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Diet & Nutrition

Helpful Diet Instructions about the following:

High Fiber Diet
High Fiber Diet Table
Low Residue Diet information

High Fiber Diet

What is Fiber?

Dietary fiber is a complex carbohydrate and is the part of the plant material that cannot be digested and absorbed in the bloodstream.

The Importance of Dietary Fiber

Fiber (also called roughage or bulk) promotes the wavelike contractions that keep food moving through the intestine. Also, high-fiber foods expand the inside walls of the colon. This eases the passage of waste. Fibrous substances pass through the intestine undigested. They also absorb many times their weight in water, resulting in softer, bulkier stools, that passes through the bowel easily and quickly. Because of this action, some digestive tract disorders may be avoided, halted, or even reversed simply by following a high-fiber diet. A softer, larger stool helps prevent constipation and straining. This can help avoid or relieve hemorrhoids. More bulk means less pressure in the colon, which is important in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis (defects in the weakened walls of the colon). In addition, fiber appears to be important in treating diabetes, elevated cholesterol, colon polyps, and cancer of the colon.

How much fiber should I eat?

Experts recommend that a healthy adult eat 20 to 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. You can meet this goal by eating a well-balanced diet containing a variety of foods such as two servings of fruits, three servings of vegetables, and three or more servings of whole-grain breads or cereals. Remember to increase the dietary fiber in your diet gradually to avoid gastric distress, and to drink plenty of fluid (8 cups per day) to avoid constipation.

High fiber diet examples

• Fresh fruit, i.e. berries, oranges, prunes or apricots.
• Fruits and vegetables with their peels, such as pears, apples, peaches, potatoes, and squash.
• Cooked or canned beans, split peas, or lentils.
• Whole-grain breakfast cereal, such as oatmeal, bran flakes, raisin bran, or wheat flakes. Look for a cereal with 2 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving.
• Baked goods made using whole-grains, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal bread or muffins, multigrain bread, graham crackers, and whole-wheat bagels. Make sure the whole-grain ingredient is the first or second on the label.

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High Fiber Diet Table

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Low Residue Diet

A low residue diet is composed of foods, which are easily digested and readily absorbed, resulting in a minimum of residue in the intestinal tract. Foods which are high in residue are those which are high in roughage or fiber. This list is designed to demonstrate the types of foods in each category but is not all-inclusive or exclusive.

Foods Included:

* Cheeses: cottage, cream, mild American, cheese sauces with pasta.
* Dairy (if tolerated): milk, ice cream, yogurt, puddings.
* Eggs: soft, baked, boiled or hard. Scrambled, poached or soufflé.
* Potatoes: boiled, baked, creamed, and mashed sweet potatoes.
* Pasta: plain macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, etc.
* Meats: boiled or broiled chicken & turkey, well-cooked beef, broiled fish.
* Breads: white bread, saltines, Melba toast, milk toast.
* Cereal: cream of wheat, grits, corn flakes, rice krispies.
* Vegetables: tender, well-cooked vegetable.
* Fruits: canned baked or stewed without skins or seeds. Apple sauce, banana.
* Sweets: white sugar, brown sugar, clear jelly, honey, molasses. Clear sweet dessert sauces, hard candy, gum drop, chocolate syrup.
* Spices: salt and mild seasonings, cinnamon, paprika, lemon, vanilla.
Foods Excluded:
* Cheese with added spices and herbs. Sharp cheese, fried cheese.
* Fried eggs.
* Fried potatoes, potato skins, potato chips, french fries.
* Whole wheat breads or crackers, graham crackers, pretzels, pancakes, waffles, muffins, corn bread, qulick-breads.
* Whole wheat cereals, bran cereals, shredded wheat, grapenuts, etc.
* Whole grain rice, barley
* Raw vegetables, vegetables with skins or seeds, whole kernel corn, dried beans and peas,
* Raw fruits, fruits with skins or seeds, raisins, dates, figs, canned plume, berries, fruit cocktail, pineapple, strawberries.
* Candies containing fruit or nuts, jams, marmalade
* Pepper, chili powder, barbecue sauce, garlic, olives, pickles, popcorn, relishes.

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