Who Should Follow a Low-Fiber Diet?
So when it is useful to have a low-fiber diet? It is helpful to keep fiber intake below 10 grams a day when the bowel is having some acute problems, such as abdominal pain, delayed gastric (stomach) emptying, diarrhea, strictures, obstructions, diverticulitis or inflammatory bowel disease flare. A stricture is a narrowing of the intestiine that makes it harder for material to pass through, and an obstruction is a blockage in the intestine. When such situations occur, dietary fiber can irritate the bowel because it is bulky and undigestible material, thereby causing pain. Dietary fiber also slows stomach emptying, which may worsen delayed gastric emptying. Individuals with this diagnosis, or those who feel full easily, can benefit from following a low-fiber diet. In the case of diarrhea, fiber in the diet can make bowel movements more frequent, or it can improve diarrhea by absorbing some of the fluid that is in the intestine — the effect is not always predictable. But often times, whe
