Low Residue Diet

A low residue diet, also known as a low fiber diet, or low roughage diet avoids fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, salads, some cooked vegetables, beans, and whole grains. While these foods are an excellent source of nutrition for most, there are some people who cannot tolerate roughage.

• Patients with inflammation of the bowel will not tolerate much fiber. The roughage acts like sandpaper on the wound. This includes patients with acute diverticulitis, flares of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis, ischemic colitis, antibiotic associated colitis.
• Narrowing of the bowel may cause obstructive symptoms if corn or nuts were to have difficulty in passing through the diseased bowel. This may include patients with colon cancer, strictures from Crohn’s disease or radiation, or severe diverticulosis, for example.
• Although a high fiber diet is desirable for treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, many patients will experience gas and abdominal pain from foods with roughage.
• Low Residue Diet is often used in preparation for colonoscopy.
• Low residue diets may reduce diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas in affected patients.
• Low residue diets are used for short durations. If you require these dietary restrictions over an extended period, nutritional supplements are recommended.
• Read labels looking for fiber less than 2 grams.
• Foods should be tender and soft.

You may eat the foods listed below.  The foods to avoid are specified.
Grains:

• Avoid whole grains such as bran and whole wheat.
• You may eat enriched white bread or rolls without seeds. Wheat or potato buns, bagels, and english muffins are permitted. Avoid whole wheat, bran and seeds.
• Cold cereals that are not high in fiber include cheerios, cornflakes, rice krispies, special k. Avoid bran cereals.
• Hot cereals as include cream of wheat and farina. Avoid oatmeal
• Tea biscuits, soda crackers, plain melba toast, saltines
• White rice, refined pasta and noodles
• Pancakes or waffles made from white refined flour
• Avoid brown or wild rice and other whole grains such as oats, kasha, barley, quinoa.
• Avoid sesame seeds

Fruits:

• Fruit juices are low fiber. Prune juice and apple juice may cause gas and diarrhea.
• Applesauce, unlike apple juice does not cause diarrhea.
• Ripe fruits permitted include apricots, banana, cantaloupe, grapes, honeydew melon, peaches, and watermelon
• Most canned or cooked fruits without skins, seeds or membranes. You may eat canned fruit cocktail and canned peaches.
• Avocado
• Cooked pumpkin without seeds
• Jelly but not preserves
• Avoid raw and dried fruits, raisins and berries

Vegetables:

• Avoid corn and popcorn.
• Avoid salads, raw vegetables, and undercooked vegetables.
• Well-cooked and tender vegetables including alfalfa sprouts, beets, green/yellow beans, carrots, celery, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, green/red peppers, squash, zucchini
• Canned or well-cooked vegetables without seeds, hulls or skins, such as carrots, potatoes and tomatoes
• Avoid vegetables from the cruciferous family such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, swiss chard etc
• Avoid carrots, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, peas, spinach, whole tomatoes, turnips.
• Vegetable juices
• Tomato sauce without seeds. Tomato puree and tomato paste.
• Skinless Potatoes and tomatoes.

Meat and Protein Choices:

• Well-cooked, tender meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.
• Tofu
• Creamy peanut butter — up to 2 tablespoons a day
• Avoid beans, lentils, and nuts.
• Avoid chicken or meat pot pies.
• Avoid pizza, quiche
• Nuts and Seeds:
• Avoid all nuts and seeds, as well as foods that may contain seeds.

Fats:

• Butter, margarine, oils and salad dressings without seeds
• Seasonings:
• Salt, pepper, ketchup.
• Avoid mustard

Dairy:

• Eggs
• Milk and foods made from milk, such as yogurt, pudding, ice cream, cheeses and sour cream — up to 2 cups a day, including any used in cooking
• Yogurt, plain and fruit flavored. Avoid yogurt with seeds or nuts.
• Cheese, plain cottage cheese, ricotta cheese

Beverages:

• Fruit and vegetable juice with little or no pulp, fruit-flavored drinks and flavored waters
• Coffee or tea. Coffee may cause diarrhea in many people, however.
• Milk will cause diarrhea in some individuals, but has no fiber.

Dessert:

• Desserts with no whole grains, seeds, nuts, raisins or coconut
• Plain cakes, custard, ice cream without nuts, jello, pudding
• Chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, toffee.

 
Low Residue Diet