What Can You Eat or Drink the Day before a Colonoscopy?

Colonoscopy is a best way to identify or help in the prevention of colon cancer. However, in order to get good results from the procedure, it is essential for you to make sure that your colon remains clean and empty, so that your doctor/pathologist can get an appropriate look of it. Particularly, a patient has to fast and use strong laxatives before the procedure. Along with this, it is essential for you to stay aware of what you should eat or drink before a few days of your colonoscopy procedure.

For this, you have to follow 4-step food and drinking related procedure, as mentioned in this article.

You should keep your schedule clear at least for one day before your colonoscopy procedure. Moreover, you should shop for a few important supplies to go ahead, as recommended by your doctor. The list should essentially contain-

• Over-the-counter or prescribed type of laxatives, as mentioned by your doctor.
• A few low-fiber food items.
• Juices, sports drinks and broths.
• Moist wipes.

You should bring some changes in your regular diet i.e., eat light foods for about 3 to 4 days before you undergo with colonoscopy procedure. This step will help you in the cleansing procedure. Doctors often recommend for low-fiber foods, as they are of easily digestible and excrete from your system in relatively less time. This means, you should eat-

• Rice, pasta and white bread
• Well-cooked veggies and that too without skin
• Fruits without seeds or skin
• Fish, chicken or lean meat and eggs

However, you should strictly avoid-

• Popcorn, nuts or seeds
• Fatty foods
• Whole grains
• Tough meats
• Fruits with peel or seeds
• Raw veggies
• Broccoli, corn, beans, peas or cabbage

Other than this, you have to stop taking vitamins and related supplements. You should even discuss with your doctor about stopping the intake of any prescribed medicine, which you take on a regular basis and any blood-thinner or anti-inflammatory medicine.

You should strictly avoid having any solid food (not even a biscuit) before the day of your colonoscopy procedure. Instead, you should opt to keep yourself hydrated by having clear liquids in sufficient amounts, like clear juice of white grape and apple, sports drinks and broth juices.

If you have addiction towards tea or coffee, you may have them but make sure to take without cream.

Furthermore, you may intake ice pops and gelatin, but should keep yourself away from anything that contains colored blue, red or purple. This is because; dyes cause discoloration of your colon’s lining and thereby, creates difficulty for the doctor to identify or diagnose colorectal cancer or polyp.

Along with this, you have to avoid alcoholic drinks, orange juice and milk. Especially, you should make sure of not eating or drinking anything 2 hours before your diagnose procedure.

Night before you undergo with the procedure of colonoscopy you should make sure to intake strong laxatives for clearing your digestive tract. In this case, the doctors recommend for split dose method, according to which you have to drink liquid laxative of half-gallon during the evening time, while another one 6 hours before you schedule your appointment with the doctor. Once laxatives start their work, you will experience forceful diarrhea frequently or may experience bloating and cramps.

Also Read:

• What Is A Colonoscopy Procedure & Why Do You Need To Do It?
• Is Getting a Colonoscopy Painful?
• What are the Side Effects from a Colonoscopy?
• Is a Colonoscopy Painful Without Sedation?
• How Long will it take to Recover from a Colonoscopy?
• Questions To Ask After Colonoscopy
• What Age Can You Stop Having A Colonoscopy?