Low residue diet tips

Disclaimer: This post is not intended to be medical advice.

I never expected to need to go on a low residue diet. It's a short term diet which I nicknamed the "no darn fun diet". It's typically used after certain medical conditions such as diverticulitis, obstructions, or other colon or bowel issues including abdominal surgery.

The "no darn fun" part includes no coffee, tea, chocolate, spicy food, fatty foods, alcohol, raw foods, nuts and seeds, mushrooms, fibrous foods, and more.

I was limited to 10 grams of fiber a day. I ended up reading a lot of labels and discovering fiber in more things that you would imagine. I also learned that the low residue and low fiber diets differ.

The instructions my doctor provided limited me to 2 half cup servings of cooked vegetables (a limited list which seemed to be mostly cooked carrots or green beans) and one serving of cooked fruit (such as applesauce). They had a list of proteins (avoid anything tough, chewy, or stringy), and bland starches such as white bread, cream of wheat, or white rice. They limited fats too.

They suggested 6-8 mini meals a day with lots of water.

You can look up the details of low residue diets elsewhere but here's a few meal/snacks I kept on repeat:

• Canned tuna with mayo and Mrs Dash seasoning on low fiber crackers or sour dough bread (variation: use canned salmon)
• Hard boiled eggs with an approved carb
• A small amount of smooth peanut butter on sourdough toast or half an English muffin
• Cooked green beans with a small amount of Dijon smooth mustard and a little protein (2-4 oz lemon chicken breast, cooked half salmon patty for example)
• Low sugar yogurt with no fruit or fiber in it (thank you Chobani!)
• Polenta with a smooth red sauce and cooked chicken
• White rice with chicken or salmon and a smooth sauce like teriyaki (I used different sauces on different days, making sure they weren't too spicy)
• Bone broth is a way to add protein

And here's a few other things I learned:

• Jelly has no fiber but jam, "fruit spread", and conserves do
• Chew everything thoroughly
• Cut stringy vegetables into smaller pieces (shorter strings)

After the first two weeks I started to add more foods back into my diet. A dietician recommended "think about particle size". She also said to limit the fiber at any one meal and have side salads rather than entree salads. (I split entree salads or bring half home.)

I hope these tips help anyone who has to go through this experience.