Do you suffer from diverticulosis? If so, you know how quickly a painful attack of diverticulitis can occur when you eat the wrong foods.
So what’s the best way to prevent diverticulitis?
Many doctors recommend a high fluid, high fiber diet to help prevent the formation of diverticula – the ballon-like projections that extend from the bowel wall and can become infected. A high fiber, high fluid diet produces more bulk in the stool which reduces pressure in the colon and promotes regularity. A word of caution: be sure to increase the fiber in your diet slowly and drink at least 1.5 liters of fluid daily to reduce the risk for bloating, cramping, diarrhea or constipation.
Another way to help reduce the risk of a diverticulitis attack is to avoid trigger foods that can get trapped in the diverticula. These include hard seeds (like caraway, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seeds), nuts and popcorn hulls.
Here are the specific criteria that make a recipe a “Diverticulosis Recipes” at Healing Gourmet:
- High in Fiber: Provides 5 grams or more per serving
- No Nuts
- No Seeds
When you submit a recipe that meets these criteria, your creation will appear in Diverticulosis Recipes, and you’ll be helping others enjoy a diet that helps keep them symptom free.
Along with enjoying a diverticultis preventive diet, it’s also important that you take the right steps to rest and heal your digestive system after an attack has occurred. This means eating easily digestible foods and soothing clear liquids.
To learn more about a diverticulitis diet and how foods and nutrients work in your body to keep your digestive system healthy, go here.