It is currently one of the most common civilization diseases. It affects almost 1/3 of people over 45 and over 66b% of people over 80. It is a disease that consists in the formation of small protuberances of the so-called a pocket on the intestinal wall. As the name suggests, this disease is characterized by the occurrence of quite numerous such diverticula within the entire organ. Most of them are located within the sigmoid colon. These pockets are formed as a result of weakened work of the muscles of the intestine. That’s when there are such specific protuberances where, as a result of poor work of the intestines, undigested food residues can be deposited there, creating inflammation. However, this situation is not common. Many people live with such diverticula without even knowing they have them.
In general, it is an asymptomatic condition in most cases. However, when bacterial inflammation occurs, prompt medical intervention is necessary. There are several high-risk groups of people who have a particularly high incidence of inflammation. These are people: smoking cigarettes, taking NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and large amounts of painkillers, and using a diet low in fiber.
Prevention plays an important role both in people who have suffered from inflammation and in every healthy person. Its basis is proper hydration of the body, moderate movement to ensure the flexibility of the intestinal muscles, and thus their better movements, ensuring proper bowel movements, as well as composing the correct menu to prevent unpleasant symptoms from the intestines.
The most important elements of prevention and prophylaxis are:
- Introduction of a high-fiber diet; Let’s try to modify our eating habits. Use dark rye bread instead of white bread. Let’s also replace ordinary white rolls with graham rolls, let’s eliminate white rice from the menu, let’s introduce brown, let’s taste pearl barley and buckwheat
- Let’s enrich our menu with vegetables containing a large amount of fiber. These are: carrots, beets, green peas, white beans, cabbage, potatoes
- Between meals, try to eat fruit as a “snack” as often as possible, which is also rich in fiber supports the intestines and ensure proper bowel movements, also strengthening the intestinal muscles. The fruits with the highest fiber content are: watermelon, banana, apples, raisins, apricots,
- Be sure to introduce bran to your diet. Excellent they cleanse the intestines and prevent the retention of food content, and what is extremely important in case of diverticulosis, they play an important protective role against inflammation. In addition, they have an additional plus for those who care about their diet. They have almost no calories, and they make you feel full. Bran is often added to bread. We can also consume them together with milk, kefir, fruit cocktail.
- It is also important to provide the body with probiotics, i.e. good bacteria (probiotic bacteria) that strengthen and restore the natural balance of the body and the immune system. It has been known for a long time that the intestines and their healthy condition and proper functioning are responsible for 70% of our immunity. Such natural probiotics include yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, sauerkraut.
Our intestines it is an important organ, as we can now say, so let’s take care of it and prevent disorders that adversely affect our vitality. Small modifications to the menu and daily lifestyle and we are sure that our intestines will be healthy.