Bowel Cancer Australia - Low fibre recipes

A low fibre diet is quite the reverse of what you are used to being told to eat to reduce your bowel cancer risk. Normally we are encouraged to eat plenty of fibre; however, with some bowel conditions this can cause bowel problems, such as diarrhoea or bowel blockage.

A low fibre (low residue) diet has a low amount of dietary fibre or residue in the lower intestinal tract after digestion and absorption of food. Some other names for a low fibre diet may be a ‘soft diet’, a ‘bland diet’ or a ‘white diet’ - which is similar to the diet suggested in the few days before a colonoscopy.

While a low fibre diet may seem unhealthy due to the focus on white bread, a reduction of fibre, and restriction of some fruit and vegetables, it is often recommended before and after surgery and for stoma patients. Generally, you can start to include more fibrous foods once your bowel condition has settled.

Making things easier and providing practical support is important to our Bowel Care Nutritionist, Teresa, so check out these helpful low fibre recipes to take the guess work out of cooking the low fibre way.