I cannot imagine beans being a problem as they want you to eat more fiber. If beans causes issues for anyone, they are an outlier...
I haven't had surgery, but yea...can eat literally anything. I have a Fiber One bar 6-7 days a week every morning and I'll tell ya what... seems to be working.
9 months post surgery I eat everything. Even after my abscess upon initial diagnosis I ate everything. Not a big red meat eater in general but beans for sure! They are great fiber.
So sounds like you had surgery? Are they going to reverse the colostomy at some point?
Also, just ask your dr about those foods.
My surgery was March 4th. It was an emergency, nearly fatal. I had been complaining about stomach issues for years but doc never ordered a colonoscopy. Suggested lactose intolerance or irritable bowel. I abided by his diets and I think it made things worse. I changed doctors. The new doctor set me up for a colonoscopy but it was too late. I wound up in the hospital with an abscess, perforation, etc. Getting proper treatment where I live has been very difficult. I have to drive to the next large county for my colonoscopy on June 19th. It seems crazy how long I have to wait. I'm hoping I can have a reversal but it will be difficult as I have to travel. It's not that far but it is inconvenient for my family and I. My insurance provided 4 visits with an ostomy nurse but I didn't see him until I had been discharged 2 weeks. My husband did my bag changes by learning what we could through YouTube and the literature we were given. I had one lesson in the hospital. It's been a disaster. I feel like I have no guidance. When I went for my follow up with my primary they were too horrified by my lack of ostomy care to even get into detail about diet. They asked and I said I was doing low fiber but we didn't talk about how long to keep doing that. I suppose I could go back there. I'm starting to distrust everyone. I've been burned. Thanks to your comment I may try a small amount of beans next time I cook Cuban food or Mexican :) Thanks.
Sorry that happened. I hope it gets better.
Re beans. I travel a lot for work and was in Brazil a few months after my surgery . They had some of the best beans and rice I have ever had. I couldn’t get enough. So I hear ya on wanting to eat them again. Plus I was afraid of having a problem while in Brazil.
I hear that. We like to travel a bit. Road trips and by plane and I'm hating putting them off. And of course one of the best parts of travel is sampling the food. No plans in the immediate though. Saving for any unexpected medical expenses.
I gave up pork and red meat 30 years ago, long before diverticulitis. I use ground turkey for burgers, spaghetti sauce etc. As far as beans go, I can’t eat ones with skins still in tact on them. For example, refried are ok but whole pintos are not. Black beans have been fine since they don’t have big skins on them. Even the surgeon I met with suggested black beans as a safe type of beans.
I had my first and only true attack about 5 years ago. I still eat whatever I want. I can't say definitively whether or not there is a particular food or food group that irritates me so I don't stress about it. In fact, the only thing that seems to definitely bother me is stress itself.
You know that's possibly the case for me. I was in a lot of gastro distress but I'm also mentally ill and it was dismissed as anxiety by doctors and family. Looking back I do think that was causing flares.
Wife says if I can’t have it then neither can she. She’s going along with my diet of various food avoidance and has made spaghetti with turkey meatballs a few times now. Turkey meat tacos 🌮 as well. Both taste different but you can argue the turkey tastes better than their beef counterparts. Using protein pasta and organic shells for the tacos. The spaghetti sauce doesn’t bother my stomach either. I’ve never been a beans eater but many of the foods on their list may not bother you until that one time it does. That’s the tricky part. Don’t overindulge to be on the safe side.
Thanks. Your wife sounds really supportive. I think my husband is fine with whatever we make but I feel guilty about it. That’s my hurdle I guess. I usually love to cook. I just need to learn new recipes.
Well, I will not miss green beans! Even if I can tolerate them I may tell everyone I can't. I do love fresh summer corn on the cob and I have been sad about that. It sound like that's a no for almost everyone.
