When Good Foods Are Bad for You

Vegetables with Seeds

Vegetables with seeds, such as cucumbers and tomatoes

Can exacerbate symptoms of diverticulitis

Diverticular disease occurs when small pouches form in the colon, allowing nuts and seeds to get stuck. The disease is often caused by a diet with too little fiber and too little water. Although the best way to avoid the disease is to make certain you have ample dietary fiber (both soluble and insoluble), if you do develop diverticulosis (which can lead to diverticulitis), you may be well-advised to initially follow a low-fiber diet, avoiding seeded fruits, vegetables, and most nuts and seeds, and gradually ramp up to a high-fiber diet that promotes soft, bulky stools, which pass more swiftly, says Jackie Keller, founder of NutriFit and author of Body After Baby: A Simple, Healthy Plan to Lose Your Baby Weight Fast (Avery/Penguin, 2006).

"As little as a cup or two of the wrong thing can cause gas, bloating, and great intestinal discomfort," says Keller.