Hi @karyn23

While I haven't had diverticulitis as long as @foundryrat743, I definitely concur with what he has said. When anyone suggests that you can eat anything you want, it is best to take that advice with the proverbial grain of salt.

As was said before, it is all dependent on the extent of the diverticulitis. When I was first diagnosed (over 15 years ago), my diverticulitis was only in the sigmoid area. More recently, it is in the entire colon. As a result, my diet is much different now that what it was before.

Keeping a food diary might be a good idea. In this way when you have pain and other symptoms you can look back and see what you had been eating a day or two before the symptoms began. It is a good way you can find the "trigger foods" that increase the symptoms. You might also track your activities and stressors to see how those might be affecting your symptoms.

For me, I've found that a low residue diet works well. I don't have any fresh veggies, but instead use canned or well-cooked veggies (such as in soup). I miss salads, but I've learned to make a great Greek chicken salad without the lettuce or spinach. I just use beets, chicken, feta cheese, tomatoes and Greek salad dressing. Do I miss the crunching of a salad? You bet I do. I have discovered, though, that I'd rather miss out on the pain as the food experience.

It is not an easy illness to live with, but it is doable. You just have to be attuned to what you eat and how it affects you.

Keep posting with questions. It is great to learn from the experience of others, isn't it?