Foods to Avoid During a Diverticulitis Flare-Up

Diverticulitis AKA the inflammation of a diverticulum pouch, especially in the colon, causing pain and disturbance of bowel function, is one of the most painful experiences someone can experience. Now, when diverticulitis flares up, there’s unfortunately not much one can do except ride it out. However, there is something those suffering can do: cut out these diverticulitis foods to avoid.

Some of these foods, like candy or sugary snacks, might seem easy enough to get rid of. However, others are relatively common ingredients in most meals that will take a bit more attention to fully cut out.

Broccoli:

Traditionally, doctors have recommended that vegetables high in fiber like broccoli should be avoided by those who suffer diverticulitis. However, recent research has led some doctors to alter if not completely change this advice, with some even claiming that some high fiber veggies may actually be beneficial for those with diverticulitis.

Spicy Food:

Sorry spicy food fans, but you’ll have to give up your peppery favs for the length of your diverticulitis attack. See, spicy foods can lead to gut inflammation, resulting in vomiting and diarrhea which in-turn can worsen diverticulitis symptoms.

Corn:

For many years, “common medical wisdom” said that diverticulitis patients should avoid “hard-to-digest” foods like corn (and popcorn), nuts, and seeds, as they could become “stuck in the diverticula and lead to inflammation.” While there has been some skepticism about the validity of this idea, most patients still avoid these foods to be safe.

Cabbage:

Cabbage is another high in fiber food that there’s some debate over. According to some researchers, high fiber foods can actually help avoid diverticulitis attacks. However, it is still mostly agreed upon that eating cabbage during a diverticulitis flare-up or attack isn’t the wisest move.

Dairy:

During a diverticulitis flare-up, almost every expert agrees that avoiding foods high in sugar and fat is a recommended move. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that full fat dairy products like heavy cream, whole milk, whole milk yogurt, full-fat cheese, and cottage cheese are probably best to avoid until things settle down.

Beans:

Much like corn, many doctors long recommended that those prone to diverticulitis avoid beans because they “believed the tiny particles from these foods may get lodged in the pouches and lead to an infection” which in turn leads to inflammation and a flare-up. However, recent medical research has cast some doubt on this theory.

Lentis:

Lentils are another entry in the list of foods whose high fiber content make them wise to avoid for those prone to diverticulitis flare-ups. In addition to lentils, other legumes, such as navy beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans are also on the list.

Butter:

While we already listed dairy in-general, there are a few specific foods we need to highlight. First off is butter, specifically whole milk butter. While initially it may seem easy to avoid butter, it’s important to remember that butter is a heavily used ingredient in many takeout and restaurant foods.

Cheese:

Much like butter, cheese – specifically cheeses made with whole milk – deserves its own entry. Let’s face it, cheese is pretty much everywhere from homemade recipes to fast food takeout all the way to fancy restaurant meals, and pretty much all of them should be avoided if you’re suffering from a diverticulitis flare-up.

Sugary Foods:

High in sugar foods like candy, cakes, cookies, pies and cobblers, sweet rolls, pastries, and doughnuts, dairy desserts, such as ice cream and yogurt, and sugar sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and juice drinks are best to be avoided as that can cause symptomatic diverticular disease and mimic irritable bowel syndrome.

If you find yourself dealing with diverticulitis, please speak with your doctor or another medical professional before making any changes to your diet.