What is a low fibre low residue diet?
A low residue diet limits the amount of fibre and residue in your diet.
What is fibre?
Fibre is found in food that come from plants e.g. fruits, vegetables and grains. It increases your stool mass and helps to maintain regular bowel function.
What is residue?
Residue refers to any solid content that arrives in the large bowel undigested (i.e. has not been digested in the small bowel).
Why do I need to follow a low fibre low residue diet?
Reducing the amount of fibre in your diet may help to ‘rest’ your bowel and reduce inflammation. This can help improve symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating and wind.
How long do I need to be on a low fibre low residue diet?
This diet is advised during flare ups of diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and following bowel stoma surgery (usually 6-8 weeks for ileostomies and colostomies and long-term for jejunostomies).
Vitamins and minerals
You may need to take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement in addition to your diet. Ask your dietitian about this.
Food and symptoms diary
It may be helpful to keep a record of the foods you eat and any symptoms you might have. This can help to identify any triggers.
The following table gives you some guidelines of what is suitable or not for people on a low fibre/residue diet.
| Food Groups | Recommended Foods | Foods to avoid |
| Meat and meat products | Well-cooked, tender and skinless meat, e.g. ham, chicken, turkey, pork, mince, liver | Tough, coarse, or dry meat e.g. steak, chicken with skin on Meat dishes containing high fibre food, e.g. peas, beans, lentils, onions, and mushrooms |
| Fish and fish products | Any fresh, frozen, tinned fish, fish cakes or fish fingers | Fish dishes containing high fibre food (see above) |
| Eggs | Boiled, poached, scrambled or fried | Egg dishes containing high fibre food (see above) |
| Milk and milk products | All types of milk, including plant-based milks, e.g. soya, almond, oat and rice Yogurt and cheeses without nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables | Milk shakes containing whole fruits Yogurts with added grains, fruit pieces or pips Cheeses with added nuts, seeds, fruits or vegetables, e.g. cottage cheese with pineapple |
| Starchy carbohydrate | White bread, rice, pasta, noodles Polenta Potatoes with skin off | Wholegrain/rye/seeded bread Wholegrain or lentil pasta Brown rice Buckwheat noodles Potatoes with skin on |
| Morning cereal | Rice Krispies, Cornflakes, Sugar Puffs, Frosties, Special K, Coco Pops | Wholegrain cereals (e.g. Weetabix, Shredders, Bran Flakes) Porridge Muesli |
| Biscuits/cakes/crackers | Any biscuits made from white flour and no added fruit, nuts and seeds e.g. rich tea, ginger snaps, shortcake, plain and chocolate digestive, Victoria sponge cake, cream crackers, water biscuits, cheese scones, jelly | Crackers, biscuits and cakes made with wholemeal/rye/buckwheat flour or containing nuts, seeds or fruit e.g. oatcakes with seeds, Ryvita, flapjacks, teacake, carrot cake, mince pies, malt loaf, and fruit scones, rice pudding |
| Vegetables | Peeled and well-cooked vegetables without seeds e.g. onions, carrots, swede, butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, parsnip, courgette, and aubergine Cooked, de-skinned and non-seeded tomatoes e.g., sieved tinned tomatoes or passata. Blended soups | Raw vegetables e.g., lettuce, celery, peppers, tomatoes Vegetables with skin on and seeds Hard to digest vegetables e.g. sweetcorn, peas, mushrooms, spinach, kale, cabbage Soups with vegetables pieces |
| Fruit | Tinned fruit, puree, cooked fruit or fresh fruit without skin, pith, or seeds e.g., peeled apple, pear, peach, plums, melon, ripe bananas and mango | Fruit with skin on, seeds, pith, and membrane e.g., berries, oranges, grapes, pineapple Under-ripe fruit e.g. green bananas/mango |
| Pulses (e.g., lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas) | Cooked and pureed pulses | Pulses (e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas) |
| Miscellaneous | Butter, margarine, cream, mayonnaise, jam and marmalade (free from pips and skin), smooth peanut butter (small amount) | Pickles, horseradish, relish, jam or marmalade with pips or skin, crunchy peanut butter |
Gastrointestinal Irritants
The following can irritate the bowel:
- Spices
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
If you find that these cause symptoms you may wish to reduce or avoid them.
High fat foods
Some individuals may find fatty foods cause or worsen abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Therefore, avoid eating these foods in large quantities or avoid them completely e.g. fried foods, pizzas, pastries/pies, red meat, and full fat cheeses.
Fluid
To avoid constipation and to stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids unless advised otherwise.
References
- Crohn’s and colitis UK (2017) Food and IBD: Your Guide [online]. [Accessed 7August 2018] available from: <https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-inflammatory-bowel-disease/publications/food-and-ibd>
- Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson’s the composition of Foods: Summary Edition (6th Edition). Great Britain. Royal society of chemistry.
- Thomas, B and Bishop, J (2007) Manual of dietetics practice. 4th Ed. Kent. Blackwell Publishing.
Contact Details
Nutrition and Dietetics
Address/based in the hospital: Agile Office, Queen Elizabeth hospital, Gateshead
Monday – Friday
–
Department Name: Nutrition and Dietetics
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Contact Number: 01914452074
Contact Email: [email protected]
Address/based in the hospital: Agile Office, Queen Elizabeth hospital, Gateshead