Menu plans for Low Fiber diet

I was put on low fiber diet by NP (nurse praactioner). I was given a sheet of paper with generic "what I can eat and drink on a low-fiber diet" and "what foods and drinks to avoid" but what I need are specific meals. I am 72 and spent most my life eating traditional foods like sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna. So to tell what to avoid without what to replace it with is an exercise in futility! I did internet search and found Roswell Park low fiber diet patient education page with one menu suggestion for a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which by the way resembles a baby's menu with no solid foods, but I can't find any extended menus. My NP wants me to do this for 30 days. Does anyone have any serious ideas of where to find at least a week's menu plan?
Thanks for reading.

Replies

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,321 Member
    I can't really help you with this. Things like sausage, hamburger (the meat), seafood, etc are all foods without fiber. The best suggestion I have is log meals in your food diary and see how much fiber is in them. Then you can remove or replace the things that have too much fiber. I caution you that the database here is user submitted, so it would be wise to verify the numbers with something like the USDA site before simply trusting them since some people don't care about fiber and didn't bother to add it. All the best.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,234 Member
    Low Fiber? (specifically NOT high fiber?).... I don't see *any* fiber in foods like sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna. I suppose some sausages could have additional ingredients that would amount to a gram of fiber that would amount to about 3% of what a typical fiber recommendation (not low fiber) would be. So by definition the foods you mention are all low fiber.

    I mean steak and eggs with white bread and potatoes WITHOUT skin would have pretty much ZERO fiber! A cheeseburger would also have zero fiber if the bread is not selected to be whole wheat or multigrain etc (plain white, commercial, is usually zero fiber per 100g unless it has been fortified).
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    I think fiber needs to be low in a diverticulities diet. Maybe worth looking into recipes for this.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,736 Member
    I've had to do low fiber/low residue diets in the past (and will in future). Those lists you can google are great. My favorites are the ones which include cheesecake (never went there tho :))

    I can't offer actual meal suggestions because I don't really eat "meals" but I can offer some tips.

    1. You really did list a lot of proteins which don't have much fiber in them. Eat protein for satiety's sake.
    2. The BRAT diet is always brought up. Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.
    3. Which basically means eat your white carbs and unpeeled fruit.
    4. Low fiber doesn't mean no fiber. I think the consensus online was about 15g of fiber is considered low. Not sure if your NP told you how many to shoot for so you can eat low fiber veggies to get those in.

    Good luck :)

  • ggivensjr
    ggivensjr Posts: 8 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Low Fiber? (specifically NOT high fiber?).... I don't see *any* fiber in foods like sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna. I suppose some sausages could have additional ingredients that would amount to a gram of fiber that would amount to about 3% of what a typical fiber recommendation (not low fiber) would be. So by definition the foods you mention are all low fiber.

    I mean steak and eggs with white bread and potatoes WITHOUT skin would have pretty much ZERO fiber! A cheeseburger would also have zero fiber if the bread is not selected to be whole wheat or multigrain etc (plain white, commercial, is usually zero fiber per 100g unless it has been fortified).

    I appreciate your response but you're are wrong. Lunch meats are processed meats and are a no, no when on a low-fiber diet.
    I'm not just looking for food types but for menu suggestions and even recipes for dishes that are low-fiber.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,754 Member
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Low Fiber? (specifically NOT high fiber?).... I don't see *any* fiber in foods like sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna. I suppose some sausages could have additional ingredients that would amount to a gram of fiber that would amount to about 3% of what a typical fiber recommendation (not low fiber) would be. So by definition the foods you mention are all low fiber.

    I mean steak and eggs with white bread and potatoes WITHOUT skin would have pretty much ZERO fiber! A cheeseburger would also have zero fiber if the bread is not selected to be whole wheat or multigrain etc (plain white, commercial, is usually zero fiber per 100g unless it has been fortified).

    I appreciate your response but you're are wrong. Lunch meats are processed meats and are a no, no when on a low-fiber diet.
    I'm not just looking for food types but for menu suggestions and even recipes for dishes that are low-fiber.

    I mean, honestly, if you're so knowledgeable about a low fiber diet, then just.... do it. Of course you can find meal plans for it online. But you'll probably have to pay for it.
  • ggivensjr
    ggivensjr Posts: 8 Member
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.

    Thanks for responding (without the snarkiness). Did the internet search before I posted here and I just get lists like what I was given by the doctor. I guess I should have been more specific and asked for "low-fiber menu" suggestions. I will do what has been suggested in past post and see a RD (registered dietician).
  • ggivensjr
    ggivensjr Posts: 8 Member
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.

