Fitting Diabetes Dietary Advice with a Low Fibre Diet
Why is high fibre recommended for diabetes and pre-diabetes?
If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, you can have more glucose in your blood than is healthy. Glucose is made when your body digests food. Blood glucose ‘spikes’ after food. It can be why your glucose is too high.
A high fibre diet is usually recommended for diabetes and pre-diabetes because fibre helps food to be digested more slowly. This helps to avoid blood glucose spikes. If you cannot eat a high fibre diet, there are other ways to avoid glucose spikes.
Why are low fibre diets needed?
High fibre diets are generally said to be healthy because it is assumed that the body can tolerate fibre. Some people’s bodies cannot tolerate fibre and so they need a low fibre diet.
Low fibre foods have less than 3g fibre per 100g (this information is shown on the product’s nutrition label). Reasons for needing a low fibre diet may be short-term management of diarrhoea or as part of a low residue diet for inflammatory bowel disease or for management of fibre-sensitive types of irritable bowel disease (IBS).
Things to check if you have a low fibre diet
For some people, a low fibre diet can be stopped or relaxed in time. Make sure you have asked your healthcare professional so that you don’t restrict your diet for longer than is needed.
If you need a low fibre diet long-term, please ask for advice to make sure your diet is giving your body all the nutrients it needs. You may need a vitamin supplement.
Please check how strictly you need to avoid fibre. Some people can tolerate a small amount. This could come from one of these low fibre fruit or vegetables per day:
Aubergine, avocado, beetroot, broccoli florets, carrot, cauliflower, courgette, peeled cucumber, garlic, dark green salad leaves, marrow, onion, parsnips, peppers, radish, baby spinach, swede, tomatoes.
Apple, apricot, banana, fruit cocktail, lychees, melon, nectarine, peaches, pears, plums.
Always peel fruit and vegetables. Remove pith and seeds from fruit. Remove stalks and seeds from vegetables. Cook vegetables until they are soft.
How can I help my blood glucose levels on a low fibre diet?
There are three low fibre ways to reduce glucose spikes after eating.
Eat more slowly. If you take more time to eat your food, blood glucose spikes will be lower. This doesn’t work if you end up eating more. Eat the same amount, just slower.
Examples:
Instead of eating a main course and pudding, eat your main course and then have the pudding an hour or two later.
Instead of having a sandwich, crisps and fruit, eat the sandwich and then have the crisps and fruit a couple of hours later.
Instead of a big bowl of cereal, have half a bowl of cereal and then the other half or a slice of toast later.
Instead of having 4 biscuits, have 2 and the other 2 a couple of hours later.
Eat balanced meals and snacks. Starchy and sugary foods are called carbs (carbohydrates). Carbs are the main foods that give your body glucose. Eating carbs on their own, makes blood glucose spike highest. Add protein, healthy fats, dairy (and/or vegetables if you can tolerate the fibre, see page 1) to your carbs at both meals and snacks, to slow down the spikes.
Starchy and sugary foods (also known as ‘carbs’) = Bread, potato, rice, pasta, pastry, cereal, flavoured yoghurts, chocolate, sweets. Eating these foods last in a meal or snack will have the biggest effect on slowing down the blood glucose spike.
Protein foods = Meat, fish, eggs, tofu.
Healthy fats = Olive oil, oily fish
Dairy = Natural yoghurt, cream cheese, cheese.
Choose low GI (Glycaemic Index) foods. Some types of carb foods naturally release their glucose more slowly. They are:
Potato: New potato and sweet potato (peeled to remove the fibre).
Rice: Basmati or quick-cook
Bread: Sourdough
Other tips for looking after your diabetes health
Stay well hydrated
Most people need about 2 litres of fluid a day.
Keep as fit as you can. Try not to sit still for long periods of time if you don’t have to. Any kind of exercise helps, including walking, moving, seated exercise, lifting weights. For help to be more active, contact LiveWell Dorset on 0800 840 1628 or visit www.livewelldorset.co.uk
You can also scan the QR code below:
Look after your mental health
Most people feel down at some time in their life. Reach out for help if you do. Steps 2 Wellbeing supports people with anxiety or low mood. You can call them on 0800 484 0500 or visit www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk.
You can also scan the QR code below:
Look after your mental health
Get the best sleep that you can There are tips for getting restful sleep on the NHS website – www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia
You can also scan the QR code below:
Contact Numbers
If you have questions or would like more advice on food and diabetes, please contact the person/team who gave you this leaflet.
About this leaflet:
Author: Isabel Hooley, Diabetes Dietitian
Written: June 2026
Approved: July 2026
Review Date: June 2029
Edition: 1.0
If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, please email dch.patientinformation.leaflets@nhs.net
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