high-fiber diet is the best requirement highly emphasized across the literature and eliminating specific foods is not necessary.
The seeds in tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries as well as poppy seeds, are like to be considered harmless. Your decision about following a fiber-rich diet should be done based on what works best for each person. If cramping, bloated tummy, and constipation are your most problems then seeking a doctor prescription is the best way to counter the illness.