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Coping with Cancer > Side Effects > Diarrhea > Managing Symptoms
Low Fiber Diet for Diarrhea
Katrina VB. Claghorn, MS, RD, LDN
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: April 1, 2007
The fiber in food provides the roughage or bulk that, in turn, stimulates the bowel. It is generally recommended that you consume at least 25 grams of dietary fiber a day to promote good bowel health. The major sources of dietary fiber are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dried beans.
However, a common side effect of radiation treatment and many chemotherapy drugs is diarrhea. If you experience treatment-related diarrhea you should follow a low fiber diet and limit your intake of dietary fiber to about 10 grams a day. A low fiber diet is better tolerated with diarrhea because it will not stimulate the bowel as much and it will be easier to digest.
|
Food Group |
High Fiber Foods to AVOID |
Low Fiber Foods ALLOWED |
|
Fruits |
Raw fruits |
Bananas |
|
Vegetables |
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, peas, peppers, radishes, and spinach Raw vegetables |
Vegetables not on avoid list. Best tolerated: asparagus, green beans and summer squash Peel, seed and cook vegetables until they are soft |
|
Breads & pastas |
Whole wheat and whole grains Brown rice |
Bread products made with refined white flour |
|
Food Group |
High Fiber Foods to AVOID |
Low Fiber Foods ALLOWED |
|
Cereals |
Whole grains |
Cold cereals - Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Special K, Golden Grahams, Rice and Corn Chex Hot cereals - Oatmeal, Cream of Rice, Cream of Wheat, Farina and Grits Choose cereals that have less than 2 grams of fiber per serving |
|
Nuts |
Whole nuts and chunky nut butters |
Smooth nut butters |
|
Dried beans & legumes |
Lentils, lima beans, chick peas, kidney beans and black beans, etc. |
|
|
Meat, poultry, fish and eggs |
All allowed |
|
|
Milk and milk products |
Allowed unless lactose intolerant |
|
|
Miscellaneous |
Any foods that contain corn (including popcorn and tortilla chips), seeds, nuts, coconut or dried fruit |
Food labels list grams of fiber
To find out how much fiber is in a serving of a food use food labels. Look for “Dietary Fiber” in the list of nutrients. Choose foods that have 2 grams or less of dietary fiber per serving.
Soluble fiber
Soluble fiber is a type of fiber found in some foods. Soluble fiber absorbs fluid and can help relieve diarrhea. Foods high in soluble fiber include:
- Fruits : Applesauce, bananas (ripe), canned fruit, orange and grapefruit sections
- Vegetables : Boiled potatoes
- Breads & pastas : White rice and products made with white flour
- Cereals : Oatmeal, cream of rice, cream of wheat and farina