How Much Fiber Decreases Diverticulosis Risk?
The average western diet contains only about half the amount of fiber needed to reduce pressure build up in the colon, which is required to avoid diverticulosis. Studies show that in areas where diverticulosis rarely occurs, the fiber intake is close to 45 gm/day; the average western diet contains only about 20-25 gm. It takes 15-20 gm of fiber in order to have a significant impact on colonic pressures; this is not necessarily an easy task-below are statistics from a medical text showing how much you need to eat to achieve the 15-20 grams of fiber needed. There are many ways to add the needed fiber to the diet; ideally this should be done slowly and progressively. For example, you would need to take in; 131/2 oz of Wholemeal Bread, or 221/2 oz of Carrots, or 26 oz of Cabbage, or 49 oz of Apples, or the following cereals- 41/2 oz of Bran Chex or 9 oz of Total cereal in order to double stool weight (equal to 20 gm of fiber). You can accomplish the same thing by ingesting 11/2 oz of Unpro
