What to and what not to eat when following a low fibre diet

Food type	Foods to choose	Foods to avoid
Fruits	Any canned fruit which does not contain pips such as mandarins, peaches, pears, grapefruit Smooth fruit juices Stewed fruit e.g. apples, pears, plums (all without skins). Avoid stewing fruit with seeds e.g. raspberries Properly ripened Fruit	Dried fruits, such as prunes, berries, raisins, figs Fruits with seeds, tough skins, or membranes Unripe fruit
Vegetables	Small portions of boiled, well cooked vegetables (without skins, pips or stalks) Vegetable juice without pulp Skinless and seedless tomato sauce e.g. passata or tomato puree	Raw or undercooked vegetables Salads Vegetables with skins e.g. Pulses
Milk and dairy products	Most dairy is fine, just take note of what foods to avoid	Cottage cheese containing vegetable pieces Yoghurts with fruit/berries/muesli Cheese with seeds, nuts, or fruit Ice cream containing nuts High fat foods containing lots of cream or cheese may not be tolerated
Cereals	Plain rice Corn-based cereals High sugar cereals are ok on a low fibre diet, provided you do not have another medical condition that means they are to be avoided	Wholegrain cereals Bran or wheat-based cereals You may not tolerate porridge but may find that similar finely milled/instant oat cereals are ok. Any cereal containing fruit or nuts
Meat, fish and Alternatives	Beef Lamb Chicken Fish (no bones) Pork Eggs Tofu Ensure that any meat products are lean, tender and soft	Tough meats with gristle and smoked or cured deli meats Fish bones Very fatty/oily meats may not be well tolerated so monitor your tolerance
Bread, rice and pasta	White bread White rice White pasta Cornflour Sago Tapioca & semolina Couscous Polenta Tortillas & tacos In general any baked goods made from refined flours (white flour) will be fine	Baked goods made with brown or wholemeal flour Brown rice Brown pasta Any bread or flour products containing seeds, nuts, dried fruit Pearl barley Quinoa
Miscellaneous	Seedless, rindless varieties of jam & marmalade Bovril Marmite Chocolate spread Sugar, honey and syrup. Most bottled sauces Crisps Plain crackers Pretzels Gelatine	Jams with seeds or peel Chutneys Pickles Relish Sauerkraut Horseradish Savoury snacks containing nuts Wholemeal crackers
Nuts	Small amount of smooth nut butter if tolerated	Avoid all whole nuts or nut pieces
Beverages	Hot chocolate Ovaltine Horlicks Decaf drinks Flavoured water/squash Milkshakes	Juice with pulp or seeds Prune juice Caffeine
Desserts and snacks	Biscuits and cakes made with white flour Plain puddings, custard, jelly, semolina, rice pudding Ice cream and ice pops Boiled sweets Chocolate/toffee/fudge (without fruit/nuts)	Biscuits or cakes made with brown or wholemeal flour Desserts, puddings, biscuits/cookies or pies containing dried fruit, coconut, fruit peel or nuts e.g mince pies, fruit crumble etc Chocolate/toffee/fudge with dried fruit, coconut, or nuts

Last reviewed: 26 May 2023

Our emergency departments (A&Es) are very busy at the moment