Diverticula are small sacs that occur on your large intestine (also called your colon). These sacs occur in anatomical points of weakness where the blood vessels enter from the outside of the intestine to nourish the mucosa surface underneath. Although about 10% of people over the age of 40 have diverticulosis most people never realize that they have these small sacs until they run into the problem of bleeding or infection.

Because these diverticula are small sacs, some people think that they must stay away from eating seeds because these seeds can get stuck in the openings of these sacs. The majority of scientific literature does not supports this hypothesis therefore Dr. Belsley does not typically recommend avoidance of nuts or  seeds as a measure to avoid future attacks of diverticulitis or bleeding.