Diverticulosis

One of my family members has this, and she cannot eat popcorn and small seeds, like sesame seeds. And she has increased the amount of fiber (think veggies) that she eats with every meal, and steers towards whole grain carbs. She also makes sure she keeps well hydrated. After her first attack she did refrain from coffee, but now is back to one cup in the morning and has been fine. Do a search on the web for this, there are a lot of great resources out there. Good luck and hope you feel better.

Thanks Michelle. I'm cutting down the amount of diet soda that I drink because I think the carbination bothers me as well as the caffeine. Glad to here your family member is feeling better and that there is hope for this!

Karen

A quick search yields the following:

1) Diverticulosis is the presence of pouches in the intestines that are NOT inflamed - vs - Diverticulitus, which is when those pouches get inflamed.

2) If you just have the pouches, and not the inflamation you should slowly increase fiber intake by eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. (The condition may be caused by constipation and straining as a result of a low fiber diet.)

3) In addition to more fiber, drink LOTS of water. Together with the fiber this should soften stools.

4) If you have inflamation, it's important not to eat things that may get stuck in the pouches. This includes nuts, hulls, berries and seeds.

Check with your doctor to clarify your condition and then adjust your diet gradually and gently.

Thank Lela,

I have been doing these things and am watching the caffeine. Hopefully things will improve soon. I know it takes time. Some of mine is hereditary - my sisteer almost died from this last year and my father had to have a colon resection. Metamucil / Citracel helps also. Exercise and weight loss is probably the best thing I can do! Thanks for your comments,

Karen Hoexter