The low microbial diet involves proper food and drink preparation and avoiding specific foods that may contain infection-causing organisms, such as bacteria and fungi.  Low microbial diets generally eliminate raw, unprocessed, and fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking tap water and emphasize well-cooked foods and appropriate food handling to reduce cross-contamination.  Use of a low microbial diet has been recommended for the prevention of infection in patients with cancer but has not been extensively studied.