Low-Residue Diet: What It Is and When It Is Necessary

There no-residue diet It is generally a special dietary regime, required for medical reasons, which is undertaken for a short period of time.

In fact, it basically consists of avoiding all those foods that naturally produce waste. Waste are parts that cannot be broken down and that, therefore, are eliminated naturally by the work of the intestine.

Basically, all those foods very rich in fiber . Which foods to consume and which not to? How to handle them in the most correct way? And who could benefit from a low-residue diet?

When is the low-residue diet useful?

One of the first reasons a doctor might order you a no-residue diet is in the preparation phase of some delicate clinical examinations . For example, both ultrasound and endoscopic tests, to probe problems affecting the digestive system.

In these cases, short periods of a few days following a diet free of fiber and waste are recommended, to prepare the internal organs and "clean" them, so that the medical machines can be more effective during the detections.

The second reason is, instead, linked to pathologies affecting the stomach and, above all, the intestine. For example, all the chronic inflammatory bowel diseases , such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are often treated with dietary precautions, including great attention to moderating the consumption of excessively fibrous and waste-rich foods.

But even the most common colitis and discomforts such as flatulence can benefit from a low-residue diet or a reduced consumption of dietary fiber.

What are fibers and why are they important?

Fibers are essential for the well-being of the organism, this is well known. They are not only useful to ensure the good bowel function but they also help to regulate blood sugar levels .

Furthermore, they have a highly satiating , and are therefore essential for those who have undertaken a weight loss program or follow a low-calorie diet.

Who follows a vegan diet or plant based surely he will consume large quantities of foods rich in fiber, but there are also many people who do not like vegetables at all. Just think of how difficult it is to get children to eat vegetables or legumes!

However, as we mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are also individuals who, due to health problems, cannot consume them in large quantities or, even, cannot consume them at all for some periods.

Since fiber is important, eliminating or avoiding it completely is not healthy. In these cases, it is good to know that there are some very delicate and water-soluble fibers, which in small doses can help the intestine without causing irritation or swelling.

For example, the organic psyllium husks I am an excellent natural thickener, with prebiotic and mildly anti-inflammatory action , and helps to rebalance intestinal functions.

Low-Residue Diet: What to Eat

We talk about fibers, or waste, to mean all those food residues that the body is unable to break down and transform into energy. The organism, therefore, eliminates them through natural peristalsis.

We are talking about vegetable fibers, in particular, which are found in the toughest vegetables – chard, chard, artichokes, cabbage – but also in legumes or in the peel of fruit.

The first trick to avoid consuming too much fiber if we need to temporarily follow a low-residue diet is to eliminate, already during the food preparation phase, everything that we know to be excessively fibrous.

For example, instead of eating an apple as is, simply by washing it, it is better to peel it carefully and avoid ingesting the seeds and core. Or, there are foods that become much softer when cooked because the fibers tend to break down during cooking: it is better to prefer well-cooked vegetables rather than eating salads and other raw vegetables.

Wanting to be on the safe side, however, what are the waste-free foods ?

Animal proteins certainly: meat, fish and eggs do not have this type of residue, even if obviously they should always be consumed in a balanced way.

Cereals and their derivatives are ok, but better in a non-whole version and without seeds or other added “crunchy” elements.

Among vegetables, potatoes are well tolerated, especially when boiled. Fruit that is well peeled or, better yet, reduced to a mousse can be consumed without problems, as well as filtered juices and centrifuged drinks.

Often the need for a low-residue diet is also accompanied by a more or less temporary intolerance to lactose : in this case, it is better to also pay attention to dairy products and not to overdo it with whole milk and yogurt, yogurt with pieces of fruit or cheeses that are too fatty.