Especially during bad flare ups.
Definition
Residue includes any food, including fiber — the undigested part of plants — that remains in your intestinal tract, is not digested and contributes to stool. A low-residue diet limits these foods, reducing the size and number of your stools.
A low-residue diet is closely related to a low-fiber diet. In fact, the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Technically, however, they're not the same thing, as a low-residue diet is more restrictive than is a low-fiber diet.
Purpose
Your doctor may prescribe a low-residue diet after you've had abdominal surgery or if you're experiencing a flare-up of a digestive problem, such as diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Diet details
A low-residue diet limits the amount of fiber and other undigested material that passes through your large intestine. As a result, a low-residue diet reduces the size and number of your stools, helping to relieve abdominal pain, diarrhea or flare-ups of certain digestive problems, such as diverticulitis.
Because a low-residue diet can't provide all the nutrients you need to stay healthy, it should be used for only a short time, as determined by your doctor, before transitioning back to a low-fiber or regular diet.
The following foods can be eaten as part of a low-residue diet:
Refined breads, cereals, crackers, chips and pasta with less than 1 gram of fiber per serving (Note: Ideally, look for products with zero grams of dietary fiber per serving.)
White rice
Vegetable juices without seeds or pulp
Fruit juices with no pulp
Milk, yogurt, pudding, ice cream, and cream-based soups and sauces (strained)
Tender meat, poultry, fish and eggs
Oil, margarine, butter and mayonnaise
Smooth salad dressings
Broth-based soups (strained)
Jelly, honey and syrup
While consuming a low-residue diet, limit dairy products (such as milk, yogurt, pudding, ice cream, and cream-based soups and sauces) to no more than 2 cups a day.
You should avoid:
Whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta
Whole vegetables and vegetable sauces
Whole fruits, including canned fruits
Yogurt, pudding, ice cream or cream-based soups with nuts or pieces of fruits or vegetables
Tough or coarse meats with gristle and luncheon meats or cheese with seeds
Peanut butter
Salad dressings with seeds or pieces of fruits or vegetables
Seeds and nuts
Coconut
Marmalade
If you're eating a low-residue diet, a typical one-day menu might look like this.
Breakfast:
One-half cup cereal (with 1 gram or less of fiber per serving) with milk
Six to 8 ounces fruit juice without pulp
Snack:
Two slices low-fiber, refined white bread with seedless jelly or honey
Six to 8 ounces vegetable juice
Lunch:
Six to 8 ounces fruit juice without pulp, or water
Three ounces broiled fish
One-half cup white rice
Snack:
One cup yogurt
Six to 8 ounces fruit or vegetable juice
Dinner:
Six to 8 ounces fruit juice, vegetable juice or water
One cup broth-based soup (strained)
Three ounces broiled chicken
One-half to 1 cup low-fiber pasta with butter or flavored oil
Results
Eating a low-residue diet can help:
Relieve symptoms — such as abdominal pain and diarrhea — that result from certain digestive problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Ease your digestive system after surgery by reducing the number and size of your stools
Risks
A low-residue diet can't provide all the nutrients you need to remain healthy. Therefore, you should use a low-residue diet for only short periods, as directed by your doctor. If you must stay on this diet for a long time, consult a registered dietitian to make sure your nutritional needs are being met.
I added a multi vitamin AND take acidophulous every day. I only use this during bad flare ups and restrict the foods that I notice really bother me.
