Nutrition and Cancer
Your Low-Fiber Diet
The fiber-restricted, or low-fiber, diet is based on a well-balanced diet with special emphasis on those foods containing low amounts of fiber. Fiber refers to the structural parts of plant foods that are resistant to human digestion, such as fruits and vegetables (particularly skins and seeds), whole grains and cereals, and unprocessed bran. Radiation therapy to the abdomen, pelvis or rectum can sometimes cause diarrhea-like side effects that can be properly managed by promptly following a low-fiber diet.
- Breads
- Cereals
- Cheeses
- Dairy Products
- Drink
- Eggs
- Fats & Oil
- Fish
- Fruits
- Legumes/Nuts
- Meats/Poultry/Meat Substitutes
- Miscellaneous
- Potatoes/Rice/Pasta
- Soups
- Sweets
- Vegetables
- Allowed Types
- French
- Vienna
- Italian
- Refined wheat
- White and rye breads without seeds
- Crackers
- Biscuits
- French toast
- Plain hard crust
- Zwieback rolls
- Excluded Types
- Breads, crackers, rolls or cereals containing whole grain or graham flour
- Bran
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Raisins
- Cornbread
- Allowed Types
- All refined, cooked or dry cereals, such as cream of wheat or rice, and flaked or puffed cereals
- Excluded Types
- All whole grain cereals made from prohibited flours or other foods
- Oatmeal
- Granola
- Allowed Types (1 ounce of cheese may be substituted for 1 ounce of milk)
- Cottage
- Cream
- American
- Swiss
- Muenster
- Other mild cheeses
- Excluded Types
- All other cheeses
- Allowed Items
- Buttermilk and chocolate, skim, low-fat and whole milk (if tolerated)
- Yogurt, plain and custard-style, with allowed fruits and without nuts (2 cups, including that used in cooking, allowed per day)
- Excluded Items
- Yogurt containing not-allowed fruit
- Allowed Items
- Water
- Fruit-flavored drinks
- Carbonated beverages
- Coffee
- Tea
- Milk drinks and milk used in cooking (2 cups of milk or milk products allowed per day, if tolerated)
- All other items that are not excluded
- Excluded Items
- Prune juice
- Pear nectar
- Allowed Items
- All except raw eggs
- Raw eggs
- Allowed Items
- Butter
- Oils
- Cream
- Dry cream substitutes
- Margarine
- Mayonnaise
- Shortenings
- Smooth salad dressings
- Sour cream
- Excluded Items
- Salad dressing made with excluded foods and/or tartar sauce
- Allowed Items
- Fresh or frozen fish without bones
- Canned tuna or salmon
- Cooked shellfish
- Excluded Items
- All fried or smoked fish
- Sardines
- Herring
- Allowed Items
- Canned or cooked fruits without skins, seeds or membranes including:
- Apples
- Applesauce
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
- Tangerines
- Peaches
- Pineapple
- Pears
- Fruit cocktail
- Ripe bananas
- Melon
- Grapefruit
- Oranges
- Tangerines
- All juice except prune juice and pear nectar (two servings allowed per day)
- Excluded Items
- All other fruits, dried fruits, berries, figs, grapes with seeds, stewed prunes and prune puree, plums and pear nectar
- Allowed Items
- None
- Excluded Items
- All dried legumes
- Lima beans
- Nuts
- Peas
Meats/Poultry/Meat Substitutes
- Allowed Items
- Tender beef, ham, lamb, liver, poultry or veal that is baked, broiled or stewed
- Lean or low-fat cold cuts and frankfurters
- Excluded Items
- Fried meats and poultry
- Smokes or cured meats such as cold cuts, corned beef, pastrami and sausage
- Tough and fibrous meats with gristle (chuck and blade steak)
- Full-fat cold cuts and frankfurters
- Allowed Items
- Ground or finely chopped herbs and spices
- Salt
- Flavoring extracts
- Ketchup
- Chocolate
- Mild gravy
- White sauce
- Soy sauce
- Vinegar
- Excluded Items
- All other spices and condiments
- Olives
- Pickles
- Potato chips
- Popcorn
- Allowed Items (one serving of potatoes allowed per day; all others, no limit)
- Boiled, creamed, mashed and scalloped potatoes without skin
- Macaroni
- Noodles
- White rice
- Spaghetti
- Excluded Items
- Potato skin
- Potato cakes
- French fries
- Hash browns
- Potato salad
- Sweet potato
- Brown and wild rice
- Barley
- Hominy
- Allowed Items
- Cream- and broth-based soups made with allowed foods
- Excluded Items
- All other soups
- Allowed Items
- Honey
- Jelly
- Syrup
- Plain hard candy
- Molasses
- Marshmallows
- Gumdrops
- Excluded Items
- Jams
- Preserves
- Candies with fruits
- Coconut
- Raisins
- Nuts
- Candied fruits
- Allowed Items (one serving of whole vegetables allowed per day; no limit on vegetable juices)
- Canned or cooked asparagus tips
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
- Peas
- Pumpkins
- Excluded Items
- All raw vegetables except iceberg or butter lettuce
- Canned or cooked vegetables not specifically allowed, such as high-fiber vegetables including beans, carrots, peas, spinach and other greens, and beets