The Best Diet to Calm Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a painful condition caused by an infection in your intestinal tract. Weak musculature and a low fiber diet can cause the intestinal wall to bulge out in spots. These bulging pockets are called diverticuli. When partially digested matter gets trapped in these diverticuli, bacteria can grow there causing infection and pain. If you are having a flare-up of diverticulitis symptoms, you want quick relief.

Rest Your Gut

• Whatever the cause for your flare-up, whether you ate nuts without chewing really well, or had something very spicy and greasy, current wisdom is that you need to give your digestive tract a rest. A complete fast is not necessary, but a partial fast or liquid diet is definitely what the doctor will order. You will want to get the most nutrition and satisfaction you can out of your liquid diet, since you will probably be on it for two or three days. If you have a juicer, this will be a good time to pull it out from under the cabinet and put it to use. If you do not own a juicer, V8 and other brands of blended vegetable juices can provide you much of your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals. To make sure you get enough protein and B vitamins, good quality broth is the best option. While you can substitute reconstituted bouillon cubes, these contain a large amount of sodium chloride (table salt). Highly processed foods do not retain as much of their original nutritive value. If you do the cooking in your house, stew a chicken or put a roast in the crock pot with plenty of water and vegetables. Skim the scum that forms on top of the liquid, and drink this broth at lunch and dinner time. Of course, if you are in a lot of pain, you may want to ask another family member to do the cooking for you. Another source of protein that will give you a feeling of getting your dessert is flavored gelatin, like Jell-O brand. You can drink it before it sets up, or if you can tolerate it, simply eat it as usual.

Prevention and After Care

• The best treatment for diverticulitis is prevention by eating a high fiber diet and consuming plenty of fluids. If you consume a diet high in vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains like barley and oats, your digestive tract is much more likely to stay in shape and be clear of old decaying matter. If you have had a bout of diverticulitis and want to avoid a flare-up in the future, you can begin eating better right after you finish your liquid fast. Many times your health care provider will prescribe antibiotic medicine to fight the infection while you sip liquids to soothe your intestines. On your first day of eating solid foods again, start with watery fruit like melons and oranges. Avoid strawberries for a while because of the seeds, but blueberries, grapes and other fruits are good choices. Eat several servings of lightly steamed vegetables and drink vegetable juices every day.