Low fibre diet - just seems wrong

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

I've been put on a low fibre diet after a hospital appointment today. I can't get my head around it really. Basically I need to eat (for the next month anyway):

White bread, pasta and rice
Jam with no bits (heinous - and no marmalade)
Juice with no bits
No raw vegetables and salad
Cereals like rice crispies
No skins or pips or seeds in anything (no jacket potatoes)
Tinned, cooked to a mush, peeled, de seeded or smoothied fruit and veg
I can eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, cream etc and smooth yoghurt (no bits)
And chocolate is fine (hurrah)

Essentially it's pretty much the opposite of what I've been eating for the last 35 years, which perhaps explains the problem this is trying to tackle.

Anyone else done this? Does it get easier? I suppose it's just for a month. But if it works I'll have to eat like this forever

[pduvall]

HELLO just joined so first time posting.
I am going for a procedure and so am on a low residue diet for 3 days and was wondering if I could have fish and chips from the chippy

[pduvall]

hi im on a low residue diet was wondering if I could have fish and chips from the chippy

[teta]

The fodmap diet was devised by Monash university in Australia.The idea is that common indigestible foods with known compounds in would be excluded to give your body a rest.Then after a break you can then reintroduce them gradually to identify intolerances.Everyone's are different.I react badly to say Apple Strudel but also to garlic( was eating loads).Also healthy foods like lentils and beans are fodmap unsafe.Its really worth googling if you can' t work out what your triggers are.If you already know maybe It won't help as much.I had lactose intolerance before developing IBS (in the summer after food poisoning).So you are right not all IBS sufferers are lactose intolerant.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

teta see I don't have an issue with dairy. Wheat is OK as long as it's white bread/pasta but can't have wholegrains (oats are actually worse than wheat, maybe because they're in bigger bits?). I have no issue with cruciferous veg if cooked and in relatively small portions.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Well Day 3 and it's all gone ok I think, bad symptoms this morning though which I can't explain. I guess it'll take time to settle down.

If this doesn't work the hospital will put me on Fodmap, and if that doesn't work she says we'll know it's not diet so will have to investigate further. Let's hope it doesn't get to that stage.

[teta]

I have IBS d and the vegetables you're OK with are safe on the Fodmap diet,but cruciferous ones are not.Garlic and onions are best avoided but you can use garlic infused oil.My main triggers are wheat and apples\pears and lactose in dairy products.I really have seen a massive improvement in my IBS.I don't think most UK doctors know much about the fodmap diet to be honest.Its enabled me to identify the main triggers for me and to reset my tolerances.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

teta I think it depends? I know FODMAP helps some sufferers but I think it's more for IBS-c rather than IBS-d? I have predominantly IBS-d and my doctor hasn't mentioned FODMAP at all.

For me personally, I find that I have to go easy on the cruciferous veg, but root veg, peppers, aubergine etc are OK. All cooked btw, I do avoid raw veg, but not cooked into mush. I haven't noticed a problem with chopped/ground nuts but whole seeds can be a problem.

[teta]

I have IBS and am on the fodmap diet.Some of the things I have to avoid are gluten containing foods and certain fruits and vegetables.Its really helped me but I can still have wholegrain bread and vegetables and small portions of nuts.Do most UK doctors advocate this diet for IBS?

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Yes I was told no nuts at all, unless completely blitzed - so smooth peanut butter is ok.
I was surprised about coconut but I guess it's pretty fibrous.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

Didn't realise nuts weren't allowed - are ground almonds verboten too? I have had reactions to things like sesame prawns on toast (boo!) but ground almonds aren't a problem.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Sounds lovely - nuts and coconuts aren't allowed but I sometimes do a sponge over fruit so I can do that more often.

[LittleBabyPigsus]

I'd have tinned fruit baked with a sponge cake topping (lovely if you add some coconut or ground almonds) and served with custard or cream. Takes no time at all to cook, just a basic sponge cake mix on top of fruit with a little juice/syrup left in so it doesn't dry out. I often top with some flaked almonds before baking.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

I need more fruit and veg though don't I. Tinned fruit for pudding then.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Brilliant suggestions - pregnant you are amazing!

