When your doctor says you have an inflammatory bowel disease — like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis — they may suggest a low-residue diet.
The basic idea is that you'll eat foods that are easy to digest and cut back on those that aren't.
What Is a Low-Residue Diet?
A low-residue diet limits high-fiber foods, like whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, seeds, raw or dried fruits, and vegetables.
"Residue" is undigested food, including fiber, that makes up stool. The goal of the diet is to have fewer, smaller bowel movements each day. That will ease symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, gas, and stomach cramping.
Your doctor may recommend this diet for a little while when you have a flare or after surgery to help with recovery.
Low-Residue Diet Foods
Grains
- Refined or enriched white breads and plain crackers, such as saltines or Melba toast (no seeds)
- Cooked cereals, like farina, cream of wheat, and grits
- Cold cereals, like puffed rice and corn flakes
- White rice, noodles, and refined pasta
Fruits and vegetables
The skin and seeds of many fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, so you need to peel them and avoid the seeds.
These vegetables are OK:
- Well-cooked fresh vegetables or canned vegetables without seeds, like asparagus tips, beets, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, and squash (no seeds)
- Cooked potatoes without skin
- Tomato sauce (no seeds)
Fruits on the good list include:
- Ripe bananas
- Soft cantaloupe
- Honeydew
- Canned or cooked fruits without seeds or skin, like applesauce or canned pears
- Avocado
- Pumpkin (cooked or canned without seeds)
Milk and dairy
Milk and other dairy products are OK in moderation. Milk has no fiber, but it may trigger symptoms like diarrhea and cramping if you're lactose intolerant (meaning you have trouble processing dairy foods). If you are, you could take lactase supplements or buy lactose-free products.
Meats
Animal products don't have fiber. You can eat beef, lamb, chicken, fish (no bones), and pork, as long as they're lean, tender, and soft. Eggs are OK, too.
Fats, sauces, and condiments
These are all on the diet:
- Margarine, butter, and oils
- Mayonnaise and ketchup
- Sour cream
- Smooth sauces and salad dressing
- Soy sauce
- Clear jelly, honey, and syrup
Sweets and snacks
You can satisfy your sweet tooth on a low-residue diet. These desserts and snacks are OK to eat in moderation:
- Plain cakes and cookies
- Gelatin, plain puddings, custard, and sherbet
- Ice cream and ice pops
- Hard candy
- Pretzels (not whole-grain varieties)
- Vanilla wafers
Drinks
Safe beverages include:
- Decaffeinated coffee, tea, and carbonated beverages (caffeine can upset your stomach)
- Milk
- Juices made without seeds or pulp, like apple, no-pulp orange, and cranberry
- Strained vegetable juices
Low-Residue Diet Foods to Avoid
On this plan, you'll stay away from:
- Coconut, seeds, and nuts, including those found in bread, cereal, desserts, and candy
- Whole-grain products, including breads, cereals, crackers, pasta, rice, and kasha
- Raw or dried fruits, like prunes, berries, raisins, figs, and pineapple
- Most raw vegetables
- Certain cooked vegetables, including peas, broccoli, winter squash, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, corn (and cornbread), onions, cauliflower, potatoes with skin, and baked beans
- Beans, lentils, and tofu
- Tough meats with gristle and smoked or cured deli meats
- Cheese with seeds, nuts, or fruit
- Crunchy peanut butter, jam, marmalade, and preserves
- Pickles, olives, relish, sauerkraut, and horseradish
- Popcorn
- Fruit juices with pulp or seeds, prune juice, and pear nectar
Low-Residue Diet Menu
As long as you follow the general guidelines for the diet, you can mix and match as much as you'd like. There are many meal options to choose from on a low-residue diet.
Breakfast
- Decaffeinated coffee with cream and sugar
- Cup of juice, such as no-pulp orange juice, apple juice, or cranberry juice
- Farina or cream of wheat
- Scrambled eggs
- Waffles, French toast, or pancakes
- White-bread toast with margarine and grape jelly (no seeds)
Lunch
- Baked chicken, white rice, canned carrots, and green beans
- Salad with baked chicken, American cheese, smooth salad dressing, and white dinner roll
- Baked potato (no skin) with sour cream and butter or margarine
- Hamburger with white seedless bun, ketchup, and mayonnaise — and lettuce if it doesn't make your symptoms worse
Dinner
- Tender roast beef, white rice, cooked carrots or spinach, and white dinner roll with margarine or butter
- Pasta with butter or olive oil, French bread, and fruit cocktail
- Baked chicken, white rice or baked potato without skin, and cooked green beans
- Broiled fish, white rice, and canned green beans
It's a great idea to keep a food diary for a few weeks. Track what you eat and how it makes you feel, so you know what works for you.
