What Soups to Eat with Diverticulitis?
Individual responses to specific foods can vary. Consult your healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making any changes in your diet.
In cases of diverticulitis, the initial dietary recommendation typically includes a clear liquid diet, such as fruit juices without pulp, broth, and gelatin. As symptoms improve, doctors advise slowly introducing low-fiber foods, which may include specific purees and soups made from low-fiber ingredients.
While it’s restrictive and hard to follow, it’s meant to calm your digestive tract, which can help reduce diverticulitis symptoms.
The objective of the clear liquid diet is to decrease fecal bulk, and the faster you start following this diet, the faster inflammation in your diverticula will lessen.
Since a clear liquid diet doesn’t offer multiple calories or micronutrients, your dietitian will likely recommend a low-fiber diet as soon as your gut can tolerate it. Fiber intake plays a significant role in managing diverticulitis; typically, gradually reintroducing fiber may be recommended. (1)
So, which soups can you eat if you have diverticulitis?
23 Soups You Can Consume With Diverticulitis
The following are some of the best soups and purees you can eat if you have diverticulitis.
Soups Can I Eat with Diverticulitis
1. Sugar Free Apple Sauce Recipe
Sugar Free Applesauce Recipe
Applesauce is easily digestible, so it won’t irritate your gut. It also contains carbs and sugars, which help replenish energy in your body.
Applesauce is also rich in pectin to help prevent symptoms of diarrhea and nausea.
2. Broccoli Soup Recipe
Low Carb Almond Broccoli Soup
Broccoli soup can alleviate symptoms of IBS and contribute to heart health while also inhibiting the growth of cancerous tissues. It’s important to note that broccoli is high in fiber, which may be beneficial during the remission phase of diverticulitis but is generally not recommended during flare-ups.
3. Chicken Stock
Chicken Soup Recipe
This is a nourishing homemade soup you can make with fresh chicken and some veggies to boost your immune system and metabolism. However, to avoid irritating your gut, you should strain the soup to separate it from the chicken flesh.
4. Kale Soup
Kale soup has no fat whatsoever, and it’s rich in fiber. Kale soup is also rich in minerals such as iron and has healing properties that help reduce inflammation.
5. Kidney Bean Soup
Kidney bean soup is also rich in gut-friendly fiber and low in cholesterol. It also contains healing properties that help prevent high blood pressure symptoms.
6. Onion Soup
This remarkably delicious soup is low in calories and will instantly make you feel better. You can add a hint of Japanese seasoning and miso to make it more delicious.
7. Lentil Soup Recipe
Red Lentil Soup
Lentil soup is rich in micronutrients such as polyphenols and protein. It’s also rich in iron and easily digestible fiber to cure diverticulitis symptoms quickly. Here is the lentil soup recipe.
8. Mushroom Soup
Mushroom soup is rich in digestible fiber, such as beta-glucan, which won’t irritate your gut. Mushroom soup is also rich in B vitamins, especially B12, and minerals such as copper, manganese, potassium, and zinc.
9. Split Peas Soup
Split peas soup is low in cholesterol and helps prevent IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
Apart from being easy on your gut, it also contains properties that help boost heart health, prevent the growth of cancerous cells and promote weight loss.
10. Tomato Soup Recipe
Tomato Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Generally speaking, if you have diverticulitis, you should avoid foods with hard-to-digest elements like the pips found in tomatoes to avoid irritating your gut.
However, you can remove the tomato pips and make soup with the flesh. Also, you can strain canned tomatoes to remove the pips and enjoy some wholesome soups. Here is the tomato gazpacho soup recipe.
11. Sprouted Lentil Soup
Try the sprouted lentil soup as your body gets used to this diet system. But if you start to feel your complaints return, go back to previous soups.
12. Bone Broth Vegetable Soup
Bone broths help the intestines to clean themselves. You can add carrots and some garlic to it, especially. You can also use veal bone, chicken bone, or fish bone.
13. Organic Fruit and Vegetable Soups
Turning fresh fruits into soup can provide many nutrients. Also, when you add vegetables to them, you can get wonderful cold soups. Blend some beets, carrots, and apples in a blender. That is all.
But avoid hard-skinned and grainy ones in your fruit and vegetable choices.
14. Bone Broth Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Quinoa is a fiber-rich grain and is unrefined. Researchers previously thought that whole grain groups were not very healthy. But now, the benefits of these groups have been discovered.
15. Chicken Stock Brown Rice Soup
Brown rice is also in the unrefined food group. With it, you can prepare a soup by using chicken broth.
However, as we mentioned above, make sure that you filter the chicken broth thoroughly and separate it from all the chicken pieces.
Check your symptoms again at this stage. If your body isn’t used to the system yet and if you start to feel your complaints come back, go back to previous soups.
After your body is accustomed to the new diet system:
16. Sweet Potato Soup
You can now start adding sweet potatoes to your soups, which protect the colon and aid digestion. Add some carrots to this soup.
17. Celery Soup
Very tasty celery soups also meet more than half of your daily vitamin K needs.
