After yesterday’s post about low-residue diet, limiting the “roughage,” etc., I thought I might dive a little further into the subject. I personally needed to brush up on it as it’s been a little while since I learned about it in school, and I thought some of you all might be interested in learning about it too.

What Is a Low-Residue Diet?

According to WebMD, “A low-residue diet is a diet in which fiber and other foods that are harder for your body to digest are restricted. Fiber is made up of plant material that cannot be completely digested by the body. High-fiber foods include whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts, seeds, and raw or dried fruits.

 Residue refers to undigested foods, including fiber, that make up stool. If intestinal walls are inflamed or damaged, digestion and absorption of nutrients and water may be impaired, depending on the location of disease activity.”

source

What can you eat while on a low-residue diet?

Grains:

• Cold cereals that aren’t high fiber (Corn Flakes, Chex, etc.)
• Enriched white bread
• Cream of Wheat, grits, and I seem to tolerate oatmeal well
• White rice, pasta

Veggies:

• Cooked veggies such as mushrooms, green beans, carrots
• Potatoes (no skin)
• Canned vegetables
• =(

Fruits:

• Bananas
• Melon
• Canned fruit
• Cooked fruit
• Avocado

Dairy:

• Dependent on the person and their lactose tolerance.
  • I don’t handle lactose well, so I avoid it even when I am fully well. I usually drink almond milk or soy milk instead. Small amounts of this kind of milk doesn’t seem to bother me much.
  • This goes for cheeses and yogurt as well. It is very dependent on the person and varies case by case.

Protein/Meat:

• Most meat is fine to eat as long as it’s fairly lean.
• Eggs are fine

Snacks and Sweets:

• Cookies
• Pretzels
• Rice crackers
• Pudding

To Avoid:

• Nuts, seeds, peanut butter (this one I may not completely follow)
• Dried fruits
• Raw vegetables
• Whole grains
• Certain cooked vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.)
• Beans, lentils
• Popcorn
• Caffeine

For those of you who read my blog regularly, you will notice that the foods listed in the “To Avoid” column, are the ones that I eat most regularly.

I have not completely handed over my diet to low-residue, but I am going to follow a majority of it for now, reminding myself that this is only temporary. I have been dealing with Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) since I was 12. The symptoms come and go, and now that I am older and know my body well, I am hoping that I can fight this current bout quickly. Staying positive will help me to feel better sooner too! I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to be as healthy as I am, and that there are a lot of people out there who are faced with more serious health problems than mine. That being said, I will be fine. This too shall pass. I will continue to keep it all in perspective.

This subject matter isn’t necessarily the easiest thing for me to talk about. It’s a little embarrassing, but I figure if I can help even one person out there who might be dealing with the same issues, it is worth it to share. So, here I am! An open book.

My food photos will look a little different for the time being, but I promise to return to the veggie packed diet that I love so much before too long.

On a more fun note, mom and dad brought Abbie over last night and the two dogs ran around in the yard. I snapped some pretty cute photos.

That last one is my favorite. Needless to say, Abbie is a little nervous around Moose who outweighs her by approximately 80 lbs. Who can blame her. Someday they will be best friends.

Happy Wednesday!