Actually, no specific foods are known to trigger diverticulitis attacks. And no special diet has been proved to prevent attacks. In the past, people with small pouches (diverticula) in the lining of the colon were told to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn.
Diverticulitis is caused by an infection of one or more of the diverticula. It is thought an infection develops when a hard piece of stool or undigested food gets trapped in one of the pouches. This gives bacteria in the stool the chance to multiply and spread, triggering an infection.
Diet high in animal fat and low in fiber.
A low-fiber diet in combination with a high intake of animal fat seems to increase risk, although the role of low fiber alone isn't clear.
Summary. Using a heating pad, taking Tylenol (acetaminophen), and resting are all strategies you can employ at home to soothe diverticulitis pain fast—or at least faster. Home remedies used for diverticulitis are more often used to improve symptoms over some time and prevent future attacks.
You may have heard advice that people with diverticular disease should avoid small, sharp and hard foods such as nuts, seeds and corn. The thinking is that there is a risk of undigested remnants of these foods lodging in the diverticula and causing inflammation.
“Eggs are a great source of protein, and they're easily digested,” Dr. Nazarian says. And they won't irritate your diverticula.
In about 95 out of 100 people, uncomplicated diverticulitis goes away on its own within a week. In about 5 out of 100 people, the symptoms stay and treatment is needed. Surgery is only rarely necessary.
Stay with liquids or a bland diet (plain rice, bananas, dry toast or crackers, applesauce) until you are feeling better.
Fresh fruits, like apples, have the most fiber when eaten with the skin. 13 However, if you're having symptoms of diverticulitis, look for lower-fiber options, like applesauce. Bananas are another good source of fruit fiber.
Plus, probiotics have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help to ease inflammation from diverticulitis. Probiotics are available in supplement form, but they can also be found in certain foods, such as yogurt, kombucha, and fermented vegetables.
Eggs contain protein that can be easily digested, and it will not irritate your digestive tract. Therefore, scrambled eggs can be taken during diverticulitis.
For patients who want to reduce their risk, a reasonable recommendation is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. For example eating a high amount of green leafy vegetables, dark-yellow vegetables, coffee and tea and low consumption of red meat, processed meat, refined grain and sugary beverages.
Diverticulitis Recovery Timeline
Recovering from a flare-up of diverticulitis could take as long as two weeks. 1 The first few days of recovering from uncomplicated diverticulitis at home will include following a liquid diet, resting, and using recommended medications for pain relief.
The diverticulitis flare will usually go away after four to six weeks, Doerfler says. At that point, you can start eating higher-fiber foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil.
Higher consumption of poultry/fish was not associated with risk of diverticulitis.
Tea: Green tea has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antibacterial properties- all of which would be helpful for Diverticulitis treatment.
Mild cases of diverticulitis are usually treated with antibiotics and a low-fiber diet, or treatment may start with a period of rest where you eat nothing by mouth, then start with clear liquids and then move to a low-fiber diet until your condition improves. More-severe cases typically require hospitalization.
Bulk-forming laxatives such as Metamucil or Citrucel may be recommended after the diverticulitis flare-up has resolved. These types of supplements can help add fiber to the diet while treating either constipation or diarrhea.
However, overstimulation of the bowels for those with diverticulitis can cause more pain. Coffee may also increase lower abdominal pain and worsen diarrhea. The bottom line is that diverticulitis and drinking coffee aren't a great combination.
There are no specific foods you need to avoid. You do not need to avoid any foods such as nuts, seeds, corn, popcorn or tomatoes if you have diverticular disease. These foods do not make diverticular disease worse. These foods may even help prevent it because they are high fibre choices.
A colonoscopy is a helpful tool for diverticular disease. Especially where there are severe symptoms or bleeding that might be from diverticulitis, a colonoscopy might be done right away. Follow-up colonoscopies are usually done after the symptoms of diverticulitis clear up.