Nutrition Guide for Small Bowel Syndrome (SBS)

Good Choices for Breads and Grains

• Sliced breads
• Pita bread
• Naan bread
• Rolls
• Bagels
• English muffins
• Plain waffles or pancakes
• Corn bread
• Plain muffins
• Plain banana, carrot, or zucchini bread
• Toasted tortillas: white, whole wheat, or corn
• Pasta, macaroni, or noodles
• Rice: white, brown, or wild
• Biscuits (no gravy)
• Bread sticks
• Bread stuffing

Not-so-good choices

• Donuts
• Sweet rolls
• Pop-Tarts
• Pastries (see dessert section)
• Pancakes or waffles with syrup or jelly

Good Choices for Cereals

• Unsweetened cereals with a small amount of milk or dry, such as:
  • Cheerios
  • Cornflakes
  • Rice Krispies
  • Rice Chex
  • Spoonfuls
  • Special K
  • Kix
  • Puffed rice or wheat
• Hot cereals, such as:
  • Cream of rice
  • Cream of wheat
  • Grits
  • Oatmeal

Not-so-good choices

• Sugary cereals, such as:
  • Honey Nut Cheerios
  • Frosted Flakes
  • Coco Puffs
  • Fruit Loops
• Flavored hot cereals, such as:
  • Maple or apple cinnamon oatmeal

Good Choices for Starchy Vegetables

• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes, yams
• Plantain
• Baked French fries
• Butternut squash
• Pumpkin squash

Not-so-good choices

• Creamed vegetables
• If you do not have a colon, limit legumes, such as: 
  • Lima beans
  • Kidney beans
  • Black beans
  • Pinto beans
  • Refried beans

Good Choices for Fruits

• Unsweetened canned fruit (limit 1 cup per day), such as:
  • Applesauce
  • Pears
  • Peaches
  • Mandarin oranges
  • Apricots
  • Cherries
  • Plums
• Bananas
• 1/4 cup of fresh fruit 2 times a day

Not-so-good choices

• Dried fruits
• Fruit canned in juice or syrup
• Fruit juice
• Fruit drinks with high fructose corn syrup, such as Capri-Sun

Good Choices for Snacks, Crackers, and Chips

• Saltine crackers
• Club crackers
• Soda crackers
• Oyster crackers
• Matzoh crackers
• Goldfish
• Pretzels
• Rice cakes
• Bagel snack crackers
• Corn or potato chips
• Reduced fat potato chips

Not-so-good choices

• Granola bars
• Flavor-coated popcorn, such as Cracker Jacks
• If you do not have a colon, limit high fiber snacks, such as 
  • Popcorn 
  • Kettle corn

Good Choices for Desserts

• Animal crackers (no frosting)
• Graham crackers
• Gingersnaps
• Vanilla wafers
• Angel food cake
• Shortbread
• Plain pound cake
• Cake donuts (no frosting, sugar, or sprinkles)
• Marshmallows

Not-so-good choices

• Cake with frosting
• Cookies with frosting
• Snack cakes, such as Little Debbies
• Pie
• Ice cream and sherbet
• Popsicles
• Pudding
• Brownies
• Candy
• Frosted marshmallows
• Donuts
• Sweetened gelatin fruit snacks

Vegetables

Good Choices for Vegetables

• Cooked carrots, squash, zucchini, eggplant, turnips, or beets
• Small amounts (unless not tolerated) of:
  • Leafy greens (romaine, spinach, red lettuce, collard greens, kale)
  • Cucumber
  • Radishes
  • Green, red, and yellow peppers
  • Tomatoes

Not-so-good choices

• Creamed vegetables
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Onions
• Leeks

Fat

Good Choices for Fat

(You may need to limit fats. Talk with your provider or dietitian.)

• Oils and salad dressings (full fat)
• Miracle Whip
• Butter or margarine
• Nuts and nut butters
• Cheese
• Cream cheese
• Avocado
• Olives
• Sesame paste (tahini)
• Bacon
• Coconut (shredded)

Not-so-good choices

• Sweetened cream cheeses, such as strawberry and honey nut
• Honey butter
• Flavored nut butters
• Cream
• Half and half

Protein

Good Choices for Meat

• Poultry (chicken or turkey)
• Beef (flank steak, tenderloin, ground beef, meatloaf)
• Lamb
• Pork (ham, Canadian bacon, pork chop)
• Fish (fresh or canned)
• Shellfish (clams, crab, lobster, scallops, shrimp)
• Game (duck, pheasant, venison, buffalo, bison)

Not-so-good choices

• Fried:
  • Meat
  • Fish
  • Poultry

Good Choices for Dairy

(If not lactose intolerant)

• Regular cheeses (American, cheddar, Swiss, Monterey jack, mozzarella, feta, parmesan)
• Cottage cheese
• Ricotta
• Plain yogurt or yogurt sweetened with artificial sweeteners
• Plain milk
• Buttermilk
• Plain soy
• Tofu

Not-so-good choices

• Sweetened yogurts
• Kefir
• Eggnog
• Chocolate or other flavored milks
• Flavored soy or rice milks
• Cream
• Half and half

Good Choices for Eggs

• Poached
• Hard or soft cooked
• Omelet
• Scrambled

Not-so-good choices

• Eggs with ingredients that are not allowed

Good Choices for Nuts

• If permitted: peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts
• Peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower seed, or soy butters

Not-so-good choices

• Nutella
• Flavored nut butters
• Nut butters with jelly mixed in

Seasonings

Good Choices for Seasonings

• Salt, pepper, herbs, spices, garlic
• Dill pickles
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Vinegar
• Tabasco or hot pepper sauce
• Sugar substitutes, such as:
  • Splenda
  • Equal
  • Sweet ’N Low
• Unsweetened cocoa powder

Not-so-good choices

• White or brown sugar
• Maple or other syrups, such as Karo and high fructose corn syrup
• Jams and jellies
• Chocolate or other flavored syrups
• Honey
• Molasses
• Nutella
• Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol) in sugar-free gum and candy

Drinks

Good Choices for Drinks

• Oral rehydration solutions, such as:
  • Ceralyte
  • DripDrop
  • WHO formula
  • Pedialite (or store brand)
• Soups and broth
• 6 ounces of lactaid milk if allowed
• Limit water

Not-so-good choices

• More than 4 ounces of coffee, tea, or ice tea each day
• Flavored or sweetened coffees or teas
• Hot cocoa
• Ovaltine and Nesquick
• Fruit juices and fruit drinks
• Drinks with high fructose corn syrup
• Kool-Aid and Tang
• Sodas (all kinds)
• Sugar free drinks
• Alcohol
• Liquid nutritional supplements, such as:
  • Boost
  • Ensure
  • Other store brands