Dietary fibre is an essential component of a healthy diet. The term refers to the mainly carbohydrate material found naturally in plants. Sugar and starches are also carbs, but fibre differs in that we cannot digest it – instead, it passes through our digestive system, relatively unchanged.
There are many types of fibre that can affect health in different ways, but one of fibre’s primary roles is to support the normal function of the gut and help prevent constipation, it does this by making stools softer and easier to pass. When eaten as part of your everyday diet, fibre also supports gut health, helps us maintain a healthy weight, supports cholesterol balance and regulates our hormones. That said, there can be certain times in your life when focusing on low fibre foods may be of benefit to you.
Discover our full range of health benefit guides including how much fibre you should eat and out our full guide on fibre and why it’s so important.
What is a low-fibre (low-residue) diet?
If you’re experiencing symptoms that suggest you have an irritated or inflamed bowel, you may be advised to adopt a low-fibre or low-residue diet. This means avoiding foods that may result in undigested material in the gut. The theory behind this is that, by minimising your intake of these foods and focusing instead on low-fibre foods, your digestive system has an opportunity to rest. Low-fibre foods will reduce the amount of stool produced, and may in the short term, ease any discomfort you may be experiencing.
Conditions that may benefit from this approach include:
- Persistent diarrhoea, especially if caused by a flare-up of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or diverticulitis
- Those with or at risk of a bowel obstruction because of a stricture (narrowing)
- Cases where excess gas is produced
- Those preparing the bowel for medical investigations such as a colonoscopy.
Is there a difference between a ‘low-fibre’ and ‘low-residue’ diet?
While fibre is a component we get from our diets, the term ‘residue’ refers to anything that’s left in the large intestine after digestion. This could include undigested food, gas, bacteria, cells and secretions from the gut lining. Low residue and low-fibre diets are very similar, which is why the terms are often used interchangeably, because they both share the same objective: limiting bowel activity and easing digestive discomfort, including cramping and diarrhoea.
Which foods can I eat on a low-fibre or low-residue diet?
Your diet will be made up of foods that are easily digested and absorbed, leaving minimal residue in the bowel. Examples of foods to include are:
- Fruits and vegetables: sieved tomato sauces (no skin or seeds), tomato purée, well-cooked vegetables (with no skin, seeds, or stalks), mash or creamed potatoes (no skin), melon (no seeds/skin), stewed apple, plums, canned pears/peaches, ripe bananas, avocado and fruit juices with no pulp.
- Starchy carbohydrates: any white bread, white rice and pasta, plain scones, white pitta, chapati and refined breakfast cereals like cornflakes and puffed rice.
- Meat, fish, dairy and alternatives: all fresh meat, sausage and bacon (avoid tough or fatty meat). All fresh, frozen, smoked fish and fish in white breadcrumbs/batter. Eggs, soya and tofu. All milk, yogurt (with no added bits) and cheese.
- Sugary foods: ice cream, jelly, custard, plain biscuits, jelly-type jams, marmalade (no peel), lemon curd, chocolate and sweets – don’t forget these should be consumed in moderation, in line with dietary guidelines.
- Sauces: tomato sauce, brown sauce, salad cream and mayonnaise, yeast extract, gravy and white sauce.
- Liquids: smooth and creamed soups like chicken soup. Tea, coffee, squash and smooth milkshakes.
Which foods should I avoid on a low-fibre or low-residue diet?
- All fruit skins, stalks, seeds and stones including all dried fruit and smoothies;
- All vegetable stalks, skins, seeds and peel – raw vegetables and all other vegetables not listed above, including cabbage, curly kale, sweetcorn and celery. You should also avoid composite dishes such as coleslaw;
- Wholemeal, granary and rye bread. All fruit and nut breads, including walnut, granary or fruit muffins or scones and pastries with fruit/dried fruit;
- Brown rice, wholemeal pasta and bulgur wheat;
- Wholegrain and high-fibre cereals, such as wheat breakfast biscuits, bran-based cereals, porridge oats, muesli and wheat germ;
- Meat casseroles, pies, pasties containing vegetables;
- Fish in wholemeal breadcrumbs and canned fish with bones, such as sardines;
- All types of nuts and all peas, beans, pulses (e.g. kidney and baked beans), as well as lentils;
- Hummus;
- Yogurt with ‘bits’ (pieces of fruit or nuts);
- Jam and marmalade containing fruit, seeds or peel;
- Nut butters, unless smooth;
- Cake, scones or chocolate containing dried fruit;
- Pickles;
- Canned sauces containing vegetables or fruit;
- Packet or canned soup with vegetables added;
- Herbs and spices;
- Milkshake syrups with real fruit and seeds;
- Popcorn;
- All seeds.
This menu illustrates what a typical day eating a low-fibre diet may look like. You should always consult your GP or healthcare professional before adopting any new eating regime.
Breakfast
Potato scones with smoked salmon & soured cream
Lunch
Egg mayo sandwich
Dinner
Air fryer pork joint
Apple sauce
Perfect mashed potatoes
Carrot & swede mash with brown butter & thyme
Snacks
Pumpkin muffins
Easy fluffy scones
Easy white bread
Skewered melon & prosciutto
Is a low-fibre or low-residue diet healthy?
With a lengthy list of foods to avoid, this diet is highly restrictive, and as a result is likely to limit the nutrients available to you. This may lead to further symptoms and complications over time. For this reason, the diet should only be followed on the advice and supervision of your GP or health professional, such as a registered dietitian. It’s also important to note that this diet is not recommended for weight loss, it is used to alleviate intestinal issues or to prepare the gut for medical procedures.
What’s the evidence for a low-fibre or low-residue diet?
The value of this diet is in its ability to empty the digestive tract for diagnostic investigation or rest the gut for therapeutic purposes; for example, after a flare up of a bowel condition like Crohn’s. Adopting the diet to prepare for a colonoscopy or similar procedure appears to be well tolerated, with better compliance and satisfaction, than a liquid diet.
In addition to this, a low-fibre diet appears to help different bowel disorders, including diverticulitis; once a period of remission has been achieved, sufferers may be able to gradually increase the amount of fibre in their diet. This does depend on the diagnosed condition however, and more studies are needed in this area. Findings to date suggest constipation and gut symptoms may improve once fibre is re-introduced to guideline levels.
A nutritionist’s view: is a low-fibre diet safe?
A low-fibre diet does go against what we understand a healthy, balanced diet to be, so it’s no wonder its use is restricted for specific purposes. These include preparing the bowel for a diagnostic or investigative procedure and for alleviating acute relapse in those with bowel disease. If you are advised to adopt this diet by a medical professional and are doing so for more than a few weeks, you may need to supplement with a broad-spectrum multi-vitamin and mineral, especially if you are unable to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables.
Once your condition is under control or you’ve completed any investigative procedures, you should speak to your medical practitioner about safely re-introducing fibre to your diet.
Due to the highly restrictive nature of a low-fibre / low-residue diet, it should only be followed on the advice of a dietitian or doctor, and should not be conducted long-term. If you are curious about low-fibre diets, speak to your GP or a registered dietitian who can advise accordingly.
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This article was reviewed on 8 January 2026 by Kerry Torrens.
Tai Ibitoye is a registered dietitian and a doctoral researcher in food & nutritional sciences. Tai has experience working in different sectors such as in the NHS, public health, non-government organisations and academia.
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