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Low-Fiber Diets
Some people with cancer will need to follow a low-fiber diet. Here are some reasons you might need to be on a low-fiber diet and what to eat if you need to follow one.
What is dietary fiber?
In food, dietary fiber (often just called fiber) is the part we can't digest. Fiber is found in many plant foods, including beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Dietary fiber adds bulk to your stools and helps keep them soft and easier to pass. However, fiber can also make it hard to have bowel movement if you have certain medical problems.
What are soluble and insoluble fiber?
Dietary fiber can be either soluble or insoluble.
Soluble fiber draws water into the intestines and becomes a gel. It can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in the stomach. It helps move food through your digestive system and add bulk to your stools to help prevent constipation.
Many fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain both types of fiber.
What is a low-fiber diet?
A low-fiber diet means you mostly eat foods that don’t have a lot of fiber. This diet reduces the amount of undigested food moving through your intestines, so that your body makes a smaller amount of stool.
Foods with little soluble fiber can often be eaten in small amounts (depending on why you're on a low-fiber diet) because the soft fiber gel doesn't irritate the intestines the same way.
Why would you need a low-fiber diet?
If you have certain medical problems, are having surgery, or are getting certain treatments for cancer, you may be told to eat less fiber to rest your bowels (or intestines). You might need to be on a low-fiber diet if you:
- Have diarrhea
- Have damage to your intestine from radiation
- Are recovering from having part of your colon or rectum removed, or getting a colostomy or ileostomy
- Have a chronic bowel obstruction
You might also need a low-fiber diet to prepare for a screening colonoscopy.
Starting a low-fiber diet
Here are some low-fiber foods and tips on how to cook them.
A “low-residue diet” is more limited, including fiber and other foods that might be difficult to digest. If you are on a “low-residue diet,” talk with your health care team before making food choices.
Bake, broil, or poach proteins. Try preparing stews, casseroles, sandwiches, and soups using ingredients on the approved lists. Scramble, poach, or boil eggs; or make omelets, soufflés, custard, puddings, and casseroles.
- Chickey or turkey (skinless)
- Tofu
- Fish and shellfish
- Smooth peanut butter
- Eggs
You can use these items in desserts, snacks, or bread in small-to-medium amounts, as long as they don’t cause problems for you.
- Milk, chocolate milk, buttermilk, and milk drinks
- Yogurt without seeds or granola
- Sour cream
- Cheese
- Cottage cheese
- Custard or pudding
- Ice cream or frozen desserts (without nuts)
- Cream sauces, soups, and casseroles
Use white flour for baking and making sauces. Grains, such as white rice, Cream of Wheat, or grits, should be well-cooked. Include grains in casseroles, dumplings, soufflés, and pudding.
• White breads, waffles, French toast, plain white rolls, or white bread toast
• Pretzels
• Plain pasta or noodles
• White rice
• Crackers, zwieback, melba, and matzoh (no cracked wheat or whole grains)
• Cooked refined cereals
You can also eat these with cream sauces, or in soups, soufflés, and casseroles.
- Tender, well-cooked fresh or canned vegetables without seeds, stems, or skins
- Cooked sweet or white potatoes without skins
- Strained vegetable juices without pulp or spices
These can be used in smoothies, frozen desserts, puddings, cakes, and sauces.
- Soft canned or cooked fruit without seeds or skins (small amounts)
- Small amounts of well-ripened banana
- Strained or clear juices
- Small amounts of soft cantaloupe or honeydew melon
- Cookies, graham crackers, and saltines
- Custard and gelatin (Jell-O)
- Sherbet, sorbet, and popsicles
- Mayonnaise and salad dressings (without seeds)
- Margarine, butter, cream, and oils
- Plain gravies
- Plain bouillon and broth
- Ketchup and mild mustard
- Sugar, honey, and syrup
- Clear jellies
- Hard candy and marshmallows
- Plain chocolate
Tips for being on a low-fiber diet
When you are on a low-fiber diet, you will probably have less frequent and smaller bowel movements. Drinking plenty of fluids and getting regular physical activity can help keep your digestive system working its best.
If you have questions about this diet, talk with your cancer care team or ask to be referred to a registered dietitian. They can also tell you if and when you can go back to your normal diet.
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Alvarez-Gonzalez MA, Pantaleon MA, Flores-Le Roux JA, et al. Randomized Clinical Trial: A Normocaloric Low-Fiber Diet the Day Before Colonoscopy Is the Most Effective Approach to Bowel Preparation in Colorectal Cancer Screening Colonoscopy. Dis Colon Rectum. 2019;62(4):491-497.
National Cancer Institute. Low-Fiber Foods. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/nutrition/low-fiber-foods on December 16, 2025.
UpToDate. Patient education: Low-fiber diet (The Basics). Updated 2024. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/high-fiber-diet-beyond-the-basics on December 11, 2025.
Vanhauwaert E, Matthys C, Verdonck L, De Preter V. Low-residue and low-fiber diets in gastrointestinal disease management. Adv Nutr. 2015;6(6):820-827.
Last Revised: December 23, 2025
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