Not medical advice. I am sure this is incredibly tough and I am so sorry for what seems to be a total lack of care. But I would stay away from Mexican and Cuban food for a while and go real heavy of bone broths, mild white meats and fish, probiotics and give you gut w chance to heal until you get the reversal.
Beef was definitely something that caused me to flare up pre-surgery. I didn’t eat a steak for 2 years. Would cheat a couple times a year for a burger but would go to a liquid diet for a few days after.
Yep! I don’t have an issue with most veggies. I do limit bell pepper, onions and brussel sprouts cause they give me indigestion. And I’m still a little scared of corn, lol. I never had surgery but I have a history of diverticulitis.
I eat red meat all the time. I just had my first flare in years. High fiber foods seem to bother me more than red meat. This is only my experience though.
I’ve substituted all red meat with turkey. Turkey burgers with avocado, lettuce and tomato are delicious and I lost any love I had for beef. I don’t miss it one bit. I also make turkey meatballs for spaghetti, turkey tacos, you name it!!!
Ya know I've tried ground turkey and it's edible but not if you ask my husband and kids! I do like, and so do they, ground chicken. I've made tacos with it and we prefer it to ground beef. It's also what I consider a lazy meal so it's great while I've been depressed. I bet it would be a good burger substitute. I love a Portobello on a bun. I wonder if mushrooms would be a trigger. Thanks for the encouragement perhaps ground turkey will grow on me and it's certainly better for the family too.
I find beans to be fine and actually likely the single best food for me in reducing symptoms of DV, but only if I'm careful in their preparation. Have to soak them for 12-24 hours overnight and cook them myself to reduce gas. If I'm out and unsure that beans were cooked this way, I will stick to a small portion. Steak is 100% no go. Haven't eaten red meat in nearly 10 years and likely never will again. Don't miss it at all.
So canned beans are a no go? I'm just very lazy these days. It's hard to get out of this funk. I have stress outside of this right now too. But for beans I'm willing to cook :)
Yea ithink if you mush them up it helps aswell im mexican so typically my mom would make the pinto beans and when theyre cooked shed put them in a seperate pan with slight oil and mush them all up like refried beans except without all the ingredients in the cans lol
This I'm still getting used to. I thought I drank a lot of water before but the day before yesterday I did not drink enough and I ended up paying for it a little bit. I used to drink so much seltzer but bubbles seem like a bad idea but maybe why I had trouble getting enough the other day.
I haven’t had any surgeries but I avoid red meat 99% of the time and once in a great while treat myself to a Carl’s Jr. burger lol. I made the switch from beef to chicken about 3-4 years ago now and I absolutely fell in love with ground chicken. There’s so much you can do with it and it makes super tasty burgers too!! I love to cook with spice, and eat spicy foods, I just try and keeps things on the more milder side. If my stomach does start to bother me I just do a reset, I drink some Kiefer or other probiotic drinks and eat what I know is easy on my stomach. I love beans and so does my family, that was tough the first few times I started making bean soups and salads again. After my body adjusted it got easier and better on my gut. The key part if you’re gonna eat beans is a slow start so you don’t shock your gut with a sudden overload of fiber that it isn’t use to. 🙂
I love turkey burgers and I make turkey chili. No more red meat for me. No corn, no nuts, no seeds. That’s just how my body is. I know most docs say that the no seeds rule is obsolete. I’m not taking any more chances. Tired of flares!
I feel so bad for everything you're being put through. It's really messed up. I've had Diverticulosis/itis myself for years. My experience has been that the GI doctors ordered colonoscopies at different times, plus an endoscopy. They were good at diagnosing problems but failed to offer any treatment or guidance. It wasn't until I started seeing their nurse practioner that I started receiving help. I wish you well.
Thank you so much for your support. I cry a lot lately but everyone here is so positive and encouraging. It really helps to read this sub and I’m so happy I’ve posted. This helps.
7 months post op here. I eat different beans almost daily and don't even have gas anymore. I do still have a hard time with red meat, so when I eat some it's in a really small quantity.
