Low-residue diet, explained by a colorectal surgeon
A low-residue diet limits fibre so there is less for the bowel to move.
This approach is commonly used for patients with certain gastrointestinal conditions, those preparing for colorectal procedures, or those recovering from surgery.
This guide covers foods to include, foods to leave out, and questions to ask about meal planning. Follow the instructions from your doctor or dietitian, including when to return to your usual diet.
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Foods to include on a low-residue diet.
A low-residue diet aims to reduce fibre and other indigestible components. Here is a list of commonly permitted foods.
Refined grains
White bread, plain pasta, white rice, and low-fibre cereals.
Fruits without skins or seeds
Bananas, melon, canned peaches, and applesauce.
Tender meats and protein sources
Skinless poultry, lean beef, eggs, and smooth peanut butter.
Dairy, if tolerated
Milk, cheese, yoghurt. Choose low-fat options if sensitive to fat content.
Cooked vegetables without seeds or skins
Carrots, potatoes without the skin, squash, and spinach.
Fats and oils
Butter, margarine, and cooking oils in moderation.
These foods are generally low in fibre, helping to minimise stool volume and reduce digestive strain. These choices are particularly beneficial for patients with conditions like IBD or those recovering from colorectal surgeries.
Foods to avoid on a low-residue diet.
To effectively minimise bowel residue, patients should avoid foods high in fibre or those that leave indigestible parts in the digestive tract.
The whole point of the avoid list is stool volume, because less indigestible material means less for the bowel to move.
High-fibre grains and breads
Brown rice, whole-wheat bread, oats, and bran cereals.
Raw fruits and vegetables with skins, seeds, or stems
Apples, berries, corn, and raw leafy greens.
Nuts, seeds, and legumes
Lentils, beans, chia seeds, and all types of nuts. This is a fibre calculation for the days you are on the diet, not a rule for life. The old advice that anyone with diverticular disease should avoid nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn permanently has been retired: a study of 47,228 men followed for 18 years, published in JAMA in 2008, found no increased risk of diverticulitis from nuts, corn or popcorn in the men who ate them most often, and a slightly lower one. (Strate and colleagues, 2008 study).
Tough meats and high-fat foods
Sausages, fried meats, and highly processed foods.
Spicy and irritating foods
Certain spices can irritate the digestive tract, so spicy sauces and dressings are better left out.
Eliminating high-fibre and hard-to-digest foods helps reduce stool volume, making the digestive process smoother and less demanding for patients on this diet.
Who might need a low-residue diet?
A low-residue diet may be beneficial for patients experiencing symptoms linked to digestive strain or frequent bowel movements. These symptoms often indicate underlying conditions that may improve by reducing fibre intake.
A low-residue diet eases symptoms, it does not explain what is causing them, so symptoms that persist still need assessment.
Frequent or urgent bowel movements
Frequent bowel movements, particularly when sudden or urgent, can indicate an irritated or overactive digestive tract. Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may benefit from a low-residue diet during a flare, to reduce bowel frequency. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a different problem with a different answer: the American College of Gastroenterology's 2021 guideline on IBS recommends a limited trial of a low FODMAP diet rather than a low-fibre one, so an IBS diagnosis on its own is not a reason to cut fibre. (ACG's 2021 IBS guideline).
Cramping and abdominal pain
Digestive cramps and pain are common with gastrointestinal conditions that cause inflammation or sensitivity. A low-residue diet can help alleviate these symptoms by reducing the bulk in the intestines, which in turn reduces mechanical irritation. This is a comfort measure, so it is worth agreeing a review point with your doctor rather than staying on it indefinitely.
Diarrhoea or loose stools
Chronic or frequent diarrhoea may be a sign of conditions like IBD or diverticulitis, where limiting fibre can help manage symptoms by firming up stool and reducing urgency.
Bloating or gas
Excessive bloating and gas may result from high-fibre foods fermenting in the intestines. Patients with inflammatory conditions of the colon can benefit from reducing fibre intake through a low-residue diet.
Two of the conditions named above, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease, are frequently confused with each other. How irritable bowel syndrome is diagnosed, by ruling out inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions first, is set out on its own page.
