A low-residue diet is also called a low-residue diet. A low-residue diet refers to any food ingredient that cannot be digested and remains in the intestinal tract to form stool. A low-residue diet refers to a low content of the above food ingredient. A diet that is easy for patients to digest and absorb. The use of a less dregs diet is mainly to reduce the friction stimulation of various food ingredients that can form dregs on gastrointestinal mucosa, so as to slow down intestinal peristalsis and reduce the number and amount of feces. As early as 1900, this diet was widely recommended for use when many gastrointestinal symptoms occur or gastrointestinal diseases occur.
Initially, the mini-dregs diet included lean meat, rice, boiled eggs, sugar other than lactose, a small amount of fruit juice, coffee and tea. Later, the mini-dregs diet gradually added filtered vegetable juice, white spaghetti, bread and grains made of refined flour, and milk.
What kind of patients is the diet with less residue suitable for?
Less slag diet is also widely used clinically. It is suitable for the following groups:
- Patients with various acute enteritis, inflammatory bowel disease, typhoid fever and dysentery; Patients with colonic diverticulitis and intestinal tumor; Patients with small amount of hemorrhage in digestive system; Patients before and after intestinal surgery; Patients with intestinal and esophageal stenosis; Patients with esophageal varices.
In previous textbooks, Patients after intestinal surgery do not advocate early diet with less residue, However, a randomized clinical trial recently published in the journal Annals of Surgery shows that starting a low-residue diet within 24 hours after colorectal surgery will not only not increase postoperative complications, but also reduce nausea, promote intestinal function recovery and shorten hospitalization time, compared with a no-residue diet.
Dietary Principles of Less Residue Diet
- Limit the amount of dietary fiber. Use as little or no dietary fiber-rich foods as possible, such as celery, leeks, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, etc., fruits such as pineapples, coarse grains, whole beans, nuts such as walnuts, peanuts, almonds, etc. to reduce the irritation to the intestinal wall and stimulate intestinal peristalsis and fecal formation.
- The number of meals per meal should not be large, and it is advisable to eat a small amount of more meals. According to the patient’s condition, give less residue semi-liquid or less residue soft food, and convert it into common food in time.
- Cooking methods. First of all, the food chosen should be easy to digest. Secondly, cut up and boil the food. Avoid cooking methods such as frying and frying. Avoid seasonings such as chili, pepper and curry.
- Vitamins and mineral preparations can be supplemented when necessary. Due to the limitation of food choices, dietary nutrients are difficult to balance, and vitamin C and certain minerals are easily deficient due to the restriction of vegetables and fruits.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Less Residue Diet
Although low-residue diet is widely used in clinical practice at home and abroad, it is worth noting that recently, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) removed low-residue diet from the Nutrition and Health Manual, on the grounds that [residue] is difficult to characterize and there is no scientific consensus on low-residue diet in the industry. In addition, the evidence on the benefits of low-residue diet is not sufficient.
ADA also recommends replacing [slag] with [dietary fiber], In order to clarify the composition. Whether this proposal is quickly accepted and popularized clinically or not, It is conceivable that patients who eat a low-dregs diet may lack essential vitamins and minerals for a long time because of strict restrictions on the intake of dregs, the inevitable avoidance of fibre-containing vegetables and fruits, and the restriction of many kinds of food, it is impossible for patients to get a balanced diet. In view of this, patients who eat a low-dregs diet may lack necessary vitamins and minerals for a long time.
Unless the disease requires, less dregs diet should not be used for a long time. Long-term lack of dietary fiber is easy to cause constipation, hemorrhoids, intestinal diverticulum and colon tumor diseases, and is also easy to lead to hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis and diabetes, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust in time when the disease improves.
Responsible Editor: Ji Lingyan