I have to avoid berries with seeds - strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. They get stuck in me and I get very sick. No issues with nuts or sesame seeds. I have not eaten quinoa - and do not eat things wth chia seeds. Just better not to find out. I avoid popcorn more because of dental issues. Thank goodness I can eat corn and am not bothered by it.

My husband stays away from strawberries and will eat nuts on occasion with no problem. But he also eats a high fiber diet and drinks a glass of Metamucil every evening. Since his doctor told him to drink the Metamucil he has not had another bout of diverticulosis (about 6 years).

I just asked my DH, a family practice doc with 30+ years practicing. My grandmother suffered from diverticulitis and, I know, was told by her doctor to avoid all that you mentioned. And she did, religiously. DH says that these days, gastroenterologists are split on avoiding seeds, nuts, corn, etc. DH has several patients with this and, for the most part, have no problem with flare-ups except when they eat lettuce.

I've had a couple of episodes in the last couple of years, once while in Europe. The doctors here as well as there (FP and GI) all made a special point of stating the old theories no longer hold and to eat whatever I want (as far as seed, nuts, etc). Hmmm, interesting about lettuce; I eat a lot of salads!

http://www.gastro.org/guidelines/acute-diverticulitis

Question 5. Should Consumption of Nuts and Popcorn Be Avoided in Patients With a History of Acute Diverticulitis?

The AGA suggests against routinely advising patients with a history of acute diverticulitis to avoid consumption of nuts and popcorn. (Conditional recommendation, very-low quality of evidence).

The relevant data on the consumption of nuts and popcorn and subsequent diverticulitis outcomes are derived from observational studies of incident episodes of diverticulitis. There are few data on consumption of these products and subsequent recurrence of diverticular disease. The key study reported modest estimates of relative risks (range, 0.55–1.13) and has a high degree of statistical uncertainty (95% confidence intervals that surround 1.0). In the absence of more compelling evidence, it seems that advising patients to avoid these items is not useful.

I had diverticulitis once but do not avoid nuts and seeds. DH had it too but hasn't since he takes psyllium fiber daily now.

The latest thinking seems to be that people who eat high fiber foods including nuts and seeds do better than those who don't. Most important is lots of fiber and water, keep yourself from getting constipated. Also be sure to get some healthy fats in your diet.

I would love to eat strawberries again. But based on past experience, I won't risk it.

My step-grandmother has been admitted several times with diverticulitis. She avoids all those things listed. She avoids all tomato products too, except a strained puree. For her, it is just not worth it. I have never had diverticulitis but am very careful with popcorn as I find that it just does not digest easily for me. Such a shame as it is a rather cheap, delicious snack.