What should you eat with diverticulitis

Cholangitis is inflammation swelling in the bile duct. Treatment depends on your symptoms and whether you have chronic or acute cholangitis. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What to Eat on a Diverticulitis Diet. Foods to avoid Should I avoid fiber? Foods to consider High fiber diet Bottom line Diverticulitis is a condition that affects the digestive tract. Diverticulitis may lead to health problems or complications, including: nausea fever severe abdominal pain bloody bowel movements an abscess, or an inflamed pocket of tissue fistula.

Foods to avoid with diverticulitis. Should I avoid high fiber foods? What foods should I eat during a diverticulitis flare? Does a high fiber diet reduce risk of diverticulitis? The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R.

Diverticulitis Surgery. Medically reviewed by Andrew Gonzalez, M. How to Follow a Clear Liquid Diet. Medically reviewed by Katie Mena, MD. Medically reviewed by Saurabh Sethi, M. Jejunum Overview. What's Possible from Microbiome Testing at Home? Constipation often contributes to the development of diverticula. A high-fiber diet helps fight constipation by softening stool, which then moves through the GI tract more comfortably and easily.

To eat a diet rich in fiber doctors recommend 25 to 35 grams per day , choose minimally processed plant foods such as:. During a diverticulitis flare-up, your doctor may recommend rest, antibiotics and either a clear liquid or low-fiber diet.

If a diverticulitis flare-up is severe or requires surgery, your doctor may recommend a clear liquid diet. For milder cases of diverticulitis, eat a low-fiber, or GI soft, diet. While making changes to your diet may help manage diverticulitis, these changes can also affect other aspects of your health.

If you have other medical conditions, such as diabetes , you may need to modify your diverticulitis diet. Certain changes in your life may also require you to reevaluate your diet.

If you are pregnant or nursing, for example, your nutritional needs will change. If you increase your level of physical activity or are recovering from illness, injury, or surgery, you may also have different dietary requirements. Before you increase your intake of dietary fiber or start taking a fiber supplement, talk to your healthcare provider. If you have other health conditions or gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome IBS , eating more fiber can make your symptoms worse.

If you are managing another chronic health condition through diet, work with your healthcare team to make sure that your food choices help both conditions. Even if you are otherwise healthy, you might experience gas, bloating, cramps, and other digestive symptoms when you make changes to your diet. The discomfort will usually get better as your body adjusts. Your healthcare provider might suggest you follow a low-fiber or low-residue diet, or even a liquid diet until you feel better.

The same can be said if you are experiencing complications from diverticulitis, such as narrowing of the bowel stricture or pockets of infection abscess. Foods included in this temporary healing diet include:.

Gradually, you'll be able to add foods back until you've returned to your regular way of eating for diverticulitis management. Your healthcare provider may suggest that you undertake an elimination diet if you have symptoms when you are first diagnosed with diverticular disease. With this, you gradually reduce a certain food or group of foods until you are no longer eating it at all. Then, you give your body time to adjust to the change and keep track of how you feel usually over the course of a few weeks.

Eventually, you reintroduce the food and, likewise, take note of how or whether it's affecting your symptoms. You will need to work with your healthcare provider to determine the best way for you to manage diverticulitis. Other members of your healthcare team, like a nutritionist, may also be helpful. You will want to take lifestyle, economic, and cultural factors into account as you evaluate your options.

If you have other health conditions, you and your healthcare provider will find a way to make sure you are balancing all your health needs. A high-fiber diet is nutritious and tends to be filling. You'll also want to remember that white bread and crackers made with refined carbohydrates can be high in added sugar. Liquid-diet staples like gelatin and ice pops can also have a lot of sugar. Other than helping you stay hydrated, these products don't offer much nutrition. Alternating between a high- and low-fiber diet to manage diverticular disease is generally considered to be safe.

To avoid symptoms associated with adjusting your fiber intake, try not to make changes too abruptly. Gradually make changes to give your digestive system time to adjust. You may find it helpful to talk with other people who have diverticulitis.

Online or in-person support groups can provide a space to talk freely about your frustrations and challenges, as well as learn more about how other people help manage the condition through diet. Talk to your healthcare provider about local resources and ask about researching online groups or message boards. Nutritious high-fiber produce is generally affordable, especially when you buy fruit and veggies that are currently in season.

