If you are diagnosed with diverticulitis, it will not go away. However, you can prevent the attacks from recurring by following the recommended diet of your doctor as well as making other changes in your life.
A balanced diet is important as it provides the body with the essential nutrients that it needs not only to support the body’s function but also to help protect it against free radicals and to heal and repair the tissue cells in the body. However, as our lives become filled with various activities, we often forget to take a balance diet and often opt for quick and convenient take-outs or fast food meals that contain inadequate nutrients that the body needs. In western countries, the lack of fiber in the diet is common, which leads to the prevalence of the gastrointestinal disorder called diverticulitis.
Diverticular Disease
Diverticulitis is a medical condition where small pouches develop in the lining of the intestinal wall, more commonly in the sigmoid region or the lower part of the large intestine. The exact cause of the condition is unknown; however, it has been observed that the condition is often diagnosed in patients with low fiber diet. Individuals who have these pouches do not feel anything, which is right, as these pouches do not send warning bells to our brain and can in fact remained undiagnosed for the patient’s entire life.
The condition is often discovered when the patient undergoes CT scan or x-ray for other suspected conditions and also when complications arise such as intestinal blockage, fistula or bowel obstruction, abscess, perforation and peritonitis occurs.
Preventing Diverticulitis
Preventing diverticulitis is not possible once the patient already has it; however, recurrent attacks can be prevented by following the physician’s recommendation. A change in one’s diet is the first step to prevent attacks from recurring. The American Dietetic Association recommends the intake of 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day. Fiber can soften the waste matter making it easier for the colon’s muscles to dispose of the body’s waste without straining or exerting pressure. Drinking enough fluid every day can also help improve bowel movement and prevent recurrent attacks from occurring.
Adding good bacteria or probiotics to the daily diet is also another way to prevent or minimize attacks. Probiotics already exist in the body; however, diverticular disease can reduce the level of the good bacteria in the body. Taking probiotics can help reduce diarrhea, infection in the intestine as well as inflammation of the diverticula.
Probiotics are available in tablet or liquid forms and recommended dosage is 250mg a day taken between the patient’s meals. For those who are not predisposed to taking supplements, there are foods rich in probiotics that they can incorporate in their meals. Food products include dairy products, soy beverages and other products that include live or active culture in them.
Gastrointestinal Disorder - Diverticulitis vs Diverticulosis – Know The Difference
A diet that is low in fiber results to strains in the colon area resulting to pouches forming in the lining. Diverticulitis is the condition when several pouches developed in the colon. This condition affects millions of people in the world especially in Western countries.
Better Guts, Better Life - Acute Diverticulitis
Acute Diverticulitis is one of the most common digestive condition that affects individuals who are into their 60s. The condition can be resolve through proper treatment and lifestyle modification, but recurrent attacks would require more medical intervention.
What is Diverticulitis Disease
Diverticulitis is a condition where pouches that developed in the intestinal wall becomes inflammed or infected. To know more about this condition, risk factors and treatments, read the provided article below.
