An important thing to do during a flare-up is to reduce inflammation. When you’re not in a flare-up, it’s also important to have a preventative nutrition plan in place.
A diagnosis of diverticular disease might bring up a lot of questions and concerns. What can you eat? Should you stay away from certain foods? Will your symptoms go away on their own, or will you always feel this way?
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Searching for answers can be just as confusing. What is the real difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis? There is a lot of false information out there.
Anna Taylor, RD, LD, a registered dietitian, says that when you have diverticulitis, you should focus your diet on lowering inflammation and making your symptoms less severe. When you’re not having a flare-up, you should also work on making an eating plan that works for you and your digestive tract.
There was some confusion about how to treat both parts of diverticular disease. Taylor clears it up and tells you what foods you may or may not want to eat if you have these conditions.
Diverticulitis can be an extremely painful condition, causing inflammation and infection in the diverticula or pouches that form in the colon wall. While some foods are recommended for a diverticulitis diet, others like nuts, seeds, corn, and popcorn may exacerbate symptoms. So what about canned tuna – is it safe to eat with diverticulitis?
The short answer is yes, canned tuna is generally considered a safe, nutritious food to enjoy in moderation as part of a balanced diverticulitis diet. Here is a closer look at the benefits of tuna and how to incorporate it safely into your meal plan.
An Overview of Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis develops when the small sac-like pouches (diverticula) that can form in the lining of the colon become inflamed or infected. This often occurs when waste or bacteria become trapped in the pouches
Symptoms of a diverticulitis flare-up include:
- Abdominal pain, usually in the lower left quadrant
- Fever
- Nausea or vomiting
- Constipation or diarrhea
There are a few key dietary changes recommended for managing diverticulitis:
- Increase fiber intake from fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Fiber helps soften stool and allows it to pass more easily through the colon.
- Avoid nuts, seeds, corn, popcorn, and other foods that could get lodged and cause irritation.
- Follow a clear liquid or low-fiber diet during symptom flare-ups to give the colon a chance to rest and heal. Slowly reintroduce high fiber foods as symptoms resolve.
So where does tuna fit in? Let’s take a look.
The Benefits of Canned Tuna
Canned tuna is a versatile, widely available fish that provides some excellent nutritional benefits:
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High Protein Content A 3 oz serving of tuna contains about 22 grams of protein supporting muscle growth and repair.
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Tuna is a great source of anti-inflammatory omega-3s, with over 1 gram in a 3 oz serving. Omega-3s can help reduce inflammation.
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Vitamins and Minerals: Tuna provides nutrients like B12, selenium, and potassium.
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Low Fiber and Fat: Canned tuna is very low in fat and fiber, making it less likely to irritate the colon during a flare-up.
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Convenience: Canned tuna is affordable, shelf-stable, and easy to incorporate into a variety of diverticulitis-friendly recipes.
Is Canned Tuna Safe to Eat with Diverticulitis?
For most people with mild to moderate diverticulitis, canned tuna is considered a safe and recommended protein source. Since it is soft, low in fiber, and easily digestible, tuna is not likely to aggravate inflamed pouches in the colon. It provides key nutrients without excess bulk or irritation.
Some tips for eating canned tuna with diverticulitis:
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Stick to a 3-4 oz serving size per meal, and avoid eating tuna every day to limit mercury exposure. Pregnant women should consume no more than 6 oz per week.
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Choose tuna packed in water rather than oil, and drain off any excess liquid to reduce fat content.
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Introduce tuna slowly after a flare-up, starting with small servings. Stop eating it if you notice any increase in symptoms.
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Avoid albacore or white tuna, which tends to be higher in mercury. Opt for skipjack or chunk light tuna instead.
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Purchase reputable brands and inspect cans carefully for damage before opening. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.
While tuna is generally safe, speak with your doctor if you have severe or chronic diverticulitis. Some people may need to avoid all fish and meats during symptom flare-ups. But for most cases of mild diverticulitis, enjoying tuna in moderation can be a healthy part of your diet.
Tuna Recipes for the Diverticulitis Diet
Here are some simple ways to incorporate canned tuna into diverticulitis-friendly meals and snacks:
Tuna Salad: Combine tuna with mashed avocado, lemon juice, diced celery, and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy in lettuce wraps or stuffed in tomatoes.
Tuna Pasta: Toss cooked white pasta with shredded carrots, peas, tuna, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese.
Tuna Casserole: Sauté onions and mushrooms, then add cooked egg noodles, tuna, peas, and chicken broth. Top with crushed potato chips or breadcrumbs.
Tuna Melt: Mix tuna with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and diced onion. Place on toasted English muffins, top with tomato slices and cheese, then broil.
Tuna and Crackers: Top whole wheat crackers with canned tuna mixed with hummus or mashed avocado for a quick snack or appetizer.
