The most important component of a diverticulosis diet is fiber. Diverticular disease results when weak spots in the colon's lining cause bulging pouches, also known as musocal herniations. When these pouches swell and grow inflamed, the condition is referred to as diverticulitis. Fiber can help keep diverticulosis from developing into diverticulitis. Patients with diverticulosis should increase their consumption of high-fiber foods while eating fewer low-fiber foods.
To prevent flare-ups of diverticulitis, medical professionals recommend eating a high-fiber diet and drinking plenty of fluids. Good diverticulosis foods include whole grain rice, pasta and bread, and fruit whose skin and seeds may be consumed. Legumes such as beans, lentils and peas are good high-fiber replacements for meat, which is a low-fiber food. Vegetables are a healthy addition to any meal. When eating a high-fiber, diverticulosis diet, plenty of fluids must be consumed.
When diverticulitis occurs, the colon pouches undergo swelling and inflammation and may cause a patient to experience symptoms such as vomiting, nausea and fever. The immediate treatment for diverticulitis is usually a round of antibiotics. A doctor may also instruct a patient with diverticulitis to rest his or her colon by consuming a liquid diet for a while. Following the liquid diet, the patient will need to transition to getting more fiber in his or her regular diet, since a diverticulosis diet will soften stools and reduce the likelihood of future inflammation. Fiber should not be added too rapidly to the diet; rather, it should be increased on a gradual basis.
Doctors sometimes recommend that patients who have diverticulosis regularly take stool-softening agents like psyllium or methylcellulose. These fiber-filled substances can be obtained over the counter and can be mixed with food or sprinkled in drinks to increase overall dietary fiber and enhance the benefits of a diverticulosis diet. Patients who take fiber supplements must drink a minimum of 8 ounces (237 ml) of water with each dose.
Diverticulosis is one of the most common intestinal disorders, especially in people who are over 60 years old. Each bulging pouch in the colon is called a diverticulum, and the pouches are collectively referred to as diverticula. Diverticulosis most frequently appears in the sigmoid colon, the lower region of the large intestine in which stools form before excretion.
The condition is thought to be caused by getting too little fiber in the diet. That is why a diverticulosis diet, whether to mitigate the problem or to help prevent colon disease in the first place, must be high in fiber and fluids. When people eat too little fiber and don't drink enough water, their stools become difficult to pass, and this leads to constipation and straining during bowel movements. The straining contributes to weak spots in the colon from which the diverticula manifest.
