Digestive Health Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nutrition IBD and a Restricted Fiber Diet By Amber J. Tresca Amber J. Tresca Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Amber J. Tresca is a freelance writer and speaker who covers digestive conditions, including IBD. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 16. Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 24, 2020 Medically reviewed by Priyanka Chugh, MD Medically reviewed by Priyanka Chugh, MD LinkedIn Priyanka Chugh, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist in practice with Trinity Health of New England in Waterbury, Connecticut. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print A restricted or a low fiber diet may be prescribed at certain times for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A few of the reasons when this diet might be used include when there is danger of a blockage in the intestine (such as after surgery) or during a flare-up of IBD symptoms. A low fiber diet might need to be followed for several weeks. This diet tends to be easier to follow than the clear or full liquid diets because it includes a wider variety of foods. mikroman6 / Getty Images A low fiber diet should only be followed under the supervision of a physician. While this diet is going to be recommended in certain situations, but it's not a diet that can be followed long-term. A healthy diet does include significantly more fiber than is going to be possible while following this diet. When it's time to reintroduce foods with fiber, start slowly and keep in touch with your healthcare team every step of the way. Following a restricted fiber diet is actually not too difficult in Western countries. When following a fiber restricted diet, keep the following rules of thumb in mind: Use refined grain products in place of whole grain productsAvoid vegetables or fruits with skins, hulls, or seedsAll vegetables should be cooked (with the exception of lettuce) and without seedsAll fruits should be canned with the exception of ripe bananas, watermelon, and honeydew melon (with seeds removed)All whole nuts, seeds, and legumes should be avoided Foods Allowed/Not Allowed Milk Products Allowed: Buttermilk, evaporated milk, skim, low fat and whole milk, powdered milk, plain yogurtOmitted: Fruited yogurt with seeds or nuts Meat and Meat Alternatives Allowed: Beef, poultry, pork, lamb, fish, eggs, cheese, veal, smooth peanut butterOmitted: Tough meats with gristle, crunchy peanut butter Breads, Cereals, and Grains Allowed: Breads, rolls, bagels, muffins, crackers and cereals made from refined white flour; cooked noodles; and white pasta and riceOmitted: Breads, rolls, bagels, muffins, crackers and cereals made from whole grains; breads, crackers, cereals, and rolls with seeds or nuts; whole grain pasta, brown rice, popcorn Vegetables Allowed: Vegetable juices without pulp; cooked vegetables without seeds; carrots, asparagus, waxed and green beans, eggplant, acorn squash, regular and sweet potatoes without the skin, turnips; tomato paste and tomato sauce without seeds; lettuceOmitted: All raw vegetables except lettuce; corn, dried beans and peas, green peas, lentils, lima beans, potato skins Fruits Allowed: Juices without pulp (excluding prune) canned fruit, ripe bananas; watermelon & honeydew with seeds removedOmitted: Most raw fruits should be avoided such as dates, figs, prunes, apples, berries with seeds, peaches, grapes, pears, rhubarb, fresh grapefruit and orange slices, prune juice Fats Allowed: Butter, margarine, cream, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, oilOmitted: Avoid all nuts, coconut, seeds Desserts Allowed: Plain ice cream, sherbet, fruit ice, custard, plain pudding, hard candy, jelly beans; cakes, pies, and cookies made from refined flour and with no fresh fruit or nutsOmitted: Desserts with fresh fruit, nuts or coconut Drinks Allowed: Clear broths and strained soups, soda, hot chocolate, decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea, clear juices, decaffeinated beverages A Sample Low Fiber Menu Breakfast Grapefruit juice (4 oz)Banana (1/2)Rice Krispies (3/4 c)English muffin (1/2)Peanut butter, creamy (1 Tbsp)Low fat (2%) milk (8 oz)Coffee (1c) Lunch Hamburger on bun (1) lean ground beef (3 oz), bun (1), ketchup (1 Tbsp), mayonnaise (1 tsp)Applesauce (1/2 c)Chocolate chip cookies, no nuts (2)Low fat/2% milk (8 oz) Dinner Roast turkey breast (3 oz)Gravy (1 Tbsp)Mashed sweet potatoes (1/2 c)Green beans (1/2 c)Dinner roll (1)Margarine (2 tsp)Peach halves (1/2 c)Tea with lemon juice (1 c) Snack Sparkling water with lime juice (12 oz)Shortbread cookies (3) Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology. "Soft and Mechanical Soft Diet." Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology 2016. Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "Low-Fiber, Low-Residue Diet." Northwestern Memorial Hospital Patient Education Sept 2007. By Amber J. Tresca Amber J. Tresca is a freelance writer and speaker who covers digestive conditions, including IBD. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age 16. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit