Diverticulosis Diet Plan - Are nuts, seeds, + popcorn ok?
Hi everyone. Welcome back to our channel.
What is diverticulosis?
What is the difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis?
What is the diet plan for diverticulosis versus diverticulitis?
What role does fiber play in diverticulosis and do you need to avoid nuts, seeds, and popcorn with diverticulosis?
These are the questions that we'll be answering in today's video.
I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietician at Oswald Digestive Clinic, where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues.
If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I've linked our free guide five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health Below here. Alright, let's get started on today's topic.
Diverticulitis What Is It?
So what is diverticulosis?
Well, diverticulosis is a condition that refers to the presence of small pouches called diverticula in the lining of the digestive system, most commonly in the colon, which is a lower part of the large intestines.
The development of these pouches are relatively common with aging, especially over the age of 50.
35% of Americans will develop them by age 50 and 58% will develop 'em by the age of 60.
There are lifestyle factors that do contribute to these pouches, things like a lack of exercise, a diet low in fiber and obesity.
For most individuals, diverticulosis remains a silent condition, meaning that there are no overt symptoms.
The significance of these pouches lies in the potential to cause discomfort and lead to more serious conditions if not managed properly.
Diverticulitis vs Diverticulosis
What is the difference between diverticulosis versus diverticulitis?
While diverticulitis is the presence of that diverticula in the colon, diverticulitis is the complication where the pouches become inflamed or infected leading to pain and discomfort.
Diverticulosis Diet Plan
The distinction between the two is important because the treatment and the dietary management for the two will differ.
Diverticulitis often warrants medical attention requiring sometimes a temporary change in diet like to a liquid diet or a low fiber diet. And in some cases surgery.
On the other hand, diverticulosis focuses more on a preventative measure to avoid the onset of diverticulitis.
Diverticulosis Diet Plan
What is the diet plan for diverticulosis versus diverticulitis?
When it comes to diverticulosis, a balanced high fiber diet is essential for health as well as preventing that progression of the diverticulosis to diverticulitis. Foods.
Rich in fiber include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. You also want to make sure to include your healthy fats and adequate protein in this diet as well.
So tailoring your diet based on the current state of the diverticulitis is crucial. So during a flareup of diverticulitis, you're going to want to do a temporary clear liquid diet depending on the severity or low fiber diet.
Clear liquid diet's going to be things like broth, jello, popsicles, or pulp free juice. And low fiber diet would be things like canned fruit, plain yogurt, tender meats, and refined white grains. And this is just going to help the colon heal and also decrease that workload on the digestive system to help ease any discomfort.
Now after a flareup has resolved, then you want to start increasing your fiber intake.
So to review diverticulosis for long-term management of diverticulosis, you want to follow a high fiber diet.
And then for diverticulitis, that would be a low fiber diet, or in severe cases a clear liquid diet.
Love Fiber Diet For Diverticulosis - Helpful Or Avoid?
What role does fiber play in diverticulosis? Well, fiber aids in softening the stool and increasing bulk.
This is going to facilitate smoother bowel movements and it's going to decrease the pressure on the colon wall When increasing fiber, it's also important to remember that you should be properly hydrated.
This is going to help with that digestive process, but also help to soften your stool so it doesn't, is not difficult to pass.
Fiber rich foods should also be added gradually. You don't want to do everything all at once to just slowly increase it, because that's going to allow your digestive system to adjust to that amount of fiber to prevent any discomfort.
So these fibers support the digestive process and help to prevent constipation, which is a risk factor for complications with diverticulosis.
Diverticuloss, Popcorn and Gut Health
One of the common questions that we see is, do I need to avoid nuts, seeds, and popcorn With diverticulosis?
In the past, it was recommended that you do avoid nuts, seeds in popcorn as part of the treatment plan. It stems from the concern that these foods may get lodged in those pouches and cause inflammation or infection.
However, recent research challenges that notion.
There are studies that show that nuts, seeds and popcorn don't have an association with increased risk of diverticular disease.
In fact, these foods are part of a healthy diet and provide us with nutritional benefits like fiber and which is essential for health.
Nuts in seeds in particular provide us with that healthy fiber as well as healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, and are also anti-inflammatory, which can decrease that risk of gut inflammation.
Popcorn is considered a whole grain, which means it's going to have some fiber in there. You'd want to opt for the air popped popcorn, which allows you to control the amount of sodium and fat.
And so this shift in thinking allows for a more varied and enjoyable diet for those with diverticulosis compared to what was previously thought.
Wrap Up on The Diverticulosis Diet Topic
To wrap up our topic for today, managing diverticulosis through diet emphasizes the importance of dietary fiber through fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as increasing that water intake and just getting a balance of nutrients in the diet, although once thought to be potentially harmful, current research does not support the avoidance of nuts, seeds, and popcorn with diverticulosis.
Current guidance focuses on increasing that fiber, dietary fiber gradually as well as increasing your water take in the process. Eliminating specific foods is not necessary unless your symptoms worsen or diverticulitis occurs.
Working with a nutrition professional could be beneficial for you because they can help you determine your tolerance of certain foods, see if there's any triggers to your symptoms and can help create a customized or individualized plan for you.
So that's it for today. If you liked this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions about diverticulosis. I hope you found this video to be helpful.
And if you're interested in working with our clinic, you could click the link here to schedule an appointment.
We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.
Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.
If you'd like to explore any of this information further or obtain an individualized nutrition plan, you can schedule an initial appointment at our clinic. We also take insurance and some of our clients get full coverage, which is great.
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