When and why a low-residue diet is recommended.
A low-residue diet is commonly prescribed to manage certain medical conditions, prepare for diagnostic procedures, or aid recovery after gastrointestinal surgeries. Below are the key reasons and benefits of following this diet.
Four
Situations it is prescribed in
Preparing for a diagnostic procedure, recovering after gastrointestinal surgery, managing inflammatory bowel disease, and settling a flare-up of diverticulitis. Each one is described below.
Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice
Preparation for diagnostic procedures
A low-residue diet may be recommended before procedures like colonoscopies to clear the digestive tract for better visualisation. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy's 2019 bowel preparation guideline recommends a low-fibre diet on the day preceding colonoscopy, one day rather than several. Your own clinic's instructions come first, and if they differ from what you read here, follow theirs. (ESGE's 2019 bowel preparation guideline).
Post-surgical recovery
After surgeries involving the gastrointestinal tract, such as bowel resection, a low-residue diet is often advised for a short period to keep bowel movements less frequent and more comfortable while things settle. Treat it as a comfort measure on your surgeon's instruction rather than something that speeds healing: the ERAS Society's colorectal surgery guidelines favour returning to normal eating early, so the timeline your surgeon gives you matters more than staying on the diet longer than asked. (ERAS colorectal surgery guidelines).
Managing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
A specialist may recommend a temporary fibre adjustment for some people with inflammatory bowel disease. A low-residue diet does not replace treatment for the underlying disease. A randomised trial published in Gut in 1985 followed 70 patients with non-stenosing Crohn's disease for a mean of 29 months and found no difference between a low-residue diet and a normal one in symptoms, hospital admissions, surgery, complications or nutritional status. Whether it is right for you, and for how long, is a decision for the specialist looking after you. (Levenstein and colleagues' Crohn's disease study, 1985).
Diverticulitis management
During a flare-up of diverticulitis, fibre is usually reduced for a short period to let the colon rest and settle. What happens after the attack matters just as much: fibre goes back up, not down. The American College of Gastroenterology's 2026 guideline on colonic diverticulitis lists a healthy diet among the measures that reduce the chance of another attack, and states plainly that nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn do not need to be avoided. (ACG's 2026 diverticulitis guideline).
The condition behind the flare-ups is covered in more depth in diverticular disease, its symptoms, causes and treatment.
How a low-residue diet fits into colonoscopy preparation
A low-residue diet may be recommended before procedures like colonoscopies to clear the digestive tract for better visualisation.
One day
How long the low-fibre diet runs before a colonoscopy
The European guideline is specific about this and it is shorter than most people expect: a low-fibre diet on the day preceding the test. The recommendation is one day; the guideline does not ask for more. Follow the sheet your own clinic gives you, because it accounts for the laxative you have been prescribed and the time of your appointment. (ESGE's 2019 bowel preparation guideline).
Source: ESGE guideline, Hassan C et al, Endoscopy, 2019
Nguyen and colleagues' 2016 meta-analysis compared low-residue diets with clear liquids before colonoscopy. Across nine randomised trials involving 1,686 patients, bowel-cleansing results were similar, while the low-residue diet was better tolerated. Follow your clinic's plan for when to stop solid food and begin clear fluids. (Nguyen and colleagues, 2016 meta-analysis).
For the full preparation steps, see the colonoscopy bowel-preparation guide. The colonoscopy page explains the procedure and its risks.
Tell the clinic if you take a GLP-1 medicine before any procedure involving sedation. These medicines can slow stomach emptying. The team will advise you about food, fasting and whether any medicine changes are needed. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. (Review of GLP-1 medicines and stomach emptying; 2024 multi-society guidance).
Nutritional considerations and meal planning tips.
While a low-residue diet restricts certain foods, patients can still meet their nutritional needs with thoughtful meal planning. Proper dietary choices help prevent nutrient deficiencies and ensure adequate energy and strength while following this diet. Here are some practical tips.
Supplements
The gap this diet leaves
Because fruits, vegetables and whole grains are the foods being limited, the vitamins they carry are the ones most likely to fall short. Whether that needs replacing depends on how long you are on the diet and on what is already going on, which makes it a question for the doctor looking after you rather than a shelf in a pharmacy.
