A family member has had bouts of diverticulitis for several years. They had surgery last year to remove the troubled area of their colon. They still has some pain issues with inflammation.

They know some of the trigger foods - some, they don't. They've also periodically had Graves Disease.

I'm thinking a modified Whole 30 diet? Except no olive oil - that's a trigger for them.

They've been tested for general allergens (they were allergic to 58 out of 60 allergens tested for - except for dog hair and mold).

Should they also be food allergy tested?

Any advice is appreciated.

Any interest in seeing a functional dr?
I had blood testing done for food allergies/sensitives and got 10 pages back. It was fascinating. Took alot of the guess work out for me, because even with a strict diet I was still having issues.

Bottlerocket said:

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Any interest in seeing a functional dr?
I had blood testing done for food allergies/sensitives and got 10 pages back. It was fascinating. Took alot of the guess work out for me, because even with a strict diet I was still having issues.

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I don't know what that is, but I'm sure they'd be interested.

A functional dr will do a deep dive into GI with a stool sample, blood testing for food sensitivity and allergies. Most functional dr's don't take insurance, but you get a very detailed report. For me, it's been worth it. I still see a regular GI dr as well.

How much fiber do they consume per day?
How much red meat?
Do they exercise?
Do they drink alcohol?
Are they overweight?

I've had my flare ups with diverticulitis. 3 times over the past 5 years & finally had enough when it hit me last fall a few days before Thanksgiving.
After a 2 day total fast & another couple of days on white bread & rice with water, my body healed up & I was able to start eating again. This is what I have done since then (and fyi I'm not perfect monk only eating this stuff, I just really try & think about what I'm putting in my body moreso than in years past)

*I dramatically cut down my alcohol consumption
*I started taking fiber pills & tracked my fiber intake until I got used to eating lots of it. 30+ grams per day.
*Exercise regularly, at the very least go for a 30 minute walk per day.
*I ramped up consuming stuff that fight inflammation, such as berries, veggies, olive oil & fish. Stay away from processed meats, soft drinks, fried food & refined carbs.

I've lost weight & had zero issues. My overall inflammation has gone down. This is where I would start IMO.

(Sorry just noticed the olive oil trigger. Maybe avocado oil? I think the food allergy test would be a no brainer)

Apache said:

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How much fiber do they consume per day?
How much red meat?
Do they exercise?
Do they drink alcohol?
Are they overweight?

I've had my flare ups with diverticulitis. 3 times over the past 5 years & finally had enough when it hit me last fall a few days before Thanksgiving.
After a 2 day total fast & another couple of days on white bread & rice with water, my body healed up & I was able to start eating again. This is what I have done since then (and fyi I'm not perfect monk only eating this stuff, I just really try & think about what I'm putting in my body moreso than in years past)

*I dramatically cut down my alcohol consumption
*I started taking fiber pills & tracked my fiber intake until I got used to eating lots of it. 30+ grams per day.
*Exercise regularly, at the very least go for a 30 minute walk per day.
*I ramped up consuming stuff that fight inflammation, such as berries, veggies, olive oil & fish. Stay away from processed meats, soft drinks, fried food & refined carbs.

I've lost weight & had zero issues. My overall inflammation has gone down. This is where I would start IMO.

(Sorry just noticed the olive oil trigger. Maybe avocado oil? I think the food allergy test would be a no brainer)

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This.

My husband has diverticulitis and has learned to keep it at a distance with the above info.

Couple things to address here:

One is that inflammation is a buzz word everyone is throwing around these days. So watch out for people selling snake oils to reduce inflammation. That being said, a poor diet can be inflammatory to the system. Usually increasing healthy fats and decreasing processed foods is enough to make a difference for most people, as well as sleep.

I'm not sure you can periodically have Grave's disease. You either have it or you don't. It may be poorly controlled, but unless you get rid of the thyroid completely, or it burns itself out, I don't think it goes away. Usually controlled with medications until thyroid ablation or surgery.

I've heard from allergists that the skin ***** test for allergies can give good data, but it isn't always clinically useful data. I personally wouldn't waste money on a food allergy test. Instead I would just do an elimination diet. Two ways to do it. One is to eliminate one food at a time, and add it back in if no difference, then move on to something else. The other is to eliminate everything, eat just meat and fish and maybe eggs, and slowly add things back in.