Tuna Lettuce Wraps: Fill lettuce leaves with tuna mixed with Greek yogurt and your choice of diced veggies like celery, carrots, or cucumber.
Tuna Omelet: Add canned tuna to a fluffy egg white omelet along with diced peppers and spinach.
Tuna and Rice: Fold tuna together with white rice, sesame oil, chopped scallions, and sesame seeds for a simple rice bowl.
With a little creativity, canned tuna can easily be incorporated into diverticulitis-friendly meals and snacks. Just be sure to start with small amounts after a flare-up and stop eating it if symptoms worsen. Enjoying tuna in moderation offers a nutritious boost of protein.
The Bottom Line
For most people with mild or moderate diverticulitis, canned tuna is considered a safe food to enjoy in moderation. It provides protein, omega-3s, and important vitamins without much fiber or fat. Enjoy tuna in small portions as part of a balanced diverticulitis diet, and be sure to stop eating it if you notice any increase in symptoms. With the proper precautions, canned tuna can be a great nutritional addition to your meal plan.
How to follow a diverticulosis eating plan
But what if you don’t have a flare-up of diverticulitis? What can you do to keep flare-ups from happening? Constipation often leads to the formation of diverticula. Also, hard, stuck stools can irritate or hurt the pockets that line the walls of your colon, which can make flare-ups happen again and again over time.
“People get diverticula after years of their muscles contracting too much as they try to move small, hard stools,” says Taylor. For people who are constipated, a high-fiber diet makes stools softer, which makes it easier for them to move through their GI tract. There’s also less pressure against those pockets, which helps prevent diverticulitis flare-ups.
A high-fiber diet typically includes 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. You can work that into your nutritional plan by choosing minimally processed plant foods such as:
- Whole grains.
- Fruits.
- Vegetables.
- Beans.
- Legumes, including lentils and nuts.
Years ago, doctors thought that if you ate corn, popcorn, nuts and seeds, those tiny components could get caught inside the pockets along your intestines, causing them to become inflamed so that you developed diverticulitis. But there’s no research to support that theory.
“It’s safe to eat these types of foods, including tomatoes and strawberries with seeds,” Taylor notes. “All that normal roughage and fiber is fine. ”.
To get the most out of a high-fiber diet, she also recommends:
- Getting at least 64 ounces of water every day, or more if you work out
- Exercising regularly (it helps propel waste through your system).
- Eating a lot of different kinds of food every day, like at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, three servings of whole grains, and one serving of nuts or beans
- Cutting back on processed foods, red meat, and foods high in saturated fat
“Diverticular disease may be common in Western societies because our diets are so low in fiber,” Taylor says. “Americans, on average, eat around 14 grams each day — about half of what’s recommended. ”.
Low-fiber diet for diverticulitis
For milder cases of diverticulitis flares, eat a low-fiber or GI soft diet. A low-fiber diet limits fiber intake to between 8 and 12 grams of fiber, depending on the severity of the flare-up.
Good low-fiber food options include:
- Grains: White potato and bread lovers, rejoice! These, along with white rice and crackers, are good low-fiber choices.
- Low-fiber starches: Get your peeler out. Potatoes without skin can be on the menu. Mash, roast or bake them. Some low-fiber cereals, like cornflakes and puffed rice cereal, also get high marks.
- Eggs and egg whites, tofu, meat or seafood, and eggs are all good sources of protein. If you want it to be soft, Taylor says to use shredded chicken, lean ground turkey, or soft-baked fish.
- Fruits: Use caution, as fruits have lots of fiber. Fruits like peaches or pears in a can, applesauce, ripe bananas, and soft, ripe cantaloupe and honeydew are all good choices. Taylor makes it clear, “It’s not a lot of fiber because you’re not eating the skin.” If you have an inflamed diverticulum, the skins contain insoluble fiber that can make it worse. ”.
- Dairy: “If you’re getting better after an episode, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are great.” They have a lot of protein, calcium, and other good things for you, but no fiber, says Taylor. “They’re also soft and wet, and it’s easier to get them off when you’re sick.” ” You can also have milk and cheese.
Foods to avoid with diverticulitis include high-fiber options such as:
- Whole grains.
- Fruits and vegetables with the skin and seeds.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Beans.
- Popcorn.
You’ll want to follow this low-fiber diet until your diverticulitis symptoms subside. “Usually, someone starts to improve after several days of being on antibiotics,” Taylor says.
If you do, your doctor will have you slowly increase the amount of fiber you eat over a few days to a few weeks to avoid constipation and bloating.
Her goal is to get back to a high-fiber diet so that you have a lower chance of getting diverticulitis again. “But if you’re not feeling better within a few days, talk to your provider. ”.
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