Source: Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof, clinical practice
Include protein-rich foods
Include lean meats, eggs, and dairy for protein to support healing and muscle maintenance.
Use supplements when needed
Because this diet limits fruits, vegetables and whole grains, it is short on the vitamins and minerals those foods carry, and a longer spell on it raises the question of whether something needs replacing. Ask the doctor looking after you whether you need a supplement and which one, rather than assembling a list yourself. Low iron or folate in particular often has a cause of its own, such as blood loss or inflammation, and that cause is worth finding rather than covering over.
Stay hydrated
Drinking plenty of water is necessary to prevent constipation, as a low-residue diet can slow digestion.
Maintain calorie balance
Adding small amounts of healthy fats, like olive oil, and choosing nutrient-dense options within the permitted list helps ensure patients get enough calories.
What the diet actually does
What the diet actually does
10 g
Fibre a day, the ceiling proposed for a low-fibre diet
A low-residue diet reduces the amount of undigested material passing through the intestines. Limiting high-fibre foods and the other components that contribute to stool bulk is what minimises bowel movements and reduces strain on the digestive tract. The term low residue has no agreed measurable definition, which is why the 2015 review that examined it proposed dropping the phrase and measuring the thing you can actually count: fibre, capped at about 10 grams a day. (Vanhauwaert and colleagues, 2015 review).
Source: Vanhauwaert E et al, Advances in Nutrition, 2015
Fibre comes down
High-fibre foods are limited
Less bulk forms
Less undigested material reaches the colon
The bowel does less
Fewer bowel movements, less strain
20 g and 26 g
What Singapore recommends every day, for women and for men
A low-fibre diet is roughly half of what you are normally supposed to eat, or less. That gap is the whole reason it is a short measure with a review point rather than a diet to settle into, and it is why the nutrition section below exists. (HealthHub's daily fibre guidance).
Source: HealthHub, Health Promotion Board Singapore
This diet limits fruits, vegetables and whole grains, so ask the doctor looking after you how long to stay on it.
Frequently asked questions about a low-residue diet.
What is a low-residue diet?
A low-residue diet limits high-fibre foods. The lists above show common choices to include and avoid; your doctor or dietitian may adjust them for your needs. (Vanhauwaert and colleagues, 2015 review).
How long should I follow a low-residue diet before a colonoscopy?
Follow the dates on your clinic's preparation sheet. The 2019 ESGE guideline recommends a low-fibre diet on the day before colonoscopy, but your own preparation plan may differ. (ESGE's 2019 bowel preparation guideline).
Are nuts and seeds off the list for good?
No. Leaving them out during a prescribed low-fibre diet is different from avoiding them permanently. The diverticulitis guidance discussed above does not recommend lifelong avoidance. (ACG's 2026 diverticulitis guideline).
Does a low-residue diet treat inflammatory bowel disease?
A low-residue diet does not replace treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. Ask your specialist whether you need to restrict fibre, and for how long. (Levenstein and colleagues' Crohn's disease study, 1985).
Do I need supplements while I am on the diet?
Ask your doctor or dietitian whether you need a supplement, especially if the diet continues for more than a short period. They can advise which one, if any, is appropriate.
Should I stop my GLP-1 medication before a colonoscopy?
Do not stop it on your own. Tell the clinic what you take so the team can give you a plan for your medicine, food and fasting. (2024 multi-society guidance).
Related reading
Where this leads.
The author
Dr Sulaiman Bin Yusof
He wrote this article and is responsible for its clinical content.
- Qualifications
- MBChB (Sheffield)
- M.Med (Surgery)
- FRCSEd (General Surgery)
- Fellowship
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
- Previously
- Former Director of Endoscopy, Changi General Hospital
- Also
- Visiting Consultant, Changi General Hospital
Getting seen
The diet is the easy part. Knowing why you are on it is the point.
Use the food lists as a starting point, then follow the plan from the team looking after you. Check how long to continue the diet and when to bring fibre back.
Speak to the clinic for advice based on your medical needs. You can also message the clinic.
+65 8491 1525