People who have digestive conditions often find that their symptoms differ from day-to-day. Some days, they might feel okay and at other times, they may experience a ‘flare up’ of their condition. This happens with lots of digestive ailments such as IBS, diverticular disease, Crohn’s and other IBDs.
During these flare ups, lots of patients are advised to eat a low-residue diet. But what exactly is that? Well, it’s a diet that produces little waste in the bowel and can be mostly absorbed by the body. The foods that are low-residue tend to be low in fibre (US: fiber) since fibre cannot be absorbed by the body and so makes up the bulk of our stools.
Eating a low-residue diet allows our bowel to rest a little until we are feeling better. But, don’t worry, it’s not as restrictive as you might think. In fact, it’s definitely possible to enjoy your food while on a low-residue diet.
So, what foods are included in a low-residue diet?
Go ahead :
- white refined grains such as white breads and white crackers
- Cooked cereal such as cream of wheat or grits
- Cold cereal such as puffed rice (Rice Krispies/Coco Pops/Ricicles), or corn flakes.
- White pasta, white noodles, white rice, White rice noodles, etc.
- Boiled/mashed/baked potatoes with no skins
- Well cooked carrots, beetroot, mushrooms, spinach and pumpkin (no seeds)
- canned/cooked fruits without seeds and skins such as applesauce, tinned pears/peaches, etc.
- Soft cantaloupe or honeydew melon
- White fish, chicken or turkey (no skin) and cooked without too much fat
- Jelly (US: Jello)
- Decaffeinated drinks
- Fruit and vegetable juices without pulp
In moderation:
- dairy such as milk, cream, ice cream, custard and butter (avoid these if you are lactose intolerant)
- Meats such as lean beef and lean pork (opt for lean cuts or remove as much fat as possible before consumption)
- Plain cakes and biscuits/cookies
- Eggs
- Avocado
Avoid:
- Brown bread, grains, rice, pasta, noodles
- Prune juice and juices with pulp
- raw fruit and vegetables
- beans, lentils and tofu
- nuts and seeds
- popcorn
- sweetcorn/corn on the cob/cornbread
- fatty or cured meats (prosciutto, lamb, duck, Serrano ham and other deli meats, bacon)
- coconut
- pickles, olives, dressings and burger relishes or chutneys
- Jams (US: jelly)
- Certain cooked vegetables, including peas, broccoli, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, cauliflower, baked beans
NOTE: A low residue diet is NOT a low FODMAP diet. These are different things. Some people get confused between the two. For now, I haven’t written a post on a FODMAPs, but when I do, I’ll link it right here.
Of course, as with any food guidelines, you may find that some of the foods on the ‘go ahead’ or ‘in moderation’ lists bother you and cause undesirable symptoms, if this happens, just simply cut it out of your diet.
Having trouble figuring out which foods are causing you issues? Use my Diverticular Disease Tracker to monitor your food intake and any symptoms you get (You don’t need to have diverticular disease to find this document useful). You may also need to introduce new foods gradually and one at a time. Also, when you are over your flare up, it’s important to slowly increase your fibre intake otherwise you may cause yourself discomfort.
Tummy Trouble 