If you enjoy whole grains, nuts, and raw fruits and vegetables, shifting to a low-residue diet may be hard. But if you prefer white bread and pasta, don't mind canned fruits and vegetables, and are happy to snack on saltines, it may come naturally.
Remember, this isn't a healthy way to eat for a long time because it skips many important nutrients. Ask your doctor if they know a nutritionist who can help make sure your diet is right for you and let you know if you need to take supplements.
Low-Residue Diet for Colonoscopy
Your doctor might prescribe a low-residue diet if you're preparing for a treatment or procedure like a colonoscopy.
The general recommendation for preparing for a colonoscopy is to begin the low-residue diet 3 days before your procedure. The diet includes foods like:
- Certain breads, cereals, and pastas, including white bread and grits (look for foods that are less than 0.5 grams of fiber)
- Meats and other forms of protein including ground or tender beef, chicken and turkey, and seafood
- Dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, milk, and yogurt (no more than 2 cups daily; avoid if you are lactose intolerant)
- Raw fruits like very ripe apricots, bananas and cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon, peaches, and plums; other raw fruit is not a part of the diet
- Snacks like pretzels, saltines, or gelatin
- Drinks with caffeine including coffee or tea or carbonated beverages
- Oils, butter, and sauces or condiments such as olive oil, mayonnaise, and ketchup
While you're on the low-residue diet before a colonoscopy, you should avoid certain foods such as:
- Raw fruit or dried versions and raisins
- Vegetables with seeds
- Tough meats, beans, peas, and peanut butter
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Pickles, dressing with fruits or seeds, preserves or jam
- Spicy foods or desserts and snacks with seeds like popcorn
- Alcohol
Your doctor will provide guidance on when to begin a clear liquid diet before your colonoscopy. Generally, you begin having all clear liquids and no solid foods the day before your procedure, which includes options like popsicles, Jell-O, and ginger ale. You will also drink a prescribed laxative mixture hours before your procedure. Your doctor (and the product insert) will give specific instructions on prep for your colonoscopy.
Takeaways
If you have Crohn's or ulcerative colitis or are having a colonoscopy, a low-residue diet can be gentle on your stomach by avoiding tough-to-digest foods like fiber. When your doctor recommends this diet, stick to softer foods like white bread, white rice, peeled fruits and veggies, and lean meats. Skip the hard stuff like nuts, raw veggies, and whole grains. Also, keep in mind what you eat and how it makes you feel. A low-residue diet might not give you all the nutrients you need long-term, so talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about trying this diet.
Low-Residue Diet FAQs
Which foods are low in residue?
Softer foods like white bread, white rice, peeled fruits and veggies, and lean, tender meats are considered low in residue.
Is rice low residue?
White rice is low residue. Brown rice is considered high residue and should be avoided when you're on this type of diet.
How does a low-fiber diet differ from a low-residue diet?
A low-residue diet has greater limits than a low-fiber diet, which includes restrictions on certain dairy products (no more than 2 cups a day) and proteins, excluding tougher meats and beans.
How do you transition off a low-residue diet?
It's best to slowly increase your daily fiber intake and be sure to drink plenty of water as you're coming off of the diet.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: tycoon751 / Getty Images
SOURCES:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: "Low-Residue/Low-Fiber Diet," "Following a Low-Fiber Diet."
Hoag Health Network: "Low Fiber/Low Residue Diet."
National Institutes of Health: "Fiber-Restricted Diet."
Greenwich Hospital: "What is a Low Fiber/Low Residue Diet."
Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo: "Low Residue Diet."
"Colitis Cookbook: Diet for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease."
Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America: "Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: Diet and Nutrition."
CreakyJoints: "What Is a 'Low-Residue' Diet, and Can It Help Treat Crohn's Disease?"
Gastrointestinal Society: "Low Residue Diet."
University of Michigan Health System: "Low-Fiber/Low-Residue Diet."
UConn Health: "Colonoscopy Preparation Instructions- Trilyte."
Northwestern Medicine: "Colonoscopy Low-Residue Diet."
University of Iowa Health Care: "Low-Residue-Fiber Diet for Colonoscopy."
