What Foods Should You Eat — and Avoid — on a Diverticulitis Diet

Years ago, doctors thought that eating corn, popcorn, nuts and seeds could inflame the polyps and cause diverticulitis, but there’s no research to support that. “It’s safe to eat these types of foods, including tomatoes and strawberries with seeds,” Taylor notes. “All that normal roughage and fiber is fine.”

What to Eat on a Diverticulitis Diet

When you’re not in a flare, eating a high-fiber diet can promote gut health and reduce flares. However, switching to easier-to-digest foods during a flare may help relieve symptoms.

Diverticulitis is a condition that affects the digestive tract. It’s an infection of the diverticula. These are small pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.

Diverticula develop when weak spots in the intestinal wall give way under pressure, causing sections to bulge out. The presence of diverticula is called diverticulosis. It’s when they become inflamed or infected that it is considered diverticulitis.

Diverticulosis is more common in older adults. Around 58 percent of people over age 60 have diverticulosis, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) . Diverticulitis is not as common: Less than 5 percent of people with diverticulosis will develop diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis may lead to health problems or complications, including:

Even with health insurance, patients in the U. S. have a hard time affording their medical care. About one in five working-age Americans with health insurance, and more than half of those without health insurance, reported having trouble paying their medical bills in the last year, according to S. News & World Report.

nausea
fever
severe abdominal pain
bloody bowel movements
an abscess, or an inflamed pocket of tissue
fistula

Doctors used to recommend a low fiber, clear liquid diet during diverticulitis flare-ups.

However, some experts no longer believe that you have to avoid certain foods when you have diverticulosis or diverticulitis.

That said, management of diverticulitis depends on the person. Some people may find that avoiding certain food helps.

Some doctors still recommend a clear liquid diet during mild flare-ups. Once symptoms improve, they may recommend moving on to a low fiber diet until symptoms disappear, then building up to a high fiber diet.

The following sections look at the research behind different foods you might want to avoid with diverticulosis or diverticulitis.

High FODMAP foods

Following a low FODMAP diet has benefits for some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It may also help some people with diverticulitis.

FODMAPs are types of carbohydrate. It stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

Some researchers suggest that a low FODMAP diet could prevent high pressure in the colon, which, in theory, could help people avoid or correct diverticulitis.

In this diet, people avoid foods that are high in FODMAPS. This includes foods such as:

certain fruits, such as apples, pears, and plums
dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt, and ice cream
fermented foods, such as sauerkraut or kimchi
beans
legumes
foods high in trans fats
soy
cabbage
Brussels sprouts
onions and garlic

Red and processed meat

According to a 2018 research article , eating a diet high in red and processed meats could increase your risk of developing diverticulitis. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may decrease the risk.

Foods high in sugar and fat

The standard Western diet is often high in fat and sugar and low in fiber. Because of this, it may increase a person’s risk of developing diverticulitis.

Low fiber foods

Low fiber foods to consider eating if you have symptoms of diverticulitis include:

white rice, white bread, or white pasta (but avoid foods that contain gluten if you’re intolerant)
dry, low fiber cereals
processed fruits, such as applesauce or canned peaches
cooked animal proteins, such as fish, poultry, or eggs
olive oil or other oils
yellow squash, zucchini, or pumpkin without skin or seeds
cooked spinach, beets, carrots, or asparagus
potatoes with no skin
fruit and vegetable juices

Clear liquid diet

A clear liquid diet is a more restrictive approach to relieving diverticulitis symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe it for a short period of time.

A clear liquid diet usually consists of:

water
ice chips
soup broth or stock
gelatin, such as Jell-O
tea or coffee without any creams, flavors, or sweeteners
clear electrolyte drinks

Other dietary considerations

Whether you’re on a clear liquid diet or not, it’s helpful to drink plenty of water every day. This helps keep you hydrated and supports your gastrointestinal health.

Be sure to talk with your doctor before making any dramatic dietary changes.

If you’re following a clear liquid diet, after your condition improves, your doctor may recommend slowly adding low fiber foods back into your diet, building up to a high fiber diet.

Summary

During a diverticulitis flare, a low fiber or clear liquid diet can help ease symptoms for some people.

Even though doctors may recommend avoiding high fiber foods during a flare, the NIDDK recommends regularly consuming a high fiber diet to reduce the risk of acute diverticulitis.

What Foods Should You Eat — and Avoid — on a Diverticulitis Diet?

So you’ve been diagnosed with diverticulitis, a form of diverticular disease. Eating and avoiding certain foods can help you manage and prevent symptoms — but there’s a lot of misinformation out there.

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The best diet for diverticular disease depends on whether you’re having a flare-up, says registered dietitian Anna Taylor, MS, RDN, LD.

Here, she clears up the confusion about how to manage diverticular disease with diet.

Diverticular disease: diverticulosis vs. diverticulitis

Diverticular disease means you have polyps (small growths) called diverticula in your gut. These polyps can exist without causing any symptoms and without you even knowing they’re there. This is called diverticulosis.

If the polyps become inflamed or infected, they can cause symptoms such as abdominal cramping, pain or tenderness in the area, swelling, bloating, constipation or diarrhea. This is called diverticulitis.

How to follow a diverticulosis diet

Constipation often contributes to the development of diverticula. “People develop polyps due to years of excessive muscular contractions as the body attempts to move small, hard stools,” explains Taylor. A high-fiber diet helps fight constipation by softening stool, which then moves through the GI tract more comfortably and easily. There’s also less pressure against the polyps, which prevents diverticulitis flare-ups.

To eat a diet rich in fiber (doctors recommend 25 to 35 grams per day), choose minimally processed plant foods such as:

Whole grains.
Fruits.
Vegetables.
Beans.
Legumes including lentils and nuts.

Years ago, doctors thought that eating corn, popcorn, nuts and seeds could inflame the polyps and cause diverticulitis, but there’s no research to support that. “It’s safe to eat these types of foods, including tomatoes and strawberries with seeds,” Taylor notes. “All that normal roughage and fiber is fine.”

To get the most out of a high-fiber diet, Taylor also recommends:

Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day – more if you’re active.
Exercise regularly (it helps propel waste through your system).
Eat a variety of food groups, including five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, three of whole grains and a serving of nuts or beans each day.
Limit American diet favorites, such as red meat and processed and high-fat foods.

How to follow a diverticulitis diet

“On the flip side, when you have diverticulitis, the polyps are upset, inflamed and maybe even infected. We want to reduce traffic in your GI tract so that nothing else irritates them,” says Taylor. “Decreasing the fiber in your diet helps with that.”

During a diverticulitis flare-up, your doctor may recommend rest, antibiotics and either a clear liquid or low-fiber diet.

Clear liquid diet for diverticulitis

If a diverticulitis flare-up is severe or requires surgery, your doctor may recommend a clear liquid diet. “After a day or two, you progress from clear liquids to a low-fiber diet,” says Taylor. “Even if your pain does not subside, you still move toward regular food. You can’t be on a liquid diet long-term because you can become malnourished.”

On a clear liquid diet, you can eat:

Clear broths (not soup).
Clear, pulp-free juices (such as apple and cranberry juice).
Jell-O.
Popsicles.
Water.

Low-fiber diet for diverticulitis

For milder cases of diverticulitis, eat a low-fiber, or GI soft, diet. A low-fiber diet limits fiber intake to between 8 and 12 grams of fiber, depending on the severity of the flare-up.

Good low-fiber food options include:

Grains: Lovers of white pasta and white bread, rejoice! Those are good low-fiber options, along with white rice and white crackers.
Low-fiber starches: Get your peeler out. Potatoes without skin can be on the menu. Mash, roast or bake them. Certain low-fiber cereals also get a thumbs-up, including corn flakes and puffed rice cereal.
Proteins: Choose eggs and egg whites, tofu, and meat or seafood. “It should be tender, so shredded chicken, lean ground beef and soft baked fish work best.”
Fruits: Use caution since fruits have lots of fiber. Good options include canned fruits such as peaches or pears, applesauce, ripe bananas, and soft, ripe cantaloupe and honeydew. “It’s not a lot of fiber because you’re not eating the skin. The skins are the source of insoluble fiber, which can irritate inflamed polyps.”
Dairy: “Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are real winners if you’re recovering from a flare-up: They’re high in protein, calcium and other nutrients and don’t have any fiber. They’re also soft, moist and easier to get down if you’re not feeling well,” says Taylor. You can also have milk and cheese.

Foods to avoid with diverticulitis include high-fiber options such as:

Whole grains.
Fruits and vegetables with the skin and seeds.
Nuts and seeds.
Beans.
Popcorn.

Follow the low-fiber diet until diverticulitis symptoms subside. “Usually they start to improve after several days of being on antibiotics,” Taylor says.

If they do, your doctor will have you gradually increase your fiber intake over several days to weeks to avoid constipation and bloating. “The goal is getting back to a high-fiber diet to decrease your risk for future bouts of diverticulitis,” Taylor adds. “But if you’re not feeling better within a few days, talk to your doctor.”

Talk to your doctor about a long-term plan, too. And if you’ve recently been diagnosed with diverticular disease, meet with a dietitian to learn practical and sustainable ways to get more fiber into your diet. “Dietitians can also give you more specific recommendations to feel better during a diverticulitis flare-up,” Taylor says.

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What Foods Should You Eat — and Avoid — on a Diverticulitis Diet