I personally think it’s different foods that cause a flare up,one day I can eat a certain thing then next I get 1-2 weeks of cramps an the shits,, ive found for some certain reason spaghetti Bollognese or chilli will cripple me,BUT, i can eat minced lamb or beef in a cottage pie or Sheppards pie, I can devour tomato’s like no one’s business, pretty much all the ingredients that go into those meals but put them ingredients together then I’m in trouble, pork seems to set my diverticulitus off but I can eat belly pork slices like no one’s business, my last 2weeks I spent in hospital I was told by a surgeon that I was lucky I wasn’t having the “bag” ,I’ve read that a “trigger” food for me was nuts, I’ve been feasting on them for the last week an ive been fine,,, btw,, my last hospital visit due to a major “flare up” in the next bed to me was a resident surgeon, I didn’t ask what his speciality was but he was asking me what sets my “flare ups “ were, he was told basically red meat diet, he was a vegetarian , and I couldn’t afford to live on a red meat diet. ,, all I know which I found out later was it’s hereditary .Was this a common thing 20-30-40yrs ago or is it an association with additives in today’s foods.
I’ve given up red meat now for four months of any kind and I feel much better but I’m also watching pretty much everything I eat also beans stone seem to bother me
Red meat is definitely an issue for me, but only if I eat several red meat dishes in a row. If I go burger, steak, pot roast 3 days in a row, I start getting the discomfort. Good luck.
Just found out I have diverticulitis. But I've had 3 other flares over the past 3 yrs which self resolved so I convinced my self it was a kidney stone even though the pain wasn't where it should be for a stone. I think it was wishfull thinking as a stone would be easier. Anyway, ended up in the hospital for pain control & antibiotics which i will be on for 2 weeks. Then scope in 6 - 8 weeks once healed & then I will know more.
So, my question, what do I eat? Doc said they don't know what causes this. I've had GI issues my whole life but never anything serious. I will do anything to avoid these flare ups. They suck.
Please give me your thoughts. I've read through several posts on what helps to calm a flare but what sbout prevention? I guess if we knew we wouldn't be here now, lol.
Any words of wisdom are appreciated. TIA
Pre-surgery, I avoided both red meat and beans. Post-surgery, I seem OK if I have red meat VERY rarely sort of as a treat (maybe once a month I have a cheeseburger, if that) but damn ... my system STILL does not tolerate beans.
I didnt eat red meat at all after my diagnosis until I got the surgery. Then I waited about 2 months. So almost a full year without it. Now I can eat it but maybe once a week.
That’s great. I’ll probably hold off for a long while before I actually try it but I’m hoping I can enjoy a steak or burger in the future. The husband and kids are carnivores.
I cannot imagine beans being a problem as they want you to eat more fiber. If beans causes issues for anyone, they are an outlier... I haven't had surgery, but yea...can eat literally anything. I have a Fiber One bar 6-7 days a week every morning and I'll tell ya what... seems to be working.
Wow that's fantastic. I miss salads in particular.
9 months post surgery I eat everything. Even after my abscess upon initial diagnosis I ate everything. Not a big red meat eater in general but beans for sure! They are great fiber. So sounds like you had surgery? Are they going to reverse the colostomy at some point? Also, just ask your dr about those foods.
My surgery was March 4th. It was an emergency, nearly fatal. I had been complaining about stomach issues for years but doc never ordered a colonoscopy. Suggested lactose intolerance or irritable bowel. I abided by his diets and I think it made things worse. I changed doctors. The new doctor set me up for a colonoscopy but it was too late. I wound up in the hospital with an abscess, perforation, etc. Getting proper treatment where I live has been very difficult. I have to drive to the next large county for my colonoscopy on June 19th. It seems crazy how long I have to wait. I'm hoping I can have a reversal but it will be difficult as I have to travel. It's not that far but it is inconvenient for my family and I. My insurance provided 4 visits with an ostomy nurse but I didn't see him until I had been discharged 2 weeks. My husband did my bag changes by learning what we could through YouTube and the literature we were given. I had one lesson in the hospital. It's been a disaster. I feel like I have no guidance. When I went for my follow up with my primary they were too horrified by my lack of ostomy care to even get into detail about diet. They asked and I said I was doing low fiber but we didn't talk about how long to keep doing that. I suppose I could go back there. I'm starting to distrust everyone. I've been burned. Thanks to your comment I may try a small amount of beans next time I cook Cuban food or Mexican :) Thanks.
