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Diverticulitis and dietary fibre
I have recently been told I have diverticulitis. My doctor says I must eat plenty of fibre so I would appreciate any dietary advice and I wondered if any supplements would help too?
Diverticulitis is the inflammation of “out-pouches” or diverticular sacs which form, usually as a result of chronic constipation, along the linings of the small and large intestinal tracts. If left untreated, an inflamed pouch can become a small, hard mass known as a fecalth that has been caused by the combination of undigested food residues and bacterial infection.
More common in men than women, this condition is almost inevitable in later life. Some 50% of the population aged between 60 and 80 and almost everyone over the age of 80 will be a sufferer. Abdominal tenderness, especially on the left side of the colon, is another tell-tale sign of this problem.
To increase the right kind of fibre in your diet, eat more cereals, sprouted foods, beans, broccoli and carrots. These all contain hemicellulose fibres which absorb water to bulk and soften waste as it moves through the colon to help prevent undigested food residues. You should also take a good quality probiotic to help support the digestive tract and rebuild the good gut bacteria which help fight off infection.
To soothe the inflammation, drink a quarter glass of aloe vera juice each morning and evening and to tackle internal infection, take antibacterial olive leaf extract that can help kill off the bacterial infection of the sacs. The Allergy Research Group’s Prolive costs £26.38 for 90 capsules which contain 500mg of olive leaf extract. Mail order from the Nutricentre (0800-587 2290) and take one a day.