Although it is a root vegetable, its sugar content is quite low. They also contain vitamin C, folate, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
18. Green Peas Yogurt Soup
Yogurt soup with peas can be a nutritious and tasty option. Greek yogurt, known for its probiotic content, may support a healthy gut microbiome, which is beneficial for digestive health. Additionally, peas are a good source of plant-based protein, fiber, and essential nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and magnesium, which can support overall health and well-being.
19. Licorice Squash Soup
You can make soup with licorice root, which is famous for clearing the intestine of waste. Get some help from high-fiber squash for this soup.
20. Spinach Soup
You can make many kinds of soups with spinach, a high-fiber vegetable. You can use chicken broth and a small number of potatoes for density.
21. Chicken Stock and Roasted Cauliflower Soup
On days when you will support your fiber intake, you can prepare a soup with some roasted cauliflower and chicken stock. You can add a small amount of potatoes and carrots for its density.
22. Fish Soup Recipe
Turkish Style Low Carb Fish Soup Recipe
Fish soup is also ideal for later stages of recovery, although it is typically recommended in the early stages of the disease as low fiber is reasonable.
You can combine it with green beans, broth, and some carrots.
23. Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe
Low Calorie Carrot Ginger Soup Recipe
The 107-calorie Carrot Ginger Soup, primarily made with vegetable oil, carrots, ginger, onion, flour, and milk, may be appropriate during non-flare periods of diverticulitis. However, ingredients like milk, butter, and the spiciness of ginger could be potential irritants for some individuals. It’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional before consuming this soup, especially for those with specific dietary concerns.
Foods to Avoid if You Have Diverticulitis
Back then, dietitians and nutritionists recommended that patients with diverticulitis avoid whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
However, studies show that these restrictions shouldn’t apply to everyone, and most people can eat these foods even if they have diverticulitis. (2)
However, there are some foods you should generally avoid if you have this condition, including:
Corn and Popcorn
Since people tend to devour corn and popcorn because they’re crunchy rather than taking time to chew them well, they’re likely to irritate your gut.
Food Rich in FODMAPs
High FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) can increase the number of acute attacks if you have diverticulitis.
Hard-To-Chew Foods
Hard-to-chew foods are also hard to break down, meaning they can irritate your gut because they will get trapped in the pockets of your large intestines.
Some hard-to-chew foods include bagels and vegetables such as raw beets and carrots.
Medium-Sized Seeds
Also, you should stay away from seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds because they can irritate your bowel movements.
Red Meat
Some studies claim that red meat can aggravate symptoms of diverticulitis.
For instance, one 2018 study showed increased symptoms of diverticulitis among men who ate more red meat than other types of meat, such as white meat. (3)
Apart from Soups, How Else Can You Control Diverticulitis?
Exercising
Exercising can help reduce acute attacks as a result of diverticulitis. A study found that lack of exercise may cause chronic diseases. (4)
However, this study highlighted that you must participate in intensive workouts, so long walks might not suffice. Also, other moderate exercises might not help you.
Take Antibiotics and Probiotics If Your Healthcare Professional Recommends
In moderate to acute cases, your doctor may recommend an antibiotic to clear an infection caused by diverticulitis. However, some patients are advised to take antibiotics when the flare-ups start to prevent aggravating symptoms.
Depending on whether they are ideal for your condition, most physicians will recommend antibiotics such as amoxicillin or ciprofloxacin.
Keep in mind you must inform your doctor whether you’re taking other drugs so that they don’t misdiagnose you and give antibiotics that could aggravate your symptoms.
Numerous experts are still studying the effect of probiotics on diverticulitis. However, what they have discovered so far suggests they can help.
For instance, a 2019 study claims that probiotics can help reduce abdominal pain during severe diverticulitis attacks when used alongside antibiotics.
Take Supplements
Fiber supplements can help reduce symptoms of diverticulitis because they help food move through your digestive tract quickly.
Fiber supplements help you avoid being constipated, thereby preventing acute attacks. You can also take high-fiber foods so long as your physician gives you the go-ahead.
Also, consider taking magnesium to strengthen your intestinal walls and soften stool. Remember that some of the best sources of magnesium are nuts and seeds, and your physician might have recommended you stay away from them.
Final Thought
To sum it all up, changing your diet is the best way to lessen the symptoms of diverticulitis. So you can consider some, if not all, of the soups we’ve listed above.
Also, you can take vitamins and work out intensively to help prevent acute diverticulitis attacks.
| What Soups Can I Eat with Diverticulitis? | Foods to Avoid if You Have Diverticulitis |
|---|---|
| Soups You Can Take if You Have Diverticulitis | Corn and Popcorn |
| Applesauce | Food Rich in FODMAPs |
| Broccoli Soup | Hard-To-Chew Foods |
| Chicken Stock | Medium-Sized Seeds |
| Kale Soup | Red Meat |
| Kidney Bean Soup | |
| Onion Soup | |
| Lentil Soup | |
| Mushroom Soup | |
| Split Peas Soup | |
| Tomato Soup |
See Also
Liquid Diet for Diverticulitis
