Howard LeWine, M.D., is chief editor of Internet Publishing at Harvard Health Publications. He is recognized as an outstanding clinician and teacher and is a recipient of the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year award at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. LeWine continues to practice Internal Medicine; most recently he became a hospitalist after practicing primary care for over 20 years.
Question:
I am recovering from a diverticulitis attack. I am trying to find a listing of foods I should avoid (besides nuts, popcorn, corn, etc). Are there any particular fruits or vegetables I should not eat?
Answer:
In diverticulosis, small pouches develop and bulge out through weak spots in the walls of the colon. These balloonlike pouches are called diverticula. If they become inflamed or infected, the condition is called diverticulitis.
People with a severe case of diverticulitis may require hospitalization. Doctors will order that the patient not eat or drink for the first 24 to 48 hours. The patient receives intravenous fluids and antibiotics.
Most cases of acute diverticulitis can be treated at home with oral antibiotics. I advise people to stick with clear liquids for the first 24 hours. Then they can start having milk, fruit juice, yogurt and low-fiber foods. I recommend that they stay on a low-fiber diet for a week or two. This means no nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn. I also would limit the amount of vegetables.
Once the infection subsides, most experts recommend a high-fiber diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. There are no particular fruits or vegetables you need to avoid.
Traditionally, doctors have recommended that people with diverticulosis continue to avoid nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn forever. But this may not be necessary.
The results of a study published in the August 27, 2008 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association addressed this question. Researchers followed a large group of people with diverticulosis over an 18–year-period.
To my surprise, the study did not find that eating nuts, corn or popcorn increased the risk of problems related to diverticulosis, such as diverticulitis.