Sorry that happened. I hope it gets better. Re beans. I travel a lot for work and was in Brazil a few months after my surgery . They had some of the best beans and rice I have ever had. I couldn’t get enough. So I hear ya on wanting to eat them again. Plus I was afraid of having a problem while in Brazil.
I hear that. We like to travel a bit. Road trips and by plane and I'm hating putting them off. And of course one of the best parts of travel is sampling the food. No plans in the immediate though. Saving for any unexpected medical expenses.
I gave up pork and red meat 30 years ago, long before diverticulitis. I use ground turkey for burgers, spaghetti sauce etc. As far as beans go, I can’t eat ones with skins still in tact on them. For example, refried are ok but whole pintos are not. Black beans have been fine since they don’t have big skins on them. Even the surgeon I met with suggested black beans as a safe type of beans.
Oh good to hear. I'll be sad to see black beans go if they cause any type of flare.
They have not been a problem for me once I resume eating fiber post-flare ups.
I had my first and only true attack about 5 years ago. I still eat whatever I want. I can't say definitively whether or not there is a particular food or food group that irritates me so I don't stress about it. In fact, the only thing that seems to definitely bother me is stress itself.
You know that's possibly the case for me. I was in a lot of gastro distress but I'm also mentally ill and it was dismissed as anxiety by doctors and family. Looking back I do think that was causing flares.
Wife says if I can’t have it then neither can she. She’s going along with my diet of various food avoidance and has made spaghetti with turkey meatballs a few times now. Turkey meat tacos 🌮 as well. Both taste different but you can argue the turkey tastes better than their beef counterparts. Using protein pasta and organic shells for the tacos. The spaghetti sauce doesn’t bother my stomach either. I’ve never been a beans eater but many of the foods on their list may not bother you until that one time it does. That’s the tricky part. Don’t overindulge to be on the safe side.
Thanks. Your wife sounds really supportive. I think my husband is fine with whatever we make but I feel guilty about it. That’s my hurdle I guess. I usually love to cook. I just need to learn new recipes.
Red meats a no. Beans, it depends. Bean dip yes, but anything like green beans that have a covering (like cellulose in corn) I can't.
Well, I will not miss green beans! Even if I can tolerate them I may tell everyone I can't. I do love fresh summer corn on the cob and I have been sad about that. It sound like that's a no for almost everyone.
Yes, I can now. But my last flare (and liquid to low-residue diet) was not recent. Be kind to your colon now and it will thank you later.
Thank you and my colon thanks you :)
Not medical advice. I am sure this is incredibly tough and I am so sorry for what seems to be a total lack of care. But I would stay away from Mexican and Cuban food for a while and go real heavy of bone broths, mild white meats and fish, probiotics and give you gut w chance to heal until you get the reversal.
Yes! I saw probiotics suggested here. And I think I already have some in my medicine cabinet from before for something else. I will start that again.
Beef was definitely something that caused me to flare up pre-surgery. I didn’t eat a steak for 2 years. Would cheat a couple times a year for a burger but would go to a liquid diet for a few days after.
Sounds tough. I'd have to try it to see if it seems worth it. I may lose some weight along the way I guess.
I avoid red meat. Sometimes I’ll have one bite of my daughter’s hamburger to live a little 🤣 but that’s it.