My first day in this brave new world went sort of ok:

Poached egg on white toast for breakfast
Avocado for lunch (I did take some hard boiled eggs but didn't feel like them) Smooth yoghurt for afters.
3 choc digestives
Dinner is minced beef cooked with mushrooms and mash

I am so looking forward to eggs Arnold Bennett at the weekend

[AmelieRose]

Interesting Oldbag, if anything it exacerbates my symptoms. I need to eat loads of fruit and veg or I flare. And they claim there's no link to diet...

[AmelieRose]

I sympathise BillStickers - I have ulcerative colitis and have to go on this diet from time to time and I usually eat loads of fruit and veg.

I eat a lot of potatoes when I'm doing it. Chips with everything !

I also eat risotto, and a lot of bacon sandwiches. I'm writing down all pregnantpause's recommendations though as they're fab!

[pregnantpause]

Ooh- tinned peaches and cream make a vaguely convincing Eton mess type thing, with a crumbled digestive? A tinned pineapple and cheese toastie is no bad thing IMO either. Are you allowed to make your own white bread dough? Of so three cheese pizza, with a garlic cheese base is open as is cheese and tinned pineapple presumably as long as you don't use a tomato base!

[pregnantpause]

Scrambled eggs with black pepper and smoked salmon, poached egg on white cob toast, maybe some hollandaise, ham and poached egg on toast, omelette Arnold Bennet (eggs cream and haddock)- these are breakfasts of the gods, a month of these would more than please me!

Risotto of all kinds, with cream cheese and smoked salmon, goats cheese, bacon, chicken, a seafood risotto with a bit of lemon at the end. You can make extra for arancini, which are a wonderful creation.

Same goes for omelettes, I love a goat cheese and thyme omelette.

With white rice maybe have baked salmon with chilli and soy sauce? Or sea bass / any fish? prawn or chicken and egg fried rice?

Mussels in garlic cream sauce.

sticky chicken wings? Great for movie night in front of sofa.

Pasta in cream based chicken sauces, carbonara, cheese based sauces- macaroni, or cream cheese and salmon( I'm obviously a fan of salmon and cheese) prawns and mussels in lots of garlic butter tossed through tagliatelle mmm


Fried potatoes, bacon, sausages and egg, with a slice of white toast- can't beat a good breakfast for dinner!

Potato bake with layered potatoes and bacon baked in peppered vegetable stock, feeling flash? Tartiflette- forbidden for most of us, you can eat with gay abandon for the next month anyway.

That's not to mention yer standard meat , mash ,gravy combos! chips are also fair game I think, egg and chips, steak and chips, pork in a mustard cream sauce and chips, chicken and chips, and the classic, fish and chips! Yum.

What's the situation on sauteed potatoes- with no skin they're fair game right? Sauteed With garlic and Rosemary and a cheese stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon you've got a delicious showy meal!

Leftover mash makes lovely bacon and potato cakes or fish cakes! And a fish finger sandwich sounds good too.

I think I could manage a month without fibre, though I would clearly eat my own body weight in cheese

[LittleBabyPigsus]

I have to keep my fibre intake down for my IBS, so yep, only white bread and pasta for me! I don't avoid skins/pips though, maybe I should.

Anyway I would def make lots of stodgy comfort food like macaroni cheese, sausage and mash etc if it's just for a month, make the most of it! Definitely take a vitamin - I take these as probiotics are really helpful for IBS sufferers. Aldi does a tablet version for half the price but I find taking non-coated tablets difficult so I stick to the capsules.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

So we've saved you from scurvy and beriberi... :) There's a weight off your mind.

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

You're so right - my gran would have loved that menu, just add one benson and hedges and a murray mint and she'd be a happy lady.

Good call on the B vitamins, I'll buy a good supplement tomorrow.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Your suggested meal plan actually looks like the national diet circa 1976 :) Lob in a packet of Angel Delight and a tin of Campbell's Meatballs and you're hot to trot. We survived... mostly. Definitely treat yourself to a good multi-vitamin. The vitamins aren't in the skin exactly but cooking things until soft tends to reduce the nutrition. Wholegrains provide B vitamins whereas the white flour/rice options won't.

[capsium]

Happy to help.