Many items included in a diverticulitis diet, such as rice and pasta, can be purchased in bulk—often at lower, wholesale prices. If changing your diet isn't enough and your healthcare provider recommends nutritional supplements and probiotics, know that these can be expensive.

Ask if they can be formally prescribed, as health insurance plans may be more likely to cover them. You may also notice a change in your bowel habits as you make changes to your diet. When you start eating more fiber, you may have mild stomach discomfort, such as gas and bloating. If you suddenly cut back on fiber, you may get constipated.

During periods when you are eating a limited diet to manage symptoms, you will need to make sure you are getting enough nutritious calories each day.

If your symptoms make it difficult to eat, liquid nutritional supplements may be helpful. Your healthcare provider may also suggest you take a vitamin supplement if you are deficient or having a hard time absorbing nutrition from the foods you eat. The diet for diverticulitis is similar to several diets prescribed for bowel rest after surgery. These diets can also be used by people who have chronic inflammatory bowel disease, have an acute gastrointestinal illness, or are recovering from a medical emergency such as a bowel obstruction.

When your digestive system needs a rest, eating a diet of soft but nutritious food can mitigate symptoms like nausea and diarrhea while giving your body time to heal. The BRAT diet generally consists of bananas, plain white rice, applesauce, and toast made with refined white bread. Eating a very restricted diet makes it difficult to get enough energy and balanced nutrition to support your overall health. If you have other health conditions or are not absorbing nutrients properly, your healthcare provider might recommend adding supplements or medications such as antibiotics to your treatment plan.

The diet that works for you may not work for someone else with diverticulitis. Over time, you may have to modify your diet or make other changes to your lifestyle to ensure you can continue to manage your condition as well as your overall health and well-being.

If diverticulitis is treated quickly, symptoms usually improve in a few days. Sometimes they can clear up within hours. Common risk factors for diverticulitis include age, being male, being overweight, eating a low-fiber or high-fat diet, smoking, and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Altering some lifestyle choices, such as maintaining a healthy weight through proper diet and exercise and quitting smoking, can help prevent someone from developing diverticulitis.

Gas pain? Stool issues? Sign up for the best tips to take care of your stomach. Fiber itself helps promote good bacterial growth, but there are also foods containing active cultures that promote good digestion and prevent constipation that drives diverticulosis. The short answer: Yes! Be mindful that some studies suggest eating too much fiber more than 50 g per day may actually lead to diverticular disease by causing constipation.

Fiber bulks the stool, so remember to match your fiber intake with water. The recommended amount of dietary fiber is around 20 to 35 g per day. Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel-like material that makes stools softer and larger, allowing them to pass easily through the intestine. Insoluble fiber helps move waste through the digestive system by absorbing water and adding bulk to stools.

Most plant-based foods contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. But some foods contain more of one kind of fiber than the other. An overall nutrient-rich diet that includes naturally occurring foods containing fiber is the best way to eat for diverticulosis and diverticulitis prevention. The U. That means increasing your intake of fish and enjoying vegetarian meals with plant-based protein, along with keeping any meat or poultry you eat lean.

You can find one at EatRight. Because diverticulitis reveals inflammation, it is necessary for the person with an active case to avoid the very foods you want to eat to prevent the condition.

Fibrous foods, while very good for you, are not soothing for an irritated digestive system. For that reason, it is advised to wait until the inflammation is under control before eating fiber again. If the diverticulitis is causing severe diarrhea or even bleeding, the doctor or dietitian may call for bowel rest nothing by mouth until the condition is under control.

A clear liquid diet may be the next step, where you can progress to water, broth, and apple juice. Most likely, you will be put on a low-fiber diet consuming less than 15 g per day until symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea stop. Other than diet, there are several other ways you can maintain good digestive health and prevent diverticula from forming, including avoiding eating too much red meat, avoiding fatty foods, and drinking plenty of fluids. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs , such as aspirin , Aleve naproxen , and Advil or Motrin ibuprofen have been linked to increased instances of diverticular bleeding.

High-fiber diets need water to function properly.