What is Diverticulitis? Do you know the facts?
Diverticulitis is an inflammatory disease of one or more portions of the large intestine, in which small “pouches” (called diverticula) on the large intestine become inflamed, irritated, swollen, or infected.
This condition can be caused by many different factors. The scientific community does not know everything there is to know about diverticulitis, pertaining to why diverticula occurs or what the cure will eventually be. Some of the more common causes behind diverticulitis are:
- Constipation
- Hard stool (fecal matter)
- Sensitivity to certain food in your diet
- Genetic malformation of certain parts of the large intestine
Diverticulitis is often accompanied with a sharp pain in the lower-left side of the abdomen, although sometimes the areas on the left and other symptoms may or may not be present. In some rare cases, there may not be any pain or symptoms at all and go completely unnoticed for a long time.
As mentioned earlier, the area of inflammation is called a diverticula. This area is a sort of pouch that can become engorged, inflamed and infected. As with any infected area of the body, the area can become very raw, tender and swollen. The lining of the large intestine in these areas can become very thin, and can lead to a rupture of the large intestine. If a rupture or tear of the large intestine occurs, bacteria can be released into the lining of the abdominal cavity which can cause a potentially fatal infection, called peritonitus.
Another complication which can develop in some cases, is when the swelling in a more narrow portion of the colon which causes further blocking in the lower gastrointestinal tract. When this occurs, fecal matter and gas builds up in the large intestine. This, in turn, causes more irritation, swelling and infection to occur. If left unattended and untreated, the situation could become quite serious – even fatal.
If the diverticulitis is serious enough, and is recurring frequently enough (especially in the same areas), surgery may be required to remove the affected areas or the areas especially prone to form diverticula.
On some of the other pages of this site, I will go over more symptoms of diverticulitis, how different types of food affect diverticulitis, treatment options, and my own personal technique to speed healing during a flare-up.
The Diverticulitis Diet can be quite tasty!
The only diet consistently shown to reduce the frequency of Diverticula flare-ups is a diet high in alkaline foods.
Luckily, these foods are readily available, extremely nutritious and quite delicious. It most likely includes many of the fruits and vegetables that you are already love eating.
Here is a quick list of the vegatables you can eat on the Diverticulitis diet:
Asparagus
Artichokes
Cabbage
Lettuce
Onion
Cauliflower
Radish
Swede
Lambs Lettuce
Peas
Courgette
Red Cabbage
Leeks
Watercress
Spinach
Turnip
Chives
Carrot
Green Beans
Beetroot
Garlic
Celery
Grasses (wheat, straw, barley, dog, kamut etc.)
Cucumber
Broccoli
Kale
Brussels Sprouts
Here are the fruits you can eat on the Diverticulitis diet:
Lemon
Lime
Avocado
Tomato
Grapefruit
Watermelon (is neutral)
Rhubarb
As you can see there is a lot to eat in just those two lists. To look up more information, just search for “alkaline diet” in your favorite search engine.
The downside to all this is that the Diverticulitis diet also requires the avoidance of certain foods that people love (and are sometimes addicted to). There are many of foods to avoid in the Diverticulitis diet, but the worst ones are frieds foods, sugary sweets, soda/pop, red meat, alcohol and dairy products.
The good news for Diverticulitis sufferers who are also overweight is that the alkaline Diverticulitis diet will also shed fat quicker than almost anything I have ever seen. Not only will this diet promote fat loss and treat Diverticulitis, but you will also be healthier, look younger and just live a longer, happier life in general.
With a diet designed to keep Diverticulitis at bay, however, you should focus on foods that provide a lot of fiber. Less than 10% of Americans are getting the USDA daily recommended amount of fiber in their diets. Although there have been numerous studies that show increasing fiber intake can reduce overall mortality rates from ANY disease, fiber is especially important for people trying to treat their own Diverticulitis.
Fiber in the digestive system will keep food moving through the digestive system quickly and with fewer problems. If you are having trouble with getting enough fiber in the foods you eat, a natural fiber laxative may also be helpful to accomplishing this. Just be sure that the laxative supplement is natural and does not contain stimulants.
Diverticulitis Symptoms can either be painful or go completely unnoticed
The symptoms of Diverticulitis is typically a sharp pain in the lower abdomen. This is usually on the left side of the body, but in rare cases cases can be felt in the right side of the abdomen.
If the Diverticulita is badly infected, one could experience nausea, vomiting, and even feeling very hot. Feeling hot may or may not be accompanied by a fever.
Another symptom (which could be part of the cause AND the symptom) is severe constipation. I mention constipation as a symptom because it is something that you may physically notice without undergoing a test at the hospital.
Unfortunately, the constipation could be the biggest danger in the entire equation. When parts of the large intestine becomes inflamed, it can block parts of the large intestine and trap waste in the lower digestive system. If too much waste becomes trapped in the large intestine, serious life-threatening complications may develop.
A rise in your white blood cell count can also be seen in people suffering from Diverticulitis, as the body is fighting off the infection associated with an inflamed Diverticula. This spike in white blood cells can only be determined by a health care professional.
Diverticulitis Foods to Avoid
Doctors specializing in Diverticulitis used to think that nuts, seeds, popcorn kernel hulls (and just about anything small and hard to digest) caused Diverticulitis or made it worse if the Diverticula was already inflamed.
However, in recent years, no evidence has been found to support those theories. In fact, it’s been determined that a bit of “roughage” is actually good for those suffering from Diverticulitis. Foods to avoid if you suffer from Diverticulitis is a little more complicated.
The truth is, a LARGE portion of people suffering from Diverticulitis do not consume enough fiber (either soluble or insoluble).
If you have Diverticulitis, you should avoid fried foods of any sort. Not only does frying your food take out much of it’s nutrient value, but it also clogs the digestive system with grease and oil. This causes everything in the small and large intestine to get very sticky and slow. Food waste not only sticks to the sides of the intestines, but is more likely to get stuck in the Diverticulita in the large intestine, as well.
Milk, cheese and other dairy products work in much the same way. Dairy is mucous-forming in nature and can cause the intestines to slow down to a crawl. You’ve probably heard of constipation being caused by cheese before. Do you think that cheese causes the digestive system to stop? Of course not. Constipation means that waste in the intestines is getting “stuck” or “backed up” somewhere. This can be a major problem with those prone to Diverticulitis.
You should also avoid foods that promote inflammation. This is typically “junk food”, sugary sweets and other foods that cause a spike in insulin levels. Soda is especially bad.
For most people, giving up these foods are nearly impossible. Addictions to food can be extremely strong, and for some it’s all-consuming. But, if you want to ”heal” yourself without surgery, it’s something you should give some serious thought to.
Many people have had much success in treating their own Diverticulitis by switching to an alkaline diet, and increasing the fiber intake by several times.
There are a large variety of food that you eat on an alkaline diet, that are both healthy, delicious and will help you avoid a Diverticula flare-up in the future.
