What is the Diverticulitis Diet All About?

The diet for those who have experienced diverticulitis can be confusing and there can be different diets to which your doctor may have you on depending on your symptoms, your age and how often you have experienced diverticulitis. The diverticulitis diets generally have one thing in common – fiber.

The three-diverticulitis diets are:

High Fiber

Low Fiber

No Fiber

When to use the different levels of fiber?

High fiber:

The high fiber diet is when your diverticulitis is in control and things are good for you. You are not experiencing any pain or discomfort. The high fiber diet is the one that keeps you healthy. It is used to prevent diverticulitis and it stops diverticula from forming.

The purpose of the high fiber diet is to keep things moving through your colon. Soluble and insoluble fiber is included in the high fiber diet. Fiber is the part of your diet that does not get digested. When there is enough fiber in your diet, the stools are soft and there is no pressure on the colon.

The goal is to have big and soft stools and to do this you need both fiber and lots of water. Fiber absorbs water so when you have a high fiber diet you will need to take in a lot of water too. When you do not drink enough water your stools will be hard and small and become difficult to push out which causes straining and pushing which creates those pockets called diverticula.

Low fiber:

The low fiber diverticulitis diet is the one to use when you are experiencing discomfort associated with the condition. This is the diet your doctor will place you on when you are being prescribed antibiotics for diverticulitis. This is the diet that helps your colon to heal. It does not prevent diverticulitis, it allow the body to heal once you have the condition.

When on a low fiber diet you will need to remove the skins from the fruits and vegetables that you eat (apples and potatoes).

No fiber:

You will be placed on the no fiber diverticulitis diet when there is a need to take all the fiber out of your system. Usually this means a liquid diet. Sometimes the no fiber diet is started when an individual feels a flare up of diverticulitis occurring. Fiber would otherwise continually open up the infection.

Liquid:

Liquid diets should only be undertaken with medical supervision as they offer very little in the way of nutrition. Liquid diets can give your system a good flushing. Liquid diets allow the system to flush out, and to eliminate any remaining fiber from past diet, which then allows the colon to heal.