Diverticulitis and pepper?

Diverticulitis, the inflammation of small bulging pouches in the digestive tract called diverticula, can be a painful and frustrating condition to deal with. And if you’re someone who loves adding pepper to their meals, then you might want to think twice before reaching for that shaker.

What’s the deal with pepper and diverticulitis? Let’s find out.

What is Diverticulitis?

Before we delve into how pepper affects diverticulitis, let’s first understand what this condition is all about.

Diverticula are small sacs or pockets that bulge out from the walls of the intestine. They usually form in weak spots along the intestinal lining. While having these pouches in your intestines isn’t necessarily harmful on its own – many people have them without even realizing it – sometimes they can become inflamed or infected.

This inflammation is known as diverticulitis and can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain (usually on the left side), bloating, constipation or diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting.

While doctors are still not sure why some people get diverticular disease while others don’t (it could be due to genetics), there are a few risk factors that have been identified:

  • Aging – The older you get, the more likely you are to develop diverticular disease
  • Low fiber diet – A lack of dietary fiber means stools may become hard and difficult for your colon muscles to push through.
  • Obesity – Being overweight puts more pressure on your digestive system
  • Smoking – Nicotine reduces blood flow throughout your body including your colon which makes it harder for wounds inside those tiny sacks

Now that we’ve briefly discussed what causes diverticular disease let’s discuss how food specifically pepper comes into play.

How Does Pepper affect Diverticula?

Some foods are known to aggravate inflammation in the intestines, which can worsen symptoms for those with diverticulitis. One such food is pepper.

Pepper might be a spice staple, but it’s not friendly when it comes to digestive health of people with Diverticular disease symptoms. Here’s why:

  • High fiber diets are often recommended to prevent and manage diverticulitis because they help promote regular bowel movements and keep stools soft – both important factors in preventing or reducing inflammation.

  • Pepper seeds, however, which are small and difficult for the intestine muscles to break down properly can irritate inflamed pouches leading to pain.

Pepper also has essential oils called piperine that have been shown to increase stomach acid secretion thus worsening acid reflux so we know this spice isn’t kind on your gut lining.

Moreover black pepper contains alkaloids like piperine which is similar in structure as capsaicin an active compound found in chili peppers (and you do not want any heat near inflammed structures!) Capsaicin activates receptors responsible for dermal warming burning thus producing unpleasant sensations.(reference)

While some say that spices like pepper can actually reduce inflammation due to their antioxidant properties others believe otherwise stating these spicy foods contribute negatively towards existing gastrointestinal disorders making them worse.

So next time when you’re wondering whether or not a little more seasoning will brighten up your meals,hold back before shaking out too much ground peppercorn.

Foods Not To Be Missed

Now that we’ve discussed one side of the coin let us discuss what foods must always make an appearance especially if you suffer from Diverticular disease symptoms.

1: Fiber-rich Diet

We mentioned earlier how low fiber diet happens to be one major risk factor associated with diverticular- diseases . Instead step up the game – consume high amounts of dietary fibers(i.e>25gms) which assist people in disease symptoms to have regular bowel movements and prevents inflammation due to easy passage of food along the intestinal tract.

Here are some examples you could use:

  • Nuts: Almonds or other nuts can increase fiber content.

  • Fruits like Pear an apple in edible skin or plums which contain insoluble fiber great at adding good bulk i.e volume to the stools

(A note on Beans though; they’re excellent sources of dietary fibers but also notorious for causing cramps , flatulence and bloating. If you can tolerate them though – this is one sure-fire winning addition)

2: Probiotics

Another promising inclusion into your diet would be consuming more probiotics like natural yogurt, cheese, kombucha which help build a healthier gut microbiome

3: Plant-based foods

Bright-hued fruits/veggies rich in antioxidants and vitamins should top off any anti-inflammatory diet plan.These include cruciferous vegetables (brussels sprouts,broccoli etc) that reduce inflammation as well getting rid of toxins from our digestive system.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we’ve seen how pepper stands up against diverticulitis- not too well!

It’s best known for being carelessly insensitive around inflamed tissue heightening inflammation even further reason why it ranks amongst foods to stay away from if battling living with Diverticular diseases.

That said it doesn’t mean all spices are bad news since sometimes they pack a punch when it comes promoting better health especially about maintaining robust gut microflora.To round up incorporate your diets such high-fiber meals , greens , berries and occasional supplementation of curd(such as yogurt) reinforces assisting mitigation of negative symptoms associated with this condition.

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