diverticulosis (a condition that may lead to diverticulitis). A Mayo Clinic review from 2011 showed that a high-fiber diet can prevent diverticular disease. Aviation In preparation for long-duration toiletless military flights, the crew is sometimes instructed to have a low-residue meal as their last meal before the flight. For example, this was the case with Blackbird pilots. Terminology Most sources treat low-fiber and low-residue diets as identical, but some make a distinction based on the difference between fiber and residue. Dietary fiber is the indigestible part of food made from plants. Residue includes not only fiber but also other materials found in the colon after digestion. When this distinction is made, a low-fiber diet simply reduces fiber intake by eliminating or limiting high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables. A low-residue diet includes restrictions on foods such as dairy products, which do not contain fiber but do develop residue after digestion. The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' removed the low-residue diet from its Nutrition Care Manual because there is no scientifically accepted quantitative definition of residue and there is no method to determine the residue produced by a food. See also Carnivore diet (zero-fiber) Dietary fiber Gastroenterology High-residue diet References Diets