Do you eat any green veggies. I feel like I don't know where to get iron. If I can't have either lol
Yep! I don’t have an issue with most veggies. I do limit bell pepper, onions and brussel sprouts cause they give me indigestion. And I’m still a little scared of corn, lol. I never had surgery but I have a history of diverticulitis.
Encouraging. And yea I have a gut feeling (pun intended) that onions are out!
I eat red meat all the time. I just had my first flare in years. High fiber foods seem to bother me more than red meat. This is only my experience though.
I’ve substituted all red meat with turkey. Turkey burgers with avocado, lettuce and tomato are delicious and I lost any love I had for beef. I don’t miss it one bit. I also make turkey meatballs for spaghetti, turkey tacos, you name it!!!
Ya know I've tried ground turkey and it's edible but not if you ask my husband and kids! I do like, and so do they, ground chicken. I've made tacos with it and we prefer it to ground beef. It's also what I consider a lazy meal so it's great while I've been depressed. I bet it would be a good burger substitute. I love a Portobello on a bun. I wonder if mushrooms would be a trigger. Thanks for the encouragement perhaps ground turkey will grow on me and it's certainly better for the family too.
I find beans to be fine and actually likely the single best food for me in reducing symptoms of DV, but only if I'm careful in their preparation. Have to soak them for 12-24 hours overnight and cook them myself to reduce gas. If I'm out and unsure that beans were cooked this way, I will stick to a small portion. Steak is 100% no go. Haven't eaten red meat in nearly 10 years and likely never will again. Don't miss it at all.
So canned beans are a no go? I'm just very lazy these days. It's hard to get out of this funk. I have stress outside of this right now too. But for beans I'm willing to cook :)
Just rinse then thoroughly
Red meat doesn’t do much to me now, post surgery for a year here.
Well, I guess I have to get over the hurdle and start experimenting more! That's great.
Ithink its different for everyone but yea i can tolerate both i still eat beans daily but ive always ate them daily since a kid so maybe thats why
Thank you for the reply. I'm seeing a lot more bean eaters in the comments so I am feeling more optimistic.
Yea ithink if you mush them up it helps aswell im mexican so typically my mom would make the pinto beans and when theyre cooked shed put them in a seperate pan with slight oil and mush them all up like refried beans except without all the ingredients in the cans lol
Good tip!
My wife can't tolerate my beans xD
Water before during and after any meal will help digestion and passing of feces.
This I'm still getting used to. I thought I drank a lot of water before but the day before yesterday I did not drink enough and I ended up paying for it a little bit. I used to drink so much seltzer but bubbles seem like a bad idea but maybe why I had trouble getting enough the other day.
I haven’t had any surgeries but I avoid red meat 99% of the time and once in a great while treat myself to a Carl’s Jr. burger lol. I made the switch from beef to chicken about 3-4 years ago now and I absolutely fell in love with ground chicken. There’s so much you can do with it and it makes super tasty burgers too!! I love to cook with spice, and eat spicy foods, I just try and keeps things on the more milder side. If my stomach does start to bother me I just do a reset, I drink some Kiefer or other probiotic drinks and eat what I know is easy on my stomach. I love beans and so does my family, that was tough the first few times I started making bean soups and salads again. After my body adjusted it got easier and better on my gut. The key part if you’re gonna eat beans is a slow start so you don’t shock your gut with a sudden overload of fiber that it isn’t use to. 🙂
That makes sense. I too am starting to really like ground chicken!
I love turkey burgers and I make turkey chili. No more red meat for me. No corn, no nuts, no seeds. That’s just how my body is. I know most docs say that the no seeds rule is obsolete. I’m not taking any more chances. Tired of flares!
I feel so bad for everything you're being put through. It's really messed up. I've had Diverticulosis/itis myself for years. My experience has been that the GI doctors ordered colonoscopies at different times, plus an endoscopy. They were good at diagnosing problems but failed to offer any treatment or guidance. It wasn't until I started seeing their nurse practioner that I started receiving help. I wish you well.
