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Foods to include

Foods to avoid/limit

Food group

Low fibre foods

Higher fibre foods

Cereals

All ‘low fibre’ cereals e.g. Cornflakes, Frosties®, Rice Krispies®, Ricicles®, Sugar Puffs®, Coco Pops®, millet flakes.

High fibre cereals, e.g. Branflakes, Weetabix®, Shredded Wheat®, muesli, All Bran®, Ready Brek®, porridge. Cereal with dried fruit, nuts or seeds.

Bread

White bread, white rolls and plain buns including white bagels, English muffins, waffles, pancakes, white pitta, flour tortilla, plain chapatti and poppadoms.

Any bread product made from wholegrain flour, bran, rye, nuts, seeds or dried fruits, including wholemeal, granary, high fibre, multigrain and currant or malt bread. Fruit muffins, scones and pastries.

Biscuits

All plain or cream biscuits e.g. Rich Tea, Nice biscuits, custard creams, ginger nuts, wafers.

High fibre biscuits such as digestives or wholemeal crackers. Biscuits containing fruit or nuts e.g. Garibaldi, nut cookies, flapjacks.

Other grain products

White rice, white pasta, white noodles, semolina, tapioca, sago.

Wheat bran, barley, wholewheat pasta, popcorn, wholemeal and brown pasta, wholemeal flour, brown rice, couscous pearl barley and quinoa.

Foods to include

Foods to avoid/limit

Food group

Low fibre foods

Higher fibre foods

Vegetables

1-2 portions/day

(1 portion = 3 tablespoons)

Eat flesh only (no seeds, peel, pith or stalks). Can include potatoes

well boiled and mashed. Soft – well cooked ‘pulpy’ vegetables including mashed, pureed and creamed varieties such as mashed potato or mashed sweet potato, pureed squash, pureed swede, carrots, peeled courgette, peeled aubergine.  Peeled, finely chopped and cooked onions and mushrooms e.g. in cottage pie.

Tinned tomatoes, passata and tomato puree.

Smooth or sieved soup. Strained vegetable juices.

All vegetable seeds, peel, pith or stalks. Avoid raw or cooked ‘stringy’ vegetables including, cabbage, curly kale, celery, sweetcorn, cucumber, leeks, peppers, peas, pumpkin, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, and sprouts.

All raw vegetables and salad.  

Soup with pieces e.g. minestrone.

Vegetable juices with pulp.

Fruit

1-2 portions/day

(1 portion = 3 tablespoons)

Eat flesh only (no seeds, peel, pith or stalks). Can include tinned apricots, peaches and pears. Ripe fresh fruit without skins or seeds such as peeled apple or pear. Ripe bananas.

Stewed fruit (no skins/seeds).

All fruit juices and fruit-flavoured drinks without pulp.

All fruit seeds, peel, pith, stones or stalks, including all citrus fruits e.g. oranges, grapefruit, lemons etc.,

kiwi, raspberries and strawberries as they contain seeds. Pineapple and other ‘stringy fruits’ e.g. mango. All dried fruit eg raisins, prunes, dates and figs.

Raw tomatoes.

Smoothies, all fruit juices with pulp

and prune juice.

Meat, fish and alternatives

All tender lean meat e.g. beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, corned beef, ham, gammon, bacon, liver, kidney, veal and rabbit.

Fish e.g. cod, haddock, plaice and salmon. They can be grilled, baked, poached or steamed.

Eggs and tofu.

Grisly, tough or fatty meats and tough skin including meat pies, pasties, sausages and crackling.

Fish with lots of small bones e.g. pilchards.

Quorn.

Pulses including baked beans, butter beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils (if vegetarian, discuss with dietitian).

Foods to include

Foods to avoid/limit

Food group

Low fibre foods

Higher fibre foods

Milk and milk products

All types of milk, cream, sour cream, crème fraiche, fromage frais, smooth yoghurt, butter, margarine and cheese.

Any milk product containing fruits, nuts, seeds or cereals, including yoghurt, cheese with added  fruit or nuts.

Sweets and puddings

Custard, ice cream, milk puddings, clear jelly, smooth coconut milk and frozen yoghurt.

All plain cakes e.g. Madeira cakes, Victoria sponge and iced buns.

Hard candy, plain/milk/white chocolate, toffee, fudge, mints, fruit gums, pastilles, jelly sweets and marshmallows.

Ice cream containing fruit and nuts.

Any cakes, puddings and pies

including any of the following ingredients: wholemeal flour, dried fruit, nuts, dried coconut and any fruits that should be avoided.

Chocolate with dried fruit, nuts or seeds.

Drinks

Water, soft drinks or herbal tea.    Limit caffeine to 3 cups per day (e.g. tea, coffee). Alcohol: Men and women should not regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. Ideally, this should be spread evenly over three days or more.

Caffeine-containing drinks such as espresso, energy drinks and cola (see section ‘Useful tips’ for more information about this).

Miscellaneous

Oils, salad dressings, ketchup, gravy, soy sauce, pepper, salt, herbs and spices in moderation (dried or finely chopped).

Jelly-type jams (e.g. lemon curd), sugar, artificial sweeteners, honey, golden syrup and treacle.

Plain pretzels (without sesame seeds), crisps and mini cheddars.

Wholegrain mustard, pickles, relish, houmous, coleslaw, chutney and liquorice root.

Jam or marmalade with skin, peel or pips, peanut butter and mincemeat.

Popcorn, corn chips. All nuts and seeds including pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds.