The best diet for diverticulitis changes with the flare-up: during a flare, a temporary low-fiber diet (clear liquids, white bread, peeled fruits/veggies) rests the bowel, while after recovery, a high-fiber diet (whole grains, fruits, beans, veggies) with plenty of water prevents future attacks by keeping stools soft and promoting bowel health. Slowly reintroduce fiber, and don't worry about nuts, seeds, or corn unless they trigger symptoms, as the old avoidance advice isn't well-supported.
For managing mild diverticulitis pain or symptoms at home, your healthcare professional may recommend eating only clear foods and clear liquids for a few days. Examples of clear liquids that you can have include: Chicken, beef or vegetable broth. Fruit juices without pulp, such as apple, cranberry and grape juices.
The worst things for diverticulitis during a flare-up are high-fiber foods, red/processed meats, sugar, fat, alcohol, and NSAIDs like ibuprofen, as they can worsen inflammation and symptoms; instead, focus on a temporary low-fiber diet (liquids/soft foods) and gradually reintroduce fiber after healing to prevent future attacks, consulting your doctor for personalized advice.
Clear liquids and low-fiber foods are the best options for relieving diverticulitis symptoms. Dairy products and other protein-rich foods can help with healing and your recovery during diverticulitis flares. It's a good idea to add more fiber to your diet after you've recovered from a diverticulitis flare.
7 Foods to Avoid with Diverticulitis NHS
While no specific foods are proven to trigger diverticulitis attacks, a diet rich in high-fiber foods can help maintain digestive health and reduce the risk of complications. High-fiber foods soften waste, decreasing pressure in the digestive tract. Examples include: Fruits.
Treatment may consist of measures including: Taking painkillers to reduce discomfort. These may be over-the-counter pain medicines such as paracetamol or stronger medicines that require a prescription. Taking Buscopan may help with cramping abdominal pain.
Honestly, recovering from diverticulitis might take up to two weeks. In the initial days of recuperating from straightforward diverticulitis in the comfort of your home, you'll be on a liquid diet, taking it easy, and using the prescribed medications for pain relief.
If your healthcare provider has given you the go-ahead, you can treat diverticulitis at home with:
For patients with severe and complicated diverticulitis, ampicillin, gentamicin, metronidazole, piperacillin and tazobactam are the antibiotics successfully used in clinical practice, whereas ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and more recently, rifaximin, have been successfully used in the treatment of uncomplicated ...
The majority of people with diverticula will not have any symptoms; this is known as diverticulosis. Symptoms of diverticulitis tend to be more serious and include: more severe abdominal pain, especially on the left side. high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above.
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,” clarifies Taylor. “The skins are the source of insoluble fiber, which can irritate inflamed diverticula.”
Grilled Chicken in Coconut Milk with Spices
While your diverticulitis is effectively treated, it's not technically cured because the sacs remain. As long as you still have diverticula, they can get infected again.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Diverticulitis comes from infection and inflammation within small pouches (diverticula) that form in the colon wall, often due to high pressure from straining to pass hard, low-fiber stools, trapping bacteria and food, leading to blockage and infection. Risk factors include a low-fiber diet, constipation, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, red meat, and age, though doctors don't know the exact cause.
Always see your healthcare provider to be sure. You should seek emergency medical attention for diverticulitis if you experience one or more of the following: Blood in stool. Excessive vomiting or severe nausea.
Diverticulitis perforation is a medical emergency with symptoms like sudden, severe abdominal pain (often lower left), high fever, chills, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, and a rigid, tender abdomen, as bowel contents leak into the abdominal cavity (peritonitis). It requires immediate medical attention, with signs of worsening infection like difficulty breathing or confusion signaling sepsis.
Recurrent attacks of acute diverticulitis carry the risk of gradual scarring and fibrosis with the sequela of forming a stricture. Diverticular disease rarely causes complete obstruction.
“Increasing your fiber intake gradually will help, as will staying well hydrated. During this transition to a higher fiber diet, having some extra intestinal gas without fever or other symptoms is likely nothing to worry about.”
have myasthenia gravis – a condition where the muscles become weak and tire easily. have a condition where your bowel is blocked and does not work properly, such as paralytic ileus. are 40 years old or over. are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding.
You can usually treat diverticulitis at home. Your GP may prescribe antibiotics. You can take paracetamol to help relieve any pain. Talk to your GP if paracetamol alone is not working.
Symptoms of a diverticulitis flare-up
Abdominal pain or tenderness: The most common symptom is sudden onset of abdominal pain, typically on the lower left side but can be elsewhere. The discomfort can be constant or intermittent (but usually constant) and may worsen with movement or pressure.