The Countdown Colonoscopy Diet: What to Eat Before and After

A successful colonoscopy cleanse takes a certain diet. This blog explains which foods to eat in the days leading up to a colonoscopy, and immediately afterward.

On any given day, more than 40,000 people go through a colonoscopy cleanse – that day-long period of fasting while taking medications to flush all solids out of your system.

It’s a challenging 24 hours. But what you eat in the days leading up to it can make it less of a challenge. More important: What you eat in the five to six days before your scheduled colonoscopy can reduce the risk of colon “residue” that could ruin the test, along with its goal of detecting and preventing cancer.

What happens during a colonoscopy procedure?

It happens. An estimated 10% to 20% of planned colonoscopies are incomplete due to poor bowel preparation. Inadequate preparation – or residue – can hide lesions such as polyps.

A colonoscopy that can detect such lesions is estimated to reduce the overall risk of developing colorectal cancer by more than 60%.

But Colonoscopies Don’t Just Detect and Prevent Cancer

During a typical colonoscopy, your gastroenterologist can also diagnose and treat the following:

If you’re planning to undergo a colonoscopy in the coming month or weeks, this guide can help you plan your grocery list, menu, and palate for that special diagnostic diet. As a bonus, we’ve included some meal-planning items to experiment with in advance.

The Colonoscopy Diet Countdown: One Week Ahead

Your doctor likely won’t ask you to make significant diet modifications more than five days before your procedure, but you should prepare yourself for the change because habits can be tough to break. Here’s how you can ease into your colonoscopy diet one week ahead:

Read all your colonoscopy prep instructions carefully, twice.
Build your personalized meal plan based on the colonoscopy prep eating instructions.
Prepare a grocery list of the above ingredients.
Buy all the items on your food list, plus your colonoscopy prep aids, including Gatorade and/or electrolytes to keep you well hydrated during the cleanse. If necessary, buy additional toilet paper, sanitary wipes, and Vaseline (for soreness).
Stop taking any medications that include aspirin or ibuprofen. These are blood thinners and can increase the risk of bleeding during the procedure. Acetaminophen, such as Tylenol, is approved.

Colonoscopy pro hack: Remove from sight any too-tempting-to-resist foods and liquids. Cut back on alcohol; it can weaken willpower and irritate your colon.

5 or 6 Days Ahead of the Colonoscopy: First Diet Changes

Your doctor will provide dietary guidelines for a low-residue diet to follow for five to six days before your colonoscopy. Expect the foods you are allowed to eat to include:

White breads.
White rice.
White pastas (including plain cheese ravioli).
Potatoes (red or white, but without the skins).
Canned or cooked vegetables without seeds or peels.
Canned or cooked fruits without seeds or skins.
Skinless, boneless chicken breast.
Sliced skinless turkey.
Fish, including salmon.
Fats such as butter and olive oil.
Creamy nut butters.
Eggs.
Dairy, including cream cheese, milk, cottage cheese, and ice cream (yay!)

Foods you should not eat five days before your colonoscopy:

Nuts, seeds, and popcorn (as well as anything containing these).
Whole grain breads or pastas.
Brown or wild rice.
Cereals such as oatmeal, shredded wheat, and granola.
Any raw vegetables with skin, as well as cooked broccoli, cabbage, and corn.
Tougher meats with skin, fat, or gristle (including steak).
Beans, lentils, and peas.
Almost all raw fruits, including berries, pulp fruits, and pineapple. Ripe bananas, rindless cantaloupe, and canned fruit are OK.
All dried fruits.
Ginger, onions, garlic.
Some herbal supplements.
Chocolate, including dark chocolate.
Jams and preserves.
Pickles, olives, relishes, and stone-ground mustard.

Colonoscopy pro hack: Know why you should avoid these foods. They are high in fiber and, therefore, harder for your system to break down, leaving residue. Particles such as corn and seeds can clog the scope used to view your colon during the procedure. And certain supplements can thin the blood.

5, 4, and 3 Days Before Your Colonoscopy: Menu Options

By now, you should have your kitchen stocked with pro-colonoscopy ingredients. The following are meal options to mix and match until your cleansing day.

Pre-colonoscopy menu suggestions:

Breakfast option 1: Swiss cheese omelet with cubed cantaloupe (no rind), English muffin with butter.

Breakfast option 2: Cottage cheese bowl with peeled peaches or apricots, sourdough toast with creamy peanut butter.

