Immediate Release – Fiber and Diverticular Disease: Stop the Pressure Stop the Pain
No, no, everyone 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 subject.
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 diverticulitis diet will ensure that you are taking positive steps toward 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 may help to think of your intestines, and especially your colon, like a tube of toothpaste. By the time 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 an intake of fiber 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 are already on a road 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 you are under. Again a diverticulosis diet is one of the closest remedies you have under your control to rectify a lifetime of bad 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, gradually adding fiber is healthy and very tolerable for almost everyone. When you bulk up by adding fiber to your diet, you move material through your colon much like squeezing toothpaste through a tube of toothpaste. It makes it easier for your colon to successfully move material. This movement process is called peristalsis. Think of peristalsis as the movement of your hand squeezing the tube of toothpaste. A large amount of toothpaste makes it easier to dispense, while smaller amounts of toothpaste make it difficult to exit the tube, and the tube is traumatized in the process of forcing the 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 the skin or seeds, and vegetables such as green beans, peas, and potatoes (without the 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. They all help. The only thing I recommend against is choosing a fiber source that is loaded with sugar, or worse, contains artificial sweetener. I know it’s annoying sometimes to hear me tell you why “almost everything is wrong”, but my first passion is to tell 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 “best, best, 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 you may that not all are substantial) . Once you get used to a diverticulitis diet, it will be easier to choose the right foods for you.
Better: Same as above for colon health, but gradually increase your fiber intake by taking a supplement like psyllium seed, psyllium husk, or psyllium powder. Flaxseed (crushed or powdered) is also an excellent choice for fiber 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 with respect to colon health, but take any type of 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 good for us for other reasons, too. 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 cleaner that we can use. If you think of people as a machine, like a car, for example, internal dirt and buildup need to be addressed periodically. 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 accessible enough to think that missing a meal or two is some kind of “starving” plague.
Because we no longer get enough fiber and almost never 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 serving (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 a brick. Add fiber, add water, and get healthier. Adopt a healthy diverticulosis diet and you’ll be on your way to a healthier, happier lifestyle.
Please do whatever it takes to get over this horrible disease.