Life With Boys

I’m still on the “bland” diet until January 8 (and even then I’m not going out for a steak dinner) but I’m having questions.

Everything I read says something different about what I can and cannot eat. They all say a “high fiber” diet. The printout my doctor gave me says lots of water, 3 fruits a day, 3 vegis a day, a bowl of bran cereal and other fiber sources to get me to 25 to 30 grams a day no restrictions about what foods are OK. And all the lists of good fiber foods include nuts and foods with seeds.

Some things I’m reading say no nuts, corn or seeds — but all say this has not been proven to make a difference. So what do I believe? I’ll ask my doctor but I thought maybe one of you may have some insight.

REVISION:
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says this:

“Avoidance of nuts, popcorn, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds has been recommended by physicians out of fear that food particles could enter, block, or irritate the diverticula. However, no scientific data support this treatment measure. Eating a high-fiber diet is the only requirement highly emphasized across the literature and eliminating specific foods is not necessary. The seeds in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as poppy seeds, are generally considered harmless. People differ in the amounts and types of foods they can eat. Decisions about diet should be made based on what works best for each person. Keeping a food diary may help identify individual items in one’s diet.”