Low-fibre diet Whiringa kai kaka hakahaka

Fibre is the part of vegetables, fruit and grains that you do not digest. A low-fibre diet is made up of low-fibre foods that you can easily digest and absorb. This means less poo passes through your large bowel (colon).

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When to follow a low-fibre diet

You may be advised to follow a low-fibre diet if:

  • your large bowel (colon) is narrowed by a tumour or inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
  • you have frequent runny poos (diarrhoea)
  • you have diverticulitis
  • you have had bowel surgery
  • you are having treatment that damages or irritates your gut, such as radiotherapy.

Useful tips for a low-fibre diet

Choose a variety of foods

Choose different foods from the list below. You need foods from all 4 of the groups, so try to make sure you have something from at least 3 groups at every meal.

Eat slowly

Eat slowly and chew your food well before swallowing. Avoid foods with pips, seeds and skins that you cannot chew easily. These include:

  • corn
  • popcorn
  • nuts
  • seeds
  • wholegrains
  • dried fruit
  • the skins on fruit and vegetables.

Eat smaller and more often

Spread your meals evenly through the day and check their size so that you do not eat too much food at once. Try 5 to 6 small meals instead of 3 meals a day.

Drink lots of fluids

Drink plenty of fluids each day — at least 8 cups. Water is best, but milk, diluted fruit juice, hot drinks, soup, custard and ice blocks all count as fluids. If you are lactose intolerant, you will need to avoid cow's milk.

Lactose intolerance

If you have runny poos (diarrhoea), it may help to limit fruit juice and any drinks with caffeine.

Drinks with caffeine include:

  • coffee
  • tea
  • cola-type soft drinks
  • energy drinks.

Eat soft foods

Prepare all food so it is tender. Simmering, poaching, stewing and steaming are all good cooking methods. You can also bake or microwave food in a covered dish.

Avoid dry foods

Avoid frying, roasting and grilling food, as they can make food dry, tough and harder for your gut to handle. It may also help to avoid spicy food and high-fat food, such as fatty meat, rich desserts and pastry.

Other tips

Cooking, chopping or blending food does not change the amount of fibre in it. Peeling and removing seeds lowers the amount of fibre.

If a food makes your symptoms worse, do not eat it again until you feel better.

As your gut returns to normal, you can add foods back one at a time in small amounts. If the food disagrees with you, avoid it and try it again later.

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Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • white bread, white pita bread or panini, plain naan bread or chapati
  • plain crackers, such as water crackers or plain rice crackers
  • refined breakfast cereals, such as corn flakes and rice bubbles
  • white rice, pasta or noodles
  • white flour or cornflour.

Foods to avoid include:

  • wholemeal, wholegrain or rye bread, wholemeal pita, naan or chapati bread
  • bread containing seeds, linseed, chia seeds, nuts, kibbled wheat or dried fruit
  • wholegrain crackers
  • wholemeal and wholegrain cereals, including muesli
  • brown, red or wild rice
  • wholemeal pasta
  • wholemeal flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, oat bran, rice bran, rolled oats, popcorn, psyllium, barley, buckwheat or black, red or white quinoa.

Have at least 6 servings every day. A serving is either:

  • one medium slice of bread
  • half a cup of breakfast cereal
  • half a cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles.

Vegetables

Vegetables that are fine to eat include:

  • asparagus
  • beetroot
  • bok choy
  • cabbage
  • cauliflower
  • courgette
  • cucumber
  • lettuce
  • mushroom
  • peppers
  • potato (boiled or mashed)
  • pumpkin
  • tomato
  • yam.

You might cope better with well-cooked vegetables.

Vegetables to avoid include:

  • artichoke
  • baked potato with its skin
  • broad beans
  • broccoli
  • brussels sprouts
  • carrots
  • celery
  • spinach
  • corn
  • eggplant
  • kūmara
  • leeks
  • parsnip
  • peas
  • silverbeet
  • yellow or green beans.

Fruit

Fruits that are fine to eat include:

  • ripe, fresh or cooked fruit without pips, seeds, pith or skins, such as apples, apricots, bananas, honeydew melons, peaches, pears, plums or watermelons
  • diluted fruit juices
  • seedless jam, such as apricot or plum.

Fruits to avoid include:

  • raw or cooked fruit with seeds, pips, pith or skins, such as berries, grapefruit or oranges
  • all dried fruit, such as apricots, dates, figs, prunes, raisins or sultanas
  • fruit juice with pulp
  • jam or marmalade with skin, peel or pips
  • shredded coconut.

Choose at least 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. A serving is about a handful.

Portion sizes — Heart Foundationexternal link

Choose 2 to 3 servings every day. A serving is either:

  • one cup (250 ml) of milk
  • 3 quarters of a cup (200 g) of yoghurt
  • 2 slices (40 g) of cheese.

Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • milk
  • yoghurt
  • dairy food
  • cheese
  • ice cream.

Foods to avoid include any milk product containing dried fruit, nuts or seeds.

Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • tender lean meat, chicken or fish
  • smooth pâtés or spreads
  • boiled, scrambled or poached eggs
  • finely ground nut, used sparingly
  • smooth peanut butter
  • tofu.

Foods to avoid include:

  • seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, chia, flax or linseed
  • whole or chopped nuts
  • crunchy peanut butter
  • chia or flaxseed peanut butter
  • LSA (ground linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds)
  • baked beans, black beans, cannellini beans and kidney beans
  • soybeans (edamame)
  • chickpeas (also hummus and falafel)
  • lentils
  • split peas.

These foods do not contain fibre, but are more difficult for your gut to handle:

  • gristly and fatty meat
  • tough skin
  • fish skin and bones.

Choose at least 2 servings every day. A serving is either:

  • a piece of meat, chicken or fish the size and thickness of the palm of your hand
  • 2 large eggs
  • 150 g of tofu

Cakes and biscuits

Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • plain biscuits, such as wine, arrowroot or malt biscuits
  • plain sponge cake, scones or pikelets.

Foods to avoid:

  • wholemeal or bran biscuits
  • cakes, biscuits, muffins or scones with wholemeal flour, bran, nuts, seeds, coconut or dried fruit
  • muesli bars or fruit leathers.

Desserts

Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • plain desserts or milk puddings
  • yoghurt or ice cream
  • stewed or canned fruit — with no skin.

Foods to avoid include desserts containing seeds, pips, skins, dried fruit or coconut.

Fats

Foods that are fine to eat include butter, margarine or oil. Use sparingly.

Drinks

Foods that are fine to eat include:

  • tea and coffee
  • milk
  • soft drinks
  • fruit and vegetable juices.

Foods to avoid include fruit and vegetable juices with pulp, prune juice or other juices that help digestion, such as Kiwi Crush.