Diverticulitis Diet: Foods to Reduce Pain & Prevent Flare-Ups

Identifying which diverticulitis foods to eat is important if you suffer from diverticular disease. Most doctors will want patients suffering with diverticulitis pain to eat foods that follow a "low residue" plan. A diverticulitis diet will help you decrease the symptoms and avoid future flare-ups.

Instructions

• 1

  Decrease Fiber
  A low residue diverticulitis plan includes eating less than 10g of fiber per day. This will require you to pay close attention to which diverticulitis foods you are consuming. If you normally eat a diet high in fiber, you'll want to temporarily cut out some of these foods.

• 2

  Vegetables
  Diverticulitis foods to eat include vegetables that are either cooked or canned without the skins. Eat vegetables such as skinless potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, zucchini, etc. You'll want to avoid vegetables that belong to the cruciferous family such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.

• 3

  Fruits
  Diverticulitis foods to consume include lots of fruit and fruit juice. Avoid prune juice. Consume fruits that are very ripe, cooked, or canned without the skins. Eat apricots, peaches, canned fruit, melons, etc.

• 4

  Grain Products
  When looking for diverticulitis foods to eat, avoid whole grains. Consume grain products including enriched, refined white bread, plain cereals, soda crackers, white rice, etc.

• 5

  Protein Sources
  Include enough protein when on a diverticulitis diet. If you eat meat, consume well cooked lean protein sources such as chicken, turkey, etc. Eggs and fish are also great diverticulitis foods that are high in protein. Although it is recommended that you avoid nuts and seeds, there is no concrete scientific evidence proving that these cause attacks of diverticulitis. Cutting these out is up to you.