How much fibre is a low-fibre diet?

Usually around 10 to 15 g a day, against a general recommendation of about 30 g. The exact figure depends on why it has been advised and by whom. A low-fibre diet is also called a low-residue diet, and the two terms are used more or less interchangeably in current practice.

What is the difference between low-fibre and low-residue?

In practice, very little. "Residue" was meant to cover everything left in the bowel after digestion, including fibre but also things like milk, which was once thought to add to stool volume. Because that distinction was never well defined, most current guidance treats the two as the same diet and talks about fibre grams, which are measurable.

Should I eat less fibre if I have diverticular disease?

It depends which state you are in, and this is the point people most often get backwards. During an acute flare of diverticulitis, a low-fibre diet is commonly advised for a short period. Between flares, and for diverticulosis with no symptoms, guidance is the opposite: a HIGH-fibre diet, because soft, bulky stool is what reduces the risk of another flare. The older advice to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn permanently has also been dropped, as large studies found no link with diverticulitis risk.

How long can I stay on a low-fibre diet?

It is intended to be short-term, typically days to a few weeks, because it excludes most of the foods that carry fibre, several vitamins and much of the variety in a normal diet. Coming off it is usually gradual, adding fibre back a little at a time to see what is tolerated. If you have been told to eat this way for an extended period, that should be supervised, with the reintroduction plan agreed rather than left open-ended.

Low-residue · diverticulitis · IBD flares

Foods low in Fiber

Plant carbohydrate the body can't digest. Feeds gut bacteria, slows sugar absorption, and supports regular digestion. UK adults: target 30 g/day.

Looking for what Fiber is and where it comes from? See the Fiber overview.

Why eat low fiber?

A low-fibre diet, also called a low-residue diet, usually limits fibre to around 10-15 g a day, against a general recommendation of 30 g. It is prescribed short-term: during a flare of diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease, in the days before a colonoscopy, while recovering from bowel surgery, or where a stricture narrows the bowel. The aim is to reduce the volume and frequency of stool, giving an irritated or narrowed gut less to move.

The distinction that catches people out is diverticulosis versus diverticulitis. Having diverticula and no symptoms calls for MORE fibre, not less, because fibre is what keeps stool soft and reduces the risk of a flare. Low fibre is for the acute episode. The related older advice to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn permanently has not held up: large prospective studies found no increase in diverticulitis risk from eating them, and that guidance has been dropped.

Naturally low-fibre foods are the refined and the animal ones: white bread, white rice and white pasta, plain crackers, eggs, meat, fish, and most dairy, all of which contain no fibre at all. Well-cooked vegetables without skins or seeds, and tinned or cooked fruit without skins, are usually tolerated where the raw versions are not. What to leave out is wholegrains and bran, pulses, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, raw vegetables, and the skins of anything. Because a low-fibre diet is deliberately short of exactly the foods that carry many vitamins, it is not meant to be permanent, and the plan for returning to fibre matters as much as the restriction.

Foods lowest in fiber, cheese, cream, fish, and more

Reference foods ranked by lowest amount per 100 grams, filtered to meaningful foods (excludes water, broths, and ingredients used purely as bulking agents). Values from USDA FoodData Central, McCance & Widdowson's CoFID, ANSES Ciqual, and other public nutrition databases. Amounts in grams.

This list is measured per 100 grams, while our foods high in fiber list is measured per calorie. The difference is deliberate: per calorie suits a nutrient you are trying to get more of, but reverses badly for one you are trying to limit, because it rewards a food for carrying plenty of energy and none of the nutrient. Ranked that way, cooking oil would come out lower in sodium than lettuce. When you are watching an amount, grams are what you count.

Common questions

How much fibre is a low-fibre diet?: Usually around 10 to 15 g a day, against a general recommendation of about 30 g. The exact figure depends on why it has been advised and by whom. A low-fibre diet is also called a low-residue diet, and the two terms are used more or less interchangeably in current practice.
What is the difference between low-fibre and low-residue?: In practice, very little. "Residue" was meant to cover everything left in the bowel after digestion, including fibre but also things like milk, which was once thought to add to stool volume. Because that distinction was never well defined, most current guidance treats the two as the same diet and talks about fibre grams, which are measurable.
Should I eat less fibre if I have diverticular disease?: It depends which state you are in, and this is the point people most often get backwards. During an acute flare of diverticulitis, a low-fibre diet is commonly advised for a short period. Between flares, and for diverticulosis with no symptoms, guidance is the opposite: a HIGH-fibre diet, because soft, bulky stool is what reduces the risk of another flare. The older advice to avoid nuts, seeds and popcorn permanently has also been dropped, as large studies found no link with diverticulitis risk.
How long can I stay on a low-fibre diet?: It is intended to be short-term, typically days to a few weeks, because it excludes most of the foods that carry fibre, several vitamins and much of the variety in a normal diet. Coming off it is usually gradual, adding fibre back a little at a time to see what is tolerated. If you have been told to eat this way for an extended period, that should be supervised, with the reintroduction plan agreed rather than left open-ended.

Why eat low fiber?

Foods lowest in fiber, cheese, cream, fish, and more

Common questions

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