Why has it been suggested I follow a modified fibre diet?
You may have been advised to modify the fibre content of your diet to help manage your bowel function for a number of reasons, including:
- Bowel obstruction or blockage
- Active inflammatory bowel disease
- Fistulating or stricturing Crohn’s disease
- Newly formed stoma
A modified fibre diet will reduce the amount of undigested material in your gut therefore reducing the risk of bowel obstruction. Additionally, fibre helps to soften stools and makes them easier to pass, therefore reducing fibre can help to slow the amount of stool that comes out of a new stoma or fistula.
How long do I have to follow this diet for?
This can vary from person to person and your Dietitian, or health care team will support you with this. Where possible, the amount of fibre that you can include in your diet will be increased over time; however, it may be that some high fibre foods need to be excluded long term.
What foods are high and low in fibre?
Fibre is found in foods including bread, pasta, beans, pulses, nuts, rice, fruits and vegetables. Your Dietitian will help you to adjust the amounts of these foods if you are on a modified fibre or low fibre diet.
The following pages outline suitable products to include depending on the level of restriction required. Just remember that fibre content will vary with different brands, portion sizes, toppings and ingredients.
Cereals
Low
Cornflakes ®/Frosted cornflakes/Puffed rice cereal (including chocolate coated puffed rice)
Moderate
Puffed wheat/Barley cereal
High
All Bran/Bran flakes®/Shredded wheat/Weetabix®/Fruit and fibre cereal/Muesli/Granola/Crunchy Nut Cornflakes®/Porridge/Ready Brek®/Any cereal containing nuts, seeds or dried fruit
Bread products
Low
Products made with white flour: White bread/Soft roll/Sliced bread/English muffin/Naan bread/Chapatti
Moderate
Crusty bread (e.g. crusty white roll or French stick)/50:50 bread/Ciabatta/White Bagel/White Tortilla/Crumpet/Croissant/Rye bread
High
Products made with wholemeal flour: Brown bread/Wholemeal bread/Granary/Pitta/Sliced bread/Rolls Wraps/Brown bagel/Peshwari naan/Seeded bread/Soya flour products
Potatoes
The skin is the highest fibre part of the potato. Make sure you remove this to reduce the fibre content. Potatoes are also more difficult to digest if they’ve been cooked and cooled, so frozen and formed potato products should be eaten in moderation.
Low
Skin removed: Roasted potatoes/Mashed potato/New potato/Jacket potato
Moderate
Skin removed: Sweet potato/Potato wedges/Oven or fried chips/Frozen potato shapes
High
Skin on jacket potato/Skin on sweet potato/Skin on new potatoes
Pasta, rice and grains
Low
Well cooked: White pasta/White rice (basmati)/Pilau rice/Risotto rice/Noodles (rice/egg)
Moderate
Brown Rice/Couscous
High
Whole wheat pasta/Wild rice/Quinoa/Pearl Barley/Lentils
Meat, fish and alternatives
Low
Tender/soft meat: Chicken/Turkey/Pork/Beef/Lamb/Fish (no bones) tinned or fresh/Tofu/Eggs
Moderate
Quorn®/soya products (be mindful of coatings/toppings (e.g. breadcrumbs) which may fall into the high-fibre category)
High
Fish with bones/Pork scratchings/Meats with gristle/rind/Beans and pulses/Baked beans/Chickpeas/Lentils/dhal/Kidney beans/Butter beans/Broad beans/Cannellini beans
Dairy and alternatives
Low
Milk (cow, goat, sheep)/Cheese (avoid cheese with fruits & nuts)/Cream/Custard/Smooth yoghurt (no fruit pieces)/Soya milk/Almond milk
Moderate
Oat milk
High
Yoghurt with fruit pieces, nuts, seeds, oats and granola/Weetabix® breakfast drinks
Fruit
Peeling fruit and making sure that any pith and/or seeds are removed will lower the fibre content. Be mindful of portion sizes!
Low
Tinned peaches/Tinned pears/Apple, peeled, seeds removed and cooked
Moderate
Oranges (get rid of as much pith as possible)/Grapes/Apple (peeled, uncooked)/Blueberries/Ripe (yellow) banana/Pears (peeled)/Peach(peeled)/Strawberries/Raspberries
High
Dried fruit/Pineapple/Pomegranate seeds/Low/medium fibre fruit with skin and seeds left on
Vegetables
Peel where possible or avoid stalks, stringy parts.
Low
Well cooked, peeled root vegetables: Swede/Parsnip/Turnip/Carrots
Moderate
Well cooked, peeled vegetables/Canned tomatoes (sieved)/Green Cabbage/Cauliflower/Broccoli/Cucumber/Lettuce/
High
Peas/Sweetcorn/Onion/Tomatoes/Green Beans/Mangetout/Coleslaw/Mushrooms/Celery/Low/medium fibre vegetables with skin/seeds
Sweet products
Low
Rich Tea biscuits/Shortcake biscuits/Gingernut biscuits/Chocolate digestives/Jaffa cakes/Jam filled biscuit/Shortbread/Wafers/Milk/dark/white chocolate/Caramel/Marshmallows/Doughnut/Ice cream/Rice pudding/Apple pie/Apple crumble/Jelly/Mousse/Chocolate spread/Madeira sponge/Chocolate muffin/Plain scone
Moderate
Digestive biscuits/Custard creams/Bourbon biscuits/Chocolate chip cookies/Fruit trifle/Fruit muffin
High
Malt bread/loaf (with dried fruit)/Fruit cake or scone/Carrot Cake/Flapjack/Tiffin/Mince pie/Christmas cake/pudding/Fruit pies/crumbles with higher-fibre fruits e.g. blackberries or rhubarb/Any desserts/chocolate/biscuits/cereal bars which contain nuts, seeds or dried fruit
Savoury products
*Fibre content will vary depending on filling
Low
Quavers/Wotsits/Skips/Prawn crackers/Yorkshire pudding/Pancakes/Dumplings/Cheese scone
Moderate
Olives/Potato crisps/Puri/Sausage rolls/Rice cakes/Cream crackers/Pastry(shortcrust/filo/flaky)/Hummus/Pizza*/Quiche*/Spring rolls*
High
Tortilla chips/Twiglets/Bombay mix/Popcorn/Poppadom/Rye Crisp bread/Oatcakes/Peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)/Nuts/Seeds/Pork Scratchings
Drinks
Low
Water/Teas/Coffee/Squash (cordial)/Fizzy drinks/Bovril/Marmite
Moderate
Smooth fruit juice
High
Smoothies/Fruit juice ‘with bits’
Tips for keeping fibre content low
The fibre contact of some fruit and vegetables can be reduced as follows:
- Remove any pith, pips, skin or seeds
- Cooking foods well will help to break down the fibre – well-stewed, peeled apple will be lower in fibre than an uncooked, unpeeled apple.
Be mindful of your portion sizes – combining several low fibre foods may add up to a medium or even high-fibre meal!
If you require a low fibre diet for more than a few weeks, this should be supervised by a Dietitian to ensure you are not missing out on any essential nutrients. If you have not been seen by a Dietitian, please talk to your consultant or GP.
Contact Details
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Boston Site: 01205 446450 or [email protected]
Lincoln Site: 01522 573418 or [email protected]
Health information and support is available at www.nhs.uk or call 111 for non-emergency medical advice
Developed, produced, and reviewed by Leicestershire Nutrition and Dietetic Services – University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and reproduced by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals with permission.