Many people have small pouches in their colons that bulge outward through weak spots, like an inner tube that pokes through weak places in a tire. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. Pouches (plural) are called diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. About 10 percent of Americans over the age of 40 have diverticulosis. The condition becomes more common as people age. About half of all people over the age of 60 have diverticulosis.

When the pouches become infected or inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. This happens in 10 to 25 percent of people with diverticulosis. Diverticulosis and diverticulitis are also called diverticular disease.

Although not proven, the dominant theory is that a low-fiber diet is the main cause of diverticular disease. The disease was first noticed in the United States in the early 1900s. At about the same time, processed foods were introduced into the American diet. Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat flour, refined flour has no wheat bran.

Diverticular disease is common in developed or industrialized countries--particularly the United States, England, and Australia--where low-fiber diets are common. The disease is rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where people eat high-fiber vegetable diets.

Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body cannot digest. Some fiber dissolves easily in water (soluble fiber). It takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Some fiber passes almost unchanged through the intestines (insoluble fiber). Both kinds of fiber help make stools soft and easy to pass. Fiber also prevents constipation.

Constipation makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard. It is the main cause of increased pressure in the colon. This excess pressure might cause the weak spots in the colon to bulge out and become diverticula.

Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become infected or inflamed. Doctors are not certain what causes the infection. It may begin when stool or bacteria are caught in the diverticula. An attack of diverticulitis can develop suddenly and without warning.

A high-fiber diet and, occasionally, mild pain medications will help relieve symptoms in most cases. Sometimes an attack of diverticulitis is serious enough to require a hospital stay and possibly surgery.

Increasing the amount of fiber in the diet may reduce symptoms of diverticulosis and prevent complications such as diverticulitis. Fiber keeps stool soft and lowers pressure inside the colon so that bowel contents can move through easily. The American Dietetic Association recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day. The table below shows the amount of fiber in some foods that you can easily add to your diet.

Until recently, many doctors suggested avoiding foods with small seeds such as tomatoes or strawberries because they believed that particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation. However, it is now generally accepted that only foods that may irritate or get caught in the diverticula cause problems. Foods such as nuts, popcorn hulls, and sunflower, pumpkin, caraway, and sesame seeds should be avoided. The seeds in tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, strawberries, and raspberries, as well as poppy seeds, are generally considered harmless. People differ in the amounts and types of foods they can eat. Decisions about diet should be made based on what works best for each person. Keeping a food diary may help identify individual items in one's diet.

If cramps, bloating, and constipation are problems, the doctor may prescribe a short course of pain medication. However, many medications affect emptying of the colon, an undesirable side effect for people with diverticulosis.

Treatment for diverticulitis focuses on clearing up the infection and inflammation, resting the colon, and preventing or minimizing complications. An attack of diverticulitis without complications may respond to antibiotics within a few days if treated early.

To help the colon rest, the doctor may recommend bed rest and a liquid diet, along with a pain reliever.

An acute attack with severe pain or severe infection may require a hospital stay. Most acute cases of diverticulitis are treated with antibiotics and a liquid diet. The antibiotics are given by injection into a vein. In some cases, however, surgery may be necessary. (Source: NIH)

Today we are faced with external challenges such as pollution and chemically processed foods. If we don’t properly eliminate these toxins, which we absorb through the air we breathe or the foods we eat, feelings of low energy, bloating and poor digestion will result. Herbal cleansing is the process of removing these toxins from your body using a natural approach.

You find the cleansing aspects of Emerald Greens Herbal Superfoods very beneficial for general overall cleansing of toxins.

Emerald Greens is a natural detox program.  The herbals in the formula helps to cleanse the toxins from your body in a healthy gentle way.  With all supplements, the time the benefits are seen depends on how each body is able to effectively absorb the herbal nutrients.

Emerald Greens Superfoods are a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, fiber and the essential amino acids, which reputedly add alkalinity to our system, balance us, increase our energy, improve stamina, sharpen mental activity, and deodorize and cleanse the cells and colon*. Alfalfa, barley grass, wheat grass, lecithin, spirulina, royal jelly, chlorella and non-dairy probiotic cultures are all packed with
nutrients that strengthen our immune system and neutralize toxins.

Superfoods are a return to the basics of the food chain, many ingredients are organically grown in a chemical free environment and we take utmost care in selecting the sources for our ingredients. These concentrated, nutrient-rich food powders are mixed with water or juice and consumed in liquid form.

Again, we always advise that you consult with your health care practitioner prior to starting any health care regiment & supplement, however - we have received testimonials from many pregnant mothers-to-be around the country who have continued to take Emerald Greens and felt wonderful on it. If you have been cleared by your doctor to take Emerald Greens, We do advise lowering your intake to a teaspoon per 8 oz of juice while pregnant however.

*Health statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. We always recommend you check with your health care practitioner or physician prior to beginning any new supplement or diet program, especially if you are on any medication, nursing, pregnant or have any other existing medical condition.