How to Identify the Best and Worst Diverticulitis Diet Foods

If you have been diagnosed with diverticulitis, you certainly want to take measures to manage your condition properly by eating the right diverticulitis diet foods. This condition can cause pain, fever, rectal bleeding, and more, and generally occurs when matter becomes trapped in the diverticula of the intestines and becomes infected. The bouts can be mild, but they sometimes may require hospitalization and even surgery. So certainly you want to take measures to manage your condition. One of the best ways to do this is by picking and choosing the best diverticulitis diet foods. So how can you identify which foods are best to eat? Here are some suggestions:

  • Whole Grains. Generally, diverticulitis diet foods are high in fiber, so you want to consume about 6-11 servings per day of whole-grain foods. Consider a balanced mix of whole-grain breads, muffins, pastas, and other such foods. If you buy wheat products, be sure to read the ingredients and look for the words “whole grain” or “whole wheat.” As an alternative, bran, rye, and other such grains are a good choice.
  • Fruits and Vegetables. Ideally, you will want to eat about three to five servings of veggies and about two to four servings of fruits per day. There are a wide variety of fruits and veggies available, so you can have some flexibility to choose the foods you enjoy out of these groups. You should, however, opt for fresh fruits and veggies over canned, jarred, or frozen varieties, as they will have a higher fiber content.
  • Foods to Avoid. There are some foods you will want to stay away from if you are eating diverticulitis diet foods. These include anything that your body has had difficulty digesting in the past, and for many people this includes foods like nuts, corn, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and more.




You should keep in mind that the general idea is to increase fiber intake so that pressure is taken off of your colon and intestines. You want to the food to flow through easily without causing pressure, bloating, or pain. If you have been eating a diet fairly low in fiber up until this point, you will want to gradually increase your fiber intake. Jumping right into a high-fiber diet can cause painful bloating. Further, you will want to make sure that you take in plenty of water and fluids with your high-fiber diet.

When you follow a meal plan that includes plenty of diverticulitis diet foods and that limits the foods to avoid with such a diet, you will find that you have better control of your health and that you really can minimize the risk of another bout of diverticulitis. Following such a diet on a regular basis can greatly improve your colon health, and this can lead many healthy, happy, and pain-free days for your future. Take time today to explore how you can gradually start including more and more of these high-fiber foods and more fluid intake into your diet.

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