One of the most common elimination diets for people with GI issues is called a low FODMAP diet. You can look it up. But basically foods normally thought of as "healthy" do cause GI distress to a subset of people.

Additionally, as Apache stated, there are very tried and tested ways to help folks with diverticulitis.

Ok

Seems like most of the thriving is being done by the meat eaters

Serious question. How do you explain the fact that humans as a species created agriculture around 7000 years ago and ate plants for food as part of their diet well before that? Our population has continued to grow over the centuries despite the fact we've apparently been eating a food source that is trying to kill us according to some.

I feel great ..those are my feelings.
And , my numbers are great too.

They needed more inflammation??

I'm legitimately curious how someone can believe that plants are trying to kill us when the human species has eaten them for as long as we can remember and our species has both grown in numbers and longevity.

Obviously I'm being a little extreme.
But if you really are curious about this, my suggestion is watching Dr Anthony Chaffee on YouTube and see where that takes you

anaggieshusband said:

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Obviously I'm being a little extreme.
But if you really are curious about this, my suggestion is watching Dr Anthony Chaffee on YouTube and see where that takes you

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Nah man, he's biased towards only one way of eating. Which doesn't fit the actual evidence of living humans in studies.

A real objective approach would be to explain why carnivore works, BUT also why other diets work just as well

Especially when it comes to the most generic term ever- "INFLAMMATION".

Maybe this needs to be said- inflammation is wayyyyy too broad a topic to just provide a very tunnel-visioned approach to diet. Inflammation is actually HELPFUL in many circumstances. You can't recover from any illness without your immune system responding, which is "inflammation". You can't grow muscle without an inflammatory process occurring as well

These physicians are tailoring their evidence to fit the narrative of their client base and hopefully get more eyeballs. And especially in Paul Saladino's case, it's to sell you overpriced **** that isn't necessary

Extreme with the statement that plants are trying to kill you? I mean, I am a little familiar with some of these guys, especially Saladino, so that doesn't sound too far removed with something they would say. But when I say I'm curious, what I mean is I am curious in how someone who has obviously bought what they are selling, that plants are apparently bad for you, how you square that with the fact that the human species has eaten plants for so long throughout history as part of their diet, and the species has only grown and thrived. I'm just wondering how an individual explains that to themselves, how they get past that.

Anyway, I'm not trying to be argumentative or anything, just wondering.

I've done a lot of this stuff including food testing and this would be my recommendation:

1. Single largest improvement - no dairy and no gluten in the diet (ever)
2. Good multivitamin
3. Good fiber supplement
4. Tons of water daily
5. Review and start the Auto Immune Protocol (AIP) diet. Certainly reduce known triggers from that diet (if it exists).
6. Reduce or eliminate sugar.
7. Buy quality produce and meats. Not hear to dispute plant vs meat, but source quality (organic, etc).
8. No going out to eat.

I have found those that do food testing are highly over priced, unreliable findings (ie by limiting the so called trigger foods didn't really help) and they just want to sell ongoing supplements. That's just my experience.

It's a journey and food testing is not a holy grail.

SnowboardAg said:

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8. No going out to eat.

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As I've gotten older, I've also suffered with stomach 'inflammation' but I've simplified it to just calling it an upset stomach.

I've also picked around with my diet and realized too much dairy, alcohol (particularly beer), sugar and red meat all leave me with serious digestive discomfort. The common denominator is 'too much'. I've come to the conclusion that my system just has a much harder time after I've overeaten or drink too much as I get older. That's rather simple but as long as I don't overconsume, my digestive system tend to be just fine.

It's why I highlighted the going out to eat point. Of all of your points, it is the simplest to implement and do consistently if you make it a primary objective. I still dine out (way less than I used to) but generally… people do it way more than they should when you consider the vast majority of meals at restaurants particularly in America probably are 1k calories plus.

Agree - the main issue with going out to eat for me is the quality of the food (likely the restaurant is cutting corners and keeping their price point by lowering food quality) and salt intake.

The issue with our society is we have tied food to entertainment. It's social, so going out to eat is ok, etc. end of day, food is fuel, that is it. I will eat whatever (regardless of taste), if it is good for my body. That is the shift that I mentally had to make.

Food has always been social. Not just society today.