    Thanks for responding (without the snarkiness). Did the internet search before I posted here and I just get lists like what I was given by the doctor. I guess I should have been more specific and asked for "low-fiber menu" suggestions. I will do what has been suggested in past post and see a RD (registered dietician).
    I found this.
    https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/low-fiber-diet-recipes/rcs-20534074
  • ggivensjr
    ggivensjr Posts: 8 Member
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.

    Found this https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/low-fiber-diet-recipes/rcs-20534074
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,234 Member
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    I appreciate your response but you're are wrong. Lunch meats are processed meats and are a no, no when on a low-fiber diet. I'm not just looking for food types but for menu suggestions and even recipes for dishes that are low-fiber.

    I appreciate that my previous comment did not address the intent of your question and I applaud and encourage your decision to seek the input of a Registered Dietician.

    However for the sake of clarity I did not, in my post, address the use of "low fiber diet" in the context of a "named" diet with specific rules not having anything to do with the chosen name, but addressed the "obvious" aspect of the amount of fiber in the particular types of food you listed

    If you will, you can take my post as my surprise at the name chosen for the named diet when it appears (per your writings) to exclude the use of items that do NOT contain any fiber.

    I hasten to add that the first two google hits on low fiber diet rules from University of Michigan and "mayoclinic" (I would consider the first more authoritative than the second to be honest) neither specifically include nor specifically exclude processed meats. Healthline's article includes processed meats with tough meats as the last line item. Sunybrook Hospital lists 10-15g of fiber per day (about half to 1/3 of what would be normal fiber recommendations) and again, on my quick read through, makes no specific mention (pro or con) of processed meats though they are one of two places that include "turkey sandwich" as a lunch suggestion.

    While I can take no position as to whether the items you initially listed in your post should be included, or should be excluded, from YOUR specific "named" low fiber diet as discussed with your NP, I DO stand by the position that "sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna" do NOT contain significant amounts of fiber and thus I continue to be surprised that they are excluded (as per your writing) from a diet called "low fiber"

    The U-Michigan links lists under "foods recommended" -- "ground, well cooked/tender beef, lab, ham, veal, pork, fish, poultry, and organ meat-eggs."

    Your mileage may vary. The above may or may not be included in the diet suggested to you specifically by YOUR doctor or NP, but let's not go nuts here and conclude that sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna are sources of fiber. Sorry. They are not.

    I do hope you do get to the bottom of whatever ails you and that you end up navigating to a happy path moving forward.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    edited October 2023
    Hey TO, I understand you're asking for low-fibre recipes. I think you need to figure out yourself what to eat because we don't know exactly what you're allowed to eat and what not. Looks like the usual recipe websites seem to ignore this kind of diet, but there's a fair bit on instagram. You need to figure out what you can cook from this or how to adjust recipes that are not totally perfect to what you can eat. You need to learn to cook this food. Nobody can do that for you. It's probably not what you want to hear, but this is a fact you need to get your head around. I'm sure that once this realization has sunken in you will manage just fine, and put delicious meals on the table. You can do this.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.

    Thanks for responding (without the snarkiness). Did the internet search before I posted here and I just get lists like what I was given by the doctor. I guess I should have been more specific and asked for "low-fiber menu" suggestions. I will do what has been suggested in past post and see a RD (registered dietician).

    Sorry--I cook a lot everyday and don't have menus. I just make up my own as I go along. I take the ingredients and just cook something. I forget not everyone does that.

    I think seeing a dietician to start is a good idea. Once you get going, you'll find it isn't difficult. Good luck.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited October 2023
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    I was put on low fiber diet by NP (nurse praactioner). I was given a sheet of paper with generic "what I can eat and drink on a low-fiber diet" and "what foods and drinks to avoid" but what I need are specific meals. I am 72 and spent most my life eating traditional foods like sausage, hamburger, seafood, and lunch meats like salami and bologna. So to tell what to avoid without what to replace it with is an exercise in futility! I did internet search and found Roswell Park low fiber diet patient education page with one menu suggestion for a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which by the way resembles a baby's menu with no solid foods, but I can't find any extended menus. My NP wants me to do this for 30 days. Does anyone have any serious ideas of where to find at least a week's menu plan?
    Thanks for reading.
    ggivensjr wrote: »
    I did a google search--low fiber foods. There were lists on there. Take a look.

    Thanks for responding (without the snarkiness). Did the internet search before I posted here and I just get lists like what I was given by the doctor. I guess I should have been more specific and asked for "low-fiber menu" suggestions. I will do what has been suggested in past post and see a RD (registered dietician).

    I'm glad you're going to see an RD. After that, perhaps give feedback to the NP (whose guidance was wholly inadequate) and share what you got from the RD.