What Are Some Meal Ideas for Diverticulitis?
For patients with mild cases of acute diverticulitis, meal ideas for a clear liquid diet include broth, pulp-free fruit juices and ice pops, gelatin, ice chips, and water, recommends Mayo Clinic. When patients begin to feel better after a few days on the liquid diet, they may eat low-fiber foods, such as eggs, fish, poultry, skinless and seedless canned or cooked fruits, and canned or cooked vegetables.
Other low-fiber foods for diverticulitis patients to include in their diets include low-fiber cereals, pulp-free fruit juices, refined white bread, white rice and pasta, suggests Mayo Clinic. Cheese, yogurt and milk are also advisable.
A diverticulitis diet allows the digestive system to recuperate, but it’s not a treatment or prevention method, notes Mayo Clinic. Along with antibiotic intake, the diet can help to improve diverticulitis within two to three days. However, serious cases of diverticulitis require hospitalization.
Because a clear liquid diet does not provide adequate amounts of nutrients necessary for the body’s proper functioning, doctors generally recommend slowly shifting back to a normal diet when the patient is capable of doing so, according to Mayo Clinic. Patients should contact a doctor if the condition doesn’t improve within a few days on a liquid diet or if they experience a fever, abdominal pain or an inability to hold clear liquids.