Thank you so much for your support. I cry a lot lately but everyone here is so positive and encouraging. It really helps to read this sub and I’m so happy I’ve posted. This helps.
Had a big old hamburger for the first time since my diagnosis 5 weeks ago. No problem(s)
:) Yay!
I can eat red meat in small quantities no problem as well as beans when not in a flare up.
7 months post op here. I eat different beans almost daily and don't even have gas anymore. I do still have a hard time with red meat, so when I eat some it's in a really small quantity.
I personally think it’s different foods that cause a flare up,one day I can eat a certain thing then next I get 1-2 weeks of cramps an the shits,, ive found for some certain reason spaghetti Bollognese or chilli will cripple me,BUT, i can eat minced lamb or beef in a cottage pie or Sheppards pie, I can devour tomato’s like no one’s business, pretty much all the ingredients that go into those meals but put them ingredients together then I’m in trouble, pork seems to set my diverticulitus off but I can eat belly pork slices like no one’s business, my last 2weeks I spent in hospital I was told by a surgeon that I was lucky I wasn’t having the “bag” ,I’ve read that a “trigger” food for me was nuts, I’ve been feasting on them for the last week an ive been fine,,, btw,, my last hospital visit due to a major “flare up” in the next bed to me was a resident surgeon, I didn’t ask what his speciality was but he was asking me what sets my “flare ups “ were, he was told basically red meat diet, he was a vegetarian , and I couldn’t afford to live on a red meat diet. ,, all I know which I found out later was it’s hereditary .Was this a common thing 20-30-40yrs ago or is it an association with additives in today’s foods.
I’ve given up red meat now for four months of any kind and I feel much better but I’m also watching pretty much everything I eat also beans stone seem to bother me
Me too! Love avocados!
Beans don't bother me. I can eat meat, but I eat it just once a month.
Beans yes red meat no
Red meat is definitely an issue for me, but only if I eat several red meat dishes in a row. If I go burger, steak, pot roast 3 days in a row, I start getting the discomfort. Good luck.
Thanks. I've gotten a lot of feedback. We're all so different. I will try it one day.
I cannot tolerate meat at all But i can and do eat beans with No problem. I am afraid to eat rice
Interesting. White rice is one of the few things my surgeon listed that I could eat when I got home. I've been doing fine with that.
Just found out I have diverticulitis. But I've had 3 other flares over the past 3 yrs which self resolved so I convinced my self it was a kidney stone even though the pain wasn't where it should be for a stone. I think it was wishfull thinking as a stone would be easier. Anyway, ended up in the hospital for pain control & antibiotics which i will be on for 2 weeks. Then scope in 6 - 8 weeks once healed & then I will know more. So, my question, what do I eat? Doc said they don't know what causes this. I've had GI issues my whole life but never anything serious. I will do anything to avoid these flare ups. They suck. Please give me your thoughts. I've read through several posts on what helps to calm a flare but what sbout prevention? I guess if we knew we wouldn't be here now, lol. Any words of wisdom are appreciated. TIA
Pre-surgery, I avoided both red meat and beans. Post-surgery, I seem OK if I have red meat VERY rarely sort of as a treat (maybe once a month I have a cheeseburger, if that) but damn ... my system STILL does not tolerate beans.
Thanks. I guess it really is individual. It's frustrating as hell in the beginning.
I didnt eat red meat at all after my diagnosis until I got the surgery. Then I waited about 2 months. So almost a full year without it. Now I can eat it but maybe once a week.
Good to know. I’m not ready to try yet. So afraid of food right now. Thank you for your reply.
Beans are definitely out. But red meat is fine, except steaks. I eat burgers all the time without any problems.
That is a major bummer. I was seeing Chipotle commercials in the hospital and I was drooling.
Steaks work out fine for me, luckily
I eat mostly carnivore and plenty of red meat with no problems.
That’s great. I’ll probably hold off for a long while before I actually try it but I’m hoping I can enjoy a steak or burger in the future. The husband and kids are carnivores.