Breakfast option 3: Smoked salmon, plain bagel with cream cheese, or canned fruit salad (low-sugar or drained of syrup).

Snack options: Peeled apple, flour tortilla with shredded cheese, seedless crackers, plain yogurt with honey.

Lunch option 1: Chicken salad on seedless crackers, peeled and well-cooked baby carrots (microwave is fine), cup of broth.

Lunch option 2: Macaroni and cheese, hard-boiled egg, side of applesauce.

Lunch option 3: Turkey noodle soup, grilled cheese on white or sourdough bread.

Snack options: Pretzels, gummy bears, ripe bananas.

Dinner option 1: Turkey breast or baked fish, sautéed canned mushrooms, white rice or skinless baked potato with sour cream (optional).

Dinner option 2: White pasta tossed with olive oil or broth-based sauce, topped with cubed chicken breast and cooked asparagus tips (not the stems; too fibrous). Italian bread.

Dinner option 3: Sautéed or baked tofu with white rice, cooked green beans, and low-sodium soy sauce. White roll.

Evening snack: Low-fat plain yogurt, plain pudding, angel food cake, ice cream (without nuts, seeds or fruit).

Colonoscopy pro hack: Try not to overfill on any meal. Your goal is to give your colon a break from hard work.

2 Days Before the Colonoscopy

You’re almost there! Stick to the above shopping list and menu ideas, sticking to easier-to-digest foods such as yoghurt with honey and simple soups.

Colonoscopy pro hacks. If you feel hungry, drink liquids with electrolytes to help fill you up.

The Day Before Your Colonoscopy: Coping Tips

Now you’re in it to win it. You should be well-prepared to avoid all solid foods for the full day and stick to the following:

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner: Drink a clear liquid diet (including clear broths) for every meal, with at least four tall glasses of water. No solids.

Approved foods:

Stimulants: Black coffee and teas (no creamer).
Bubbles: Club soda, ginger ale, soda pop.
Juices: Apple and white grape juice.
Electrolytes: Any that are clear.
Soups: Clear broths only.
Treats: Flavored gelatin, hard candies/lollipops, popsicles.

Colors to avoid: Red, blue, and purple liquids and foods. These foods might discolor your colon lining and be mistaken for blood.

Colonoscopy pro hacks:

You will know a clear liquid if you can read a newspaper or other form of print under the glass. For example, orange juice is not clear, but apple juice is.
Consider taking a gas-relieving tablet the day before (simethicone, 200 to 500 mg). It will reduce the chance of bubbles forming in your colon.
Do not eat or drink anything, even water, in the three hours before the procedure.

After Your Colonoscopy: The Smart Way to Break the Fast

Once you awake from your colonoscopy, you might feel a sense of euphoria. You can thank your “twilight sleep” medications for part of that, but the excitement of getting to break your long fast likely will contribute.

You might want to dive face-first into a pizza or Cincinnati-style chili, but we advise you introduce less startling foods to your system. Up to 34% of patients experience bloating, cramping, and changes in bowel movements in the day or two after a colonoscopy. Your colon should be broken in with gentler foods.

Start with liquids, including electrolyte drinks. Then ease into limited amounts of easy-to-digest, low-fiber foods such as yoghurt with canned fruit or scrambled eggs with white toast. Other post-colonoscopy snacks and foods include:

Graham crackers or English muffin with creamy peanut butter and honey.
Soup with saltines.
Skinless chicken breast with a baked or mashed potato.
Baked fish with white rice.
Popsicles or pudding.
Anything on your pre-colonoscopy list.

Avoid any foods that might irritate your bowel for the full day of your colonoscopy. This includes all greasy, fried, spicy, and high-fiber foods such as raw vegetables, fruits with skin, and whole grains.

After Your Colonoscopy Results

If your colonoscopy is successful and no polyps are detected, then bravo! Polyps are incredibly slow-growing – an average-sized one is given an 8% chance of becoming cancerous in 10 years. You might not need another colonoscopy for a decade.

In the interim, be mindful of how your colonoscopy diet felt. Certain foods, such as red meat, greasy dishes, and highly processed foods, aren’t great for your colon in large quantities. It could use an occasional break from them.

Have more questions about an upcoming colonoscopy? You can download our colonoscopy supplemental prep instructions here or read our blog that Dispels Common Myths About Colonoscopy Preparations.

Or, if you’re ready to schedule your colonoscopy, request an appointment.