Fibre modified diet - low < 10g

Aim

To provide a diet low in dietary fibre.

Characteristics

A diet providing less than 10g of dietary fibre per day by avoiding foods that are high in dietary fibre and resistant starch.

Indications

• preparation for colonoscopy; specific gastrointestinal disorders (e.g. fistulae, stenosis)
• acute phases of inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis.
• recurrent bowel obstruction
• radiation enteritis.

Nutritional adequacy

Not nutritionally adequate; nutrients that may be inadequate include fibre, folate and magnesium.

Precautions

A dietitian should be consulted if this diet is followed for more than three days.

Paediatrics

Suitable for use in paediatrics when combined with an age-appropriate diet.

Specific menu planning guidelines

	Allowed	Not allowed
Hot main dishes	Plain roasted and grilled meats, poultry and fish Plain omelettes Tofu	All casseroles Crumbed or battered meats, poultry or fish All dishes containing peas, beans and lentils
Sauces, gravies	All others	Sauces or gravies with seeds, lentils, legumes or chunky vegetables
Starchy vegetables / pasta / rice	Steamed, boiled, mashed or roasted potato without skin White rice, pasta or noodles	Jacket and roasted potato with skin Wholemeal, wholegrain or brown rice or pasta
Vegetables	<1.5g fibre per serve, e.g. well-cooked cauliflower florets, pumpkin, green beans, zucchini, squash, carrots.	>1.5g fibre per serve
Soups	Clear broths Soups containing less than 0.2g fibre e.g. congee	All others
Sandwiches	Sandwiches made on white bread with plain meat, poultry, egg or fish fillings	Wholemeal, wholegrain, rye or high-fibre white bread Vegetables (e.g. tomato, pickles)
Salads, dressings	None	-
Breads, cereals	White bread Breakfast cereals providing <1.5g fibre per serve (e.g. Corn Flakes®, Rice Bubbles®, semolina)	Wholemeal, wholegrain or rye bread High-fibre white bread Cereals containing >1.5g fibre per serve (e.g. Weet-Bix™, rolled oats, oat bran, psyllium, muesli, bran cereals)
Spreads	Honey, Vegemite™, mayonnaise, jam and marmalade with no seeds or skins	Jam and marmalade with seeds or skins, peanut butter
Hot breakfast choices	Eggs, plain omelette, grilled bacon Pancakes and pikelets	Baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, canned spaghetti
Fruit	One serve only per day: canned fruit <2.5g fibre per serve (e.g. peaches, apples, two fruits)	All fresh and dried fruit Canned pineapple, pears, apricots, plums, fruit salad, cherries, berries, prunes
Yoghurt	All plain yoghurts, e.g. natural, vanilla	Fruit yoghurts
Desserts	Plain milk puddings, e.g. custards, creamy rice Ice-cream, jelly Plain cakes and puddings with <1.5g fibre per serve	Any desserts containing fruit, e.g. sultana custard Cakes made with wholemeal flour, fruit, nuts, coconut, bran or vegetables (e.g. carrot)
Milk and cheese	All	-
Beverages	Tea, coffee, milk, cordial, soft drinks Milo®, Aktavite® Other strained juices (e.g. orange, apple)	Prune juice, tomato juice and vegetable juice
Biscuits	All others (e.g. Milk Arrowroot™, Milk Coffee™)	Biscuits made with wholemeal flour, fruit, nuts, coconut or bran
Miscellaneous	Cream, sugar, salt, pepper and sweetener	Unprocessed bran, nuts

References

1. Dietitians Association of Australia. Nutrition manual. 9th ed. Canberra: DAA; 2014.
2. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Nutrition care manual. Chicago; 2013.
3. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. NUTTAB Online searchable database 2010.. [accessed 16 September 2013].
4. Thomas B. Preparation of the bowel for investigative procedures and surgery. In: Manual of Dietetic Practice. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell; 1994.
5. Christian GM, Alford B, Shanklin CW, DiMarco N. Milk and milk products in low-residue diets: current hospital practices do not match dietitians’ beliefs. J Am Diet Assoc 1991;91:341-2.
6. Bingham S. Low-residue diets: a reappraisal of their meaning and content. J Hum Nutr 1979;33:5-16.
7. Bondy RA, Beyer PL, Rhodes JB. Comparison of two commercial low residue diets and a low residue diet of common foods. J Parent Ent Nutr 1979;3:226-30.
8. Tarleton, S and DiBase, J. (2011). Low-Residue diet in diverticular disease: Putting an end to a myth. Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 26: 137
9. Brown, A, Rampertab S, Mullin G (2011). Existing dietary guidelines for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Expert Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 5(3), 411-425

Change log

Change date	Section updated	Change
March 2023	Specific menu planning guidelines – Soups	In Allowed, added Soups containing less than 0.2g fibre e.g. congee