No, no, everybody sit down and stop clapping. It may not be as exciting as you think.
In the world of digestive disorders, fiber is probably the most controversial topic. There is a lot of true information and a lot of false information on this topic.
Let’s start with what everyone agrees on. In a healthy person, fiber is good. Most people get very little fiber in their diet. A high fiber diet for diverticulitis will ensure that you are taking positive steps towards your own recovery.
The real problem with a lack of fiber is low volume in the intestines, a direct link to diverticulosis; here too, a diverticulosis diet is one of the keys to good health. It can be helpful to think of your intestines, and especially your colon, like a tube of toothpaste. When you get to the last toothpaste in the tube, it’s a lot more work to get it out of the tube. This is the danger of having too low a fiber intake and waste in your system. Eating a low-fiber diet is much harder on the intestines than a high-fiber diet would be to “get things moving.”
However, I have to tell you that once you already have diverticulitis or colitis, suddenly adding a lot more fiber is not necessarily a good idea. Consider for a moment that you have a badly damaged colon. If you have pain, diverticula, fistulas, sores, wounds, and tears to begin with, then you’re already on a trail with a sign at the end that says “Beware.” This is why. Your colon, like the contents of a tube of toothpaste, is weak, injured, and may even have small tears. Suddenly adding a large volume of anything can cause complications and a lot of pain. When the “tube” is weak, you don’t want to increase the physical pressure it is under. Again a diverticulosis diet is one of the closest remedies you have under your control to rectify a lifetime of poor eating habits.
Only you and your doctor can assess whether or not you have open wounds and tears. Most people with colitis or diverticulitis are not at this crisis level. If you know your colon is healthy, adding fiber gradually is healthy and very tolerable for almost everyone. When you bulk up by adding fiber to your diet, you move material through your colon like you would squeeze toothpaste through a tube of toothpaste. It makes it easier for your colon to successfully move material. This process of movement is called peristalsis. Think of peristalsis as the movement of your hand squeezing the tube of toothpaste. A large amount of toothpaste makes dispensing easier, while smaller amounts of toothpaste make it harder to get out of the tube, and the tube is traumatized in the process of forcing small amounts through it. This analogy is not far from the truth.
If you don’t eat at least 25% to 50% of your diet from the produce section of the supermarket or from your garden, you probably have a low-fiber diet. A diverticulitis diet can treat or prevent diverticulitis. Some good examples of foods for diverticulitis are canned or cooked fruits without skin or seeds, and vegetables such as green beans, peas, and potatoes (without skin). The less fresh produce you eat, the more fiber you should add to your diet. In the meantime, supplement your fiber with something from the supermarket or health food store. I don’t like to name brands, but I do focus on healthier fiber options. Everyone helps. The only thing I recommend against is choosing a fiber source that is loaded with sugar or, worse yet, contains artificial sweetener. I know it’s annoying to hear myself tell you why “almost everything is wrong” sometimes, but my first passion is telling you the truth. I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear instead of telling you the truth.
If you don’t listen to this advice, here’s a simple list to give you “better, better, good and bad” options.
Best: When your colon health is decent (no sores or tears), gradually increase your fiber intake with fresh produce until you have at least one substantial movement per day and preferably two to four times per day (although it’s possible not all of them are substantial). Once you get used to a diverticulitis diet, it will be easier for you to choose the right foods for you.
Better: Same as above for colon health, but gradually increase your fiber intake by taking a supplement such as psyllium seeds, psyllium husks, or psyllium powder. Flax seed (crushed or powdered) is also a great fiber option and includes some omega oils and nutrients as well. When choosing your fiber, avoid excess sugar and avoid all artificial sweeteners. In my opinion, they are toxic.
Good: Same as above for colon health, but take whatever fiber you can tolerate well, sugary, artificial sugar, pills, tablets, etc. Do something to improve your volume and it will continue to benefit you.
Bad: Keep doing what you’re doing now and pretend you’re going to get better. True, the program will only cure diverticulitis and colitis, but the volume of stool moving through you will always be a factor in your internal health.
One definition of insanity is: keep doing the same thing you’ve always done, but expect or hope for a different result.
Fiber is also good for us for other reasons. The shape and non-softening nature of the fiber makes it an internal “scrub brush” as it moves through us. It is the most effective internal cleanser that we can use. If you think of people as a machine, like a car, for example, internal dirt and buildup needs to be addressed on a regular basis. In a car, this is handled by the 3,000 mile oil change. In people, especially in the UK, Australia, Canada, and the US, we no longer fast (go without food periodically). We are rich enough and food is affordable enough to think that missing a meal or two is some kind of plague that has us “starving.”
Because we no longer get enough fiber and hardly ever fast for a 24-hour period (a natural cleanse), we never cleanse. As a group, our plumbing is dirty on the inside. Consider adding some fiber to your diet. When you take fiber, you also need to drink a full glass of water, per dose (except to make fiber), beyond what is needed to mix the fiber. This is because you want the material moving through the tubes to be the consistency of toothpaste and not the consistency of brick. Add fiber, add water and get healthier. Adopt a healthy diverticulosis diet and you’ll be on your way to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
Please do whatever it takes to get over this horrible disease.
