Diverticulitis is not a comfortable ailment to have, as more and more people are finding out every year. No one likes to have a bad, painful case of diverticulitis, yet more and more people are suffering from it. After all, who wants to go to their doctor and find out that they have diverticulitis? Diverticulitis leads to bloating, among other things. Diverticulitis leads to cramping, leads to – constipation. Constipation is a terrible malady. No one likes to wake up and realize that they have an extreme case of constipation occurring within their bowels.
Of course, bloating, cramping, and constipation are often caused by other physical maladies. You may be suffering from bloating, cramping, and constipation, and still not be in the grips of diverticulitis. You may be in the grips of something else, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, before you change your diet, or start any particular campaign to change your lifestyle and thus feel better all the time, you should see your doctor and find out just what it is that’s ailing you. So, your bowels are giving you all sorts of problems? Your bowels are ruining your vacations, your work, your pleasure in life overall? Better go see your doctor – better find out exactly what you have. It’s no use eating in a special way to confront one disease if in reality you’re suffering from another.
At this point, you may be wondering: what exactly is diverticulitis? What if I have it? What’s causing it? Why are my bowels giving me such extreme problems? Why am I cramped, bloated, and, worst of all, constantly constipated, to the point where I feel really crippled in my social life? Obviously, your doctor will probably be able to answer many of these questions for you. But here’s a start
Diverticulitis means basically that you have these horrible little pouches growing in your digestive system. These pouches aren’t limited to just one area of your digestive system – they can grow just about anywhere. Most of the pouches, however, are forming in your colon or large intestine. Presto! That’s what’s interfering with your bowel life. That’s what’s keeping you from having smoothly functioning bowels. The pouches are coming to life because your bowel movements aren’t as smooth, easy, and delightful as ideally they should be. When your bowel movements are harsh, dramatic, painful, and violent, much pressure builds up inside you, and the next thing you know – pouches – pain – diverticulitis.
The good news is, there’s a special diet you can try for combating diverticulitis. The diverticulitis diet is going to introduce fiber into your life, as studies have shown that many people who suffer from diverticulitis aren’t exactly the greatest fiber eaters in the world. The diverticulitis diet, therefore, is going to change all that. It’s going to make fiber a more central part of your life. It’s going to bring fiber in in a big way. You can think of the diverticulitis diet as a sort of fiber diet. Fiber, as everyone ought to know, is good for maintaining your bowels, for staying regular. Not enough fiber? That means bowel troubles, and maybe diverticulitis.
For those who are already suffering from diverticulitis, the diverticulitis diet is going to be just the opposite. In this case, the diverticulitis diet is going to severely decrease your fiber intake for a little while. This will give the infected areas in your body time to heal. With this form of the diverticulitis diet you will eat in a special way for a few days; you’ll eat foods low in fiber, you’ll try to stay off the fiber for a little while.
With the first form of the diverticulitis diet, you’re not making a big lifestyle change because you’re only adding a little fiber to your diet every day. With the second form of the diverticulitis diet, that is, the diet you’ll want to take if you’re suffering from an attack of diverticulitis, things get a little more complicated. Here is a small rating system to give you idea of how convenient or inconvenient the diverticulitis diet is.
Health – 10. With the diverticulitis diet, you’re going to be eatinga lot of healthy food. Taking it easy on the fiber for a few days isn’t going to hurt you, it’s going to heal you. You’ll be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables but avoiding whole grains. You’ll want to avoid certain vegetables, of course, such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, but there is literally a huge range of vegetables left over. You can eat meats on the diverticulitis diet, usually tender ones such as fish and tenderly cooked chicken.
Cost – 9. With the diverticulitis diet, you aren’t going to be buying any expensive new foods. You can eat the foods you have in your kitchen, but with little modifications. For example, if you eat a potato you’ll need to peel it first. But overall, the diverticulitis diet is a practical, inexpensive diet.
Ease of implementation – 9. The diverticulitis diet, again, is a very diverse diet. You can eat a lot of different things. It may be difficult to go without whole grains for a little while, but thank goodness it’s only a little while and not permanent.
Ease of adherence – 10. It doesn’t take you very long to get back on track when it comes to diverticulitis.
Speed – 9. You’ll feel the positive impact of a diverticulitis diet fairly quickly.
Busy lifestyle rating – 8. It’s always going to be easier to swing by a fast food place for lunch, but if you’re used to preparing your own meals already the diverticulitis diet doesn’t represent a huge lifestyle change.