How to prevent 'left-sided' appendicitis

Imagine your doctor prescribing apples as crisp and tart as an autumn afternoon, peaches so juicy their nectar runs down your chin, oranges bright as a tropical island sunset and sweeter than heaven itself. Well, that's just what medical researchers recommend for preventing a disease that occurs in one-third of all people older than 45 -- diverticulosis.

Diverticula are small sac-like growths that develop on the lower part of the colon. These small pouches can cause cramps, pain, tenderness in the left side of the abdomen and gas. A bowel movement or passing gas may bring temporary relief. Bowel movements may be small and hard, alternating with attacks of diarrhea. If a diverticulum bleeds, you may pass vivid red blood with your bowel movements. The most severe form of diverticulosis, called diverticulitis, is rare. Complications from diverticulitis can be fatal. Many people develop the small pouches called diverticula and never even know it.

To keep diverticula from becoming a problem, or to relieve the crampy, painful symptoms of diverticulosis, follow these two easy steps:

Eat more fiber. The most important prevention measure and treatment is a high-fiber diet. Dietary fiber is the part of plants that cannot be broken down by the digestive processes. Symptoms of diverticulosis usually disappear within a week or two after you start eating whole-grain breads, oatmeal and bran cereals, fibrous fresh fruits and vegetables.

It's especially important to eat fresh fruits because they stimulate the growth of "good" microbes in the intestines. These microbes increase bowel movements and keep food waste moving through your system, which helps avoid diverticula problems. High-fiber fruits, listed with fiber grams per serving, include:

Blackberries, 6.6 grams of fiber per cup

Raspberries, 5.8 grams per cup

Blueberries, 4.4 grams per cup

• Dates, 4.2 grams per 10 dates

• Pear, 4.1 grams per medium fruit

• Apple, 3 grams per medium fruit

• Banana, 2 grams per medium fruit

• Orange, 2 grams per medium fruit

Beans and peas are good sources of vegetable fiber. For a complete list of high-fiber cereals and vegetables. Increase your fiber intake slowly, otherwise bloating and gas may occur. Drink lots of water because dietary fiber may cause constipation and aggravate digestive problems.

Eat less red meat and fat. A diet low in fat and red meat is the second way to prevent diverticulosis. According to a recent study of nearly 50,000 doctors ages 40 to 75, men who ate a lot of fatty, red meat and little fiber were most likely to experience crippling forms of diverticulosis. Medical researchers believe that red meat causes intestinal bacteria to produce substances that weaken the colon so diverticula form more readily. Eating chicken and fish does not increase your risk of diverticulosis. Fats from meats are more likely to lead to diverticulosis than those from dairy products.

Diverticulosis is a disease you may never think about - until you lie doubled over on your sofa, crippled by stomach cramps. A high-fiber diet has so many other benefits, why not start changing the way you eat right now?

Dietary fiber prevents heart disease and cancer and is an effective treatment for all colon diseases, constipation, hemorrhoids, hiatal hernia, varicose veins and diabetes mellitus. It even helps you lose weight because fiber makes you feel fill.

If saving yourself from diverticulosis and a host of other ailments is not reason enough for a high-fiber, low-fat diet, imagine how much fun you'll have enjoying meals made with garden-fresh vegetables and luscious fruits for dessert.

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