Low fiber and Mostly plant based diet?

Options
Fitnessgirl0913
Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone,
I have been dealing with IBS for quite a few years now and have tried a variety of things to help with it. My most recent trip to the GI they suggested I try a low fiber diet (15 grams or less of fiber a day with no more then 5 grams per meal). I was looking over the low fiber food list I was supplied with and they are mostly animal products. I am not a vegetarian or vegan but my diet tends to lean that way as I don't care for meat all that much. If I have meat it is once a day because my husband wants it and we eat together. I also cannot tolerate cheese. I expressed to my GI that I prefer a plant based diet and she said there are really not many options out there and I will most likely have to start eating more meat. When I eat more than a serving of meat it starts to work my gag reflexes and is down right unpleasant. The foods I enjoy most are plant based (lentils, legumes, oatmeal, etc). I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or recipes for a low fiber plant based diet? The only things I have really been able to find that I would enjoy is creamy peanut butter sandwiches on white bread and white pasta with a half serving of sauce, both of which which I enjoy but cannot have for every meal. I also want to make sure I am getting all the nutrients I need with a limited diet. There are a few low fiber veggies I can have a single serving of such as green beans as well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Can you get a referral to an RD?
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    It would be out of pocket with my insurance and I really can't afford that.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    Options
    That's definitely a tough diet to follow.

    Here's a little article I found that might help: https://www.healthline.com/health/low-fiber-diet#what-to-eat
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    It would be out of pocket with my insurance and I really can't afford that.

    That's unfortunate. I have not been on a low fiber diet, but I have prepared vegan meals for people with IBS trying to eat low fiber. The people I have cooked for can generally tolerate lower fiber grains (white rice, pasta, lower fiber breads) well, along with lower fiber vegetables. For some reason, cooked vegetables are often better than the same vegetable uncooked (that may be something you can try as well).

    I found this blog post on vegan low fiber diets (I understand you aren't vegan, but there may be some overlap you can apply to your situation): http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2016/01/eating-vegan-food-on-a-low-fiber-diet/
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    toxikon wrote: »
    That's definitely a tough diet to follow.

    Here's a little article I found that might help: https://www.healthline.com/health/low-fiber-diet#what-to-eat

    Thanks for the article, that list pretty closely matches what my GI gave me. I think I may have to suck it up for a couple weeks and just start eating some more eggs and fish (which I like better then any other meat) and see how it goes. I almost hope this does not help because there is not way I would be able to do this forever, I would almost rather deal with the IBS and eat foods I enjoy.
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    It would be out of pocket with my insurance and I really can't afford that.

    That's unfortunate. I have not been on a low fiber diet, but I have prepared vegan meals for people with IBS trying to eat low fiber. The people I have cooked for can generally tolerate lower fiber grains (white rice, pasta, lower fiber breads) well, along with lower fiber vegetables. For some reason, cooked vegetables are often better than the same vegetable uncooked (that may be something you can try as well).

    I found this blog post on vegan low fiber diets (I understand you aren't vegan, but there may be some overlap you can apply to your situation): http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2016/01/eating-vegan-food-on-a-low-fiber-diet/

    Thanks janejellyroll, that blog helps! I think I will start having to explore more vegan meat substitutes as mentioned in the article and find ones with a low fiber content. I checked a couple places and most seitans only have 1-2 grams of fiber which would be better then eating meat. I will miss my lentils and beans though. I am also going to research vegan protein powder without a lot of fiber to make sure I am getting adequate protein.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »
    It would be out of pocket with my insurance and I really can't afford that.

    That's unfortunate. I have not been on a low fiber diet, but I have prepared vegan meals for people with IBS trying to eat low fiber. The people I have cooked for can generally tolerate lower fiber grains (white rice, pasta, lower fiber breads) well, along with lower fiber vegetables. For some reason, cooked vegetables are often better than the same vegetable uncooked (that may be something you can try as well).

    I found this blog post on vegan low fiber diets (I understand you aren't vegan, but there may be some overlap you can apply to your situation): http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2016/01/eating-vegan-food-on-a-low-fiber-diet/

    Thanks janejellyroll, that blog helps! I think I will start having to explore more vegan meat substitutes as mentioned in the article and find ones with a low fiber content. I checked a couple places and most seitans only have 1-2 grams of fiber which would be better then eating meat. I will miss my lentils and beans though. I am also going to research vegan protein powder without a lot of fiber to make sure I am getting adequate protein.

    Good luck! My brother found huge relief from his IBS on a lower fiber diet. Over time, he found that he was able to tolerate some foods better despite them having more fiber than some other foods that caused issues for him. His experience was that once his major symptoms were under control, it was easier for him to experiment and tell which foods were okay and which were not.
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    Yeah it does sound like it may help but they just don't take into account vegans or people like me who don't really care for meat when making the list of "approved food". I will double check with my doctor to make sure the meat substitutes are approved but the ones I found online are 1-3 grams of fiber which should be alright! I see a lot of vegan chicken parmesan in my future.
    My GI did mention as well that I may be able to add some foods in over time which would be great but I am not banking on that yet.
  • lorihs1981
    lorihs1981 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    My IBS was finally controlled once I opted for a high fiber Whole Foods plant based diet
  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
    Options
    With my issues high fiber would make things worse. Thanks for the reply though!
  • fittercaitlin
    fittercaitlin Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I’m a Dietetics student, I’m trying to think of ideas of foods low in fibre - I suppose fruit and vegetables are always a good shout, if you tried to avoid having too many oats and things like lentils/beans which are plant-based and quite high in fibre! Maybe only having oats with one meal and substituting with low fibre fruit and veg! Also there are spiralisers which can make spaghetti/noodles out of veg, which may be a substitute for say rice of pasta once in a while which might also help :) good luck!
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Options
    maybe google 'vegan keto' and see what foods pop up (keto tends toward higher fat, so probably a lot of high fat-low fiber foods listed somewhere you can check out).
  • dovnkels
    dovnkels Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Have you tried removing foods containing FODMAPs? My daughter with IBS has been symptom free for over a year by strictly avoiding high FODMAP foods. Give it a google and ask your doctor!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Options
    ritzvin wrote: »
    maybe google 'vegan keto' and see what foods pop up (keto tends toward higher fat, so probably a lot of high fat-low fiber foods listed somewhere you can check out).

    The Low Carber Daily MFP group has a LOT of vegan and vegetarian resources in its launch pad sticky. You might want to join to take a look.

    There are a number of low carbers who do better with reduced plant matter in their diet. I'm one of them. I am not a big meat lover so I tend to eat meats that are not so obviously muscle like ground beef or pork, sausages/smokies, some seafood, or well pounded (minute) steaks/pork with flax breading.

    If I do eat veggies, I eat few if raw, and the rest are cooked. I avoid plants that cause me pain like apples or pears, or a big salad.

    Good luck.
  • dadsafrantic
    dadsafrantic Posts: 183 Member
    Options
    i have some friends one of which had serious ibs. she's a fitness nut (instructor) and discovered that a raw diet worked for her. he went along for moral support they both feel great. i don't know the particulars but it may be worth investigating. i imagine anything would be worth looking into.

    btw their raw diet includes chicken. i know that's exactly what i thought.

Categories