A vegan diet is seen by many as being very limiting. Upon beginning my life as a vegan, I must admit, the “limits” seemed somewhat daunting. But like many vegans, my eyes soon widened to the bountiful options a vegan is privy too. Especially in present times, we have so many new cookbooks, restaurants and food products catering to our lifestyle to choose from. My vegan path narrowed again when I chose to exclude most processed foods and focus on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Again what seemed like strict limitations at first proved not so challenging as I so greatly enjoyed the foods I was eating, and appreciated the fruits of the earth even more when I consumed them close to their natural forms.
Then I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The tumors were large and imposing and one was threatening to completely obstruct my gastrointestinal tract. My surgeon, however, did not want to operate immediately in hopes of treating me with chemotherapy before removing the tumors. This meant I had to do everything possible to prevent the tumors from becoming obstructions. I was immediately put on a “low residue” diet by my doctors, with this in mind. Most people who are put on this sort of diet encounter a program that is slightly less limiting than “low residue” called a “low fiber diet." These diets exclude all whole grains, most vegetables, most raw fruits, nuts, seeds, and pretty much everything else we’ve learned are “healthy” as vegans. Generally, medical professionals know that these diets are not nutritionally favorable for anyone. The reasons that people are prescribed them are immediate issues of safety, such as a threatening condition in the gastrointestinal tract. The colon processes fiber, and so if you are trying not to irritate your colon, it makes sense to exclude it. Low fiber and low residue diets are generally temporary, so though you will lose out on the nutritional benefits of certain foods for some time, they do not pose a permanent threat. I never went off of my vegan diet when put on a low residue / low fiber diet. Now that I’ve learned to navigate this type of diet as a vegan, I've even been able to dine in restaurants regularly when on them (like earlier this year when I had some post-surgery complications). You just need to know a few tricks.
When on a low fiber diet I focus on two food groups: starch and protein. This doesn’t necessarily add up to healthful eating, but it helps me to avoid days of eating predominantly white starches, which is an easy trap to fall into. Given the parameters of the diet, it would be simple to eat a bagel for brunch, and then pasta for dinner, every day. In the starch category are (non-whole grain) breads, pastas, crackers, processed cereals, white rice, white potatoes without skin, etc. Some people define rice cakes as low fiber and some do not, so please check with someone in your doctor’s office before adding them to your diet. Some vegan low fiber safe starches are Ritz crackers, Rice Krispies, Thomas New York Style Bagels (plain), and white pastas (such as Ronzoni – but read the ingredients list to make sure what you’re buying is vegan). In my second, protein food group there is a vast variety of processed soy products. On a low fiber diet I give myself full permission to indulge in any and all of these processed products that I normally avoid, such as vegan sliced meats and cheeses. Tofu (including seasoned tofus) is a great source of protein that is allowed on this diet. My absolute favorite vegan low fiber food is soy yogurt. It provides protein and is very good for you if you are taking antibiotics (which some people on a low fiber diet will be on because of their related medical conditions). The soy yogurt flavors that are low fiber diet friendly are vanilla, plain, peach, and anything that doesn’t have seeds (like raspberry) or skin (like blueberry or cherry). It’s great for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
Although your intake of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is hugely limited on this diet, it is not completely excluded. I recommend stocking up on tomato sauce for pasta, tomato soup, canned beets, asparagus (you can eat asparagus tips), baby carrots (these must be cooked well), and bananas. You can also eat apple sauce, and canned cooked fruit (though I am personally not a fan of canned cooked fruit). You can drink fruit juices but not with pulp, so apple juice and pulp-free orange juice are fine. You can also eat approximately two tablespoons of creamy (ONLY CREAMY) peanut butter a day. Two tablespoons may not seem like a lot, but if you are looking for a great vegan low fiber breakfast, you could have some creamy peanut butter on crackers and a soy yogurt. Two tablespoons will be more than enough!
Given all of those ingredients I’m sure you can come up with some great meals for yourself, but here are some ideas if you’re having trouble, or looking for additional options:
Breakfast:
plain bagel w/ plain vegan cream cheese
crackers w/ creamy peanut butter, and soy yogurt
tofu scramble (w/o vegetables) and potatoes (no skin)
Rice Krispies w/ soy milk and sliced bananas
vegan banana chocolate chip muffins
Lunch:
sandwich using white bread w/ vegan meat slices and vegan sliced cheese, Vegenaise and yellow mustard
sandwich w/ vegan egg salad (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s recipe of tofu & Vegenaise seasoned to taste with cumin and turmeric)
tomato soup topped with a few shakes of vegan parmesan cheese and a few dots of hot pepper sauce, w/ a banana on the side.
Dinner:
spaghetti w/ marinara sauce, accompanied by steamed asparagus tips and baby carrots on the side (seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice)
white rice w/ sliced steamed tofu (seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce) w/ a side of steamed baby carrots
vegan pizza w/ vegan pepperoni slices.
Some additional great low fiber vegan foods you can cook yourself are vegan pancakes (plain, with bananas, or with chocolate chips), plain vegan scones, and vegan chocolate chip cookies! AND you can freely eat all of those great vegan desserts (as long as they’re not made with whole grains) such as vegan “Death by Chocolate” cake from Vegan Treats (www.vegantreats.com), Newman’s Own “Newman-Os”, and non-dairy frozen desserts such as Soy Delicious (just make sure there aren’t nuts in them).
Now a low fiber diet isn’t sounding so bad, is it!?
While I was going through all of my treatments for colon and rectal cancers, I spent a lot of time at the social networking website started by Kris Carr, my.crazysexylife.com. The site, and Kris, encourages a positive, vegan, spiritual, and passionate approach to life and living in the face of health challenges, especially cancer.
