A low residue diet is a diet

Diet (nutrition)

In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...

 designed to reduce the frequency and volume of stool

Human feces

Human feces , also known as a stool, is the waste product of the human digestive system including bacteria. It varies significantly in appearance, according to the state of the digestive system, diet and general health....

s while prolonging intestinal transit time. It is similar to a low fiber diet, but typically includes restrictions on foods that increase bowel activity, such as milk, milk products, and prune

Prune

A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The dried fruit is also referred to as a dried plum...

 juice. A low residue diet typically contains less than 7-10 grams of fiber per day. Long term use of this diet, with its reduced intake of fruits and vegetables, may not provide required amounts of vitamin C

Vitamin C

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...

, calcium

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...

, and folic acid

Folic acid

Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9...

.

Foods to include

• White bread, refined pasta and cereals, and white rice
• Limited servings of canned or well-cooked vegetables that do not include skins
• Moderate fresh fruits without peels or seeds, certain canned or well-cooked fruits
• Tender, ground, and well cooked meat, fish, eggs, and poultry
• Milk and yogurt (usually limited to two cups per day), mild cheese , ricotta, cottage cheese
• Butter, mayonnaise, vegetable oils, margarine, plain gravies and dressings
• Broth and strained soups from allowed foods
• Pulp free, strained, or clear juices

Foods to avoid

• Whole grain breads and pastas, corn bread or muffins, products made with whole grain products, or bran
• Strong cheeses, yogurt containing fruit skins or seeds
• Raw vegetables, except lettuce and other leaves
• Tough meat, meat with gristle
• Peanut butter
• Millet, buckwheat, flax, oatmeal
• Dried beans, peas, and legumes
• Dried fruits, berries, other fruits with skin or seeds
• Chocolate with Cocoa Powder (white chocolate has no fiber)
• Food containing whole coconut
• Juices with pulp
• Highly spiced food and dressings, pepper, hot sauces
• Caffeine
• Popcorn
• Nuts and Seeds

Conditions that may require a low residue diet

• 1st & 2nd stages of labour
  Childbirth
  Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
  
  
• Pre- and post- abdominal
  Abdominal surgery
  The term abdominal surgery broadly covers surgical procedures that involve opening the abdomen. Surgery of each abdominal organ is dealt with separately in connection with the description of that organ Diseases affecting the abdominal cavity are dealt with generally under their own names The term...
  
   or intestinal
  Intestine
  In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the pyloric sphincter of the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine...
  
   surgery
• Bowel inflammation
• Crohn's disease
  Crohn's disease
  Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
  
  
• Diverticulitis
  Diverticulitis
  Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon...
  
  
• Ulcerative colitis
  Ulcerative colitis
  Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
  
  
• Radiation therapy
  Radiation therapy
  Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
  
   to the pelvis and lower bowel
• Chemotherapy
  Chemotherapy
  Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
  
  
• Preparation for and participation in space flight (as per the space toilet
  Space toilet
  A space toilet, or zero gravity toilet, is a toilet that can be used in a weightless environment. In the absence of weight the collection and retention of liquid and solid waste is directed by use of air flow. Since the air used to direct the waste is returned to the cabin, it is filtered...
  
  )
• Preparation for a colonoscopy
  Colonoscopy
  Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the large bowel and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected...
  
  
• Gastroparesis
  Gastroparesis
  Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a paresis of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The...
  
  

External links

• Children's Hospital Westmead