If you have an upcoming colonoscopy, you’ll have to change your diet a few days before your exam. That’s why knowing which foods to eat before a colonoscopy can help your procedure go as smoothly as possible.
A colonoscopy is an exam where your doctor uses a scope with a camera on the end to look at the inside of your colon. It can find irritated tissue, ulcers, polyps, cancer, and other gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Accordingly, it’s essential to follow your colonoscopy prep diet guidelines to make sure your doctor gets an unobstructed look at your intestines. Here’s everything you need to know about your pre-colonoscopy eating plan, including which foods to snack on, which to avoid, and menus to follow.
Stock up on the best pre-colonoscopy foods and plan out your diet before your colonoscopy. That way, you can focus on clearing out your digestive system without having to worry about meal prep in the days leading up to your exam.
Pre-Colonoscopy Diet Plan
You should start to alter your diet about five days before your procedure so your body has time to properly clear out, according to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA).
Here are some diet tips to keep in mind prior to your colonoscopy.
1. Eat Low-Fiber Foods
Eat a low-residue (or low-fiber) diet in the days leading up to your colonoscopy, according to StatPearls. A low-residue diet limits fibrous foods — which tend to leave remnants in your digestive tract — so your colon is as clean as possible come procedure time.
Most colonoscopy prep instructions recommend starting this diet three to five days before your procedure, so check with your doctor about when you should begin to eat low-fiber foods like:
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Tofu
Refined grains like white rice, white bread, and plain crackers
Potatoes
Applesauce
At the same time, cut out high-fiber foods like:
Nuts and seeds
Raw fruits and vegetables with skin
Certain vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale
Whole grains like bread, pasta, brown or wild rice, cereals, shredded wheat, and granola
StatPearls also recommends limiting or avoiding other high-residue-diet foods such as milk and milk products like ice cream.
A low-residue diet (for colonoscopies or other procedures) should be followed for only a short period of time unless your doctor recommends otherwise, according to the Mayo Clinic. It doesn’t supply enough fiber and other nutrients to keep you nourished in the long term.
2. Stop Taking Supplements and Certain Medicines
The CCA recommends you stop taking medicine with aspirin and ibuprofen six days prior to your procedure, and hold off on vitamins and herbal and iron supplements five days beforehand. That’s because your doctor wants to see what your colon looks like without the help of health-supporting medicines and supplements.
You can continue to take most prescription medications in the days before your procedure, according to the CCA. Just tell your doctor which medicines you take so they can let you know if there are any specific instructions to be aware of pre-colonoscopy.
3. Follow a Liquid Diet
The day before your exam, you’ll consume only clear liquids, per the CCA. This is vital to help your doctor get the best view possible so they don’t miss any polyps and so you don’t have to repeat the procedure in the near future, according to the Mayo Clinic.
4. Stay Hydrated
Make sure to stay well hydrated in the days before your procedure, according to the CCA. Drink plenty of water or other hydrating beverages like tea (without milk or creamer) — particularly on the day of your laxative prep — to replenish any lost fluids.
Sample Menus for Before Your Colonoscopy
Five days before focus on the aforementioned items. Unsure what you can eat for your colonoscopy prep? Here are some options to consider.
1. Option One
You can still eat somewhat normally a few days before a colonoscopy, as long as you start to cut down on fiber. Kaiser Permanente recommends eating only low-fiber foods. Here are some meal options to try.
Breakfast: Eggs with white toast
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on white bread and baked potato with skin off
Dinner: Grilled chicken thighs, sautéed mushrooms, and white rice cooked in chicken broth
2. Option Two
You’ll start to eat fewer solid foods in the two days before your colonoscopy. The CCA suggests the following:
Breakfast: Cream of wheat with a side of honeydew melon cubes
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on sourdough bread, applesauce
Dinner: Orecchiette pasta
3. Option Three
You can’t eat any solid foods the day before a colonoscopy, according to Kaiser Permanente. Instead, you’ll need to follow a clear liquid diet, which includes fluids like:
Pulp-free juice like white grape or apple
Electrolyte sports drinks (light colors)
Clear sodas like ginger ale
Tea or coffee (without milk or cream)
Low-residue desserts like ice pops, fruit ice, fruit-flavored gelatin, or Jell-O
Clear soups and broths like vegetable, beef, and chicken broth or bouillon
Clear nutrition or protein drinks
That doesn’t mean you can have just any liquids the day before a colonoscopy, though. Steer clear of the following foods that can leave residue in your colon, such as:
Milk and other dairy products
Juice with pulp, like orange or prune juice
Ice pops made with chunks of real fruit
Soups with vegetables, noodles, rice, or cream
Anything pureed that is cloudy or creamy
Alcohol
Red, blue, and purple liquids
You’ll also take a prep laxative the day before (and usually the day of) your colonoscopy to flush out the remaining contents of your colon, according to Kaiser Permanente. Follow the instructions on your prescribed laxative, and take it at home, where you’ll have constant access to a bathroom.
What to Expect the Day of Your Colonoscopy
You’ll have to stop drinking any liquids — including water — about two hours before the exam. Have a loved one drive you to and from your procedure. You’ll be sedated for the exam, which typically lasts about 30 minutes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Afterward, you’ll chat with your doctor in the recovery room to discuss any findings. If they took a biopsy of your colon, you should get those results within a few weeks.
You can eat solid foods again right after your procedure. Resume normal activities, like driving and exercising, after 24 hours.
Eat to Prevent Colon Cancer
A colonoscopy is a key way to detect colorectal cancer, which is the third most common cancer diagnosed and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
In fact, a study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that colonoscopy screening lowered colorectal cancers by 31 percent.
Lifestyle choices like a healthy diet and regular exercise may also help lower the risk of cancer. Here are some anti-cancer diet tips to keep in mind:
Even if you have a healthy lifestyle, make sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations about getting regular colonoscopies. The American Cancer Society suggests having your first screening at age 45 if you are at average risk, with exams every 10 years after that. If your doctor considers you to be at higher risk due to genetics or a family history of gastrointestinal disease, check with them about how often you should have your exam.
Still not sure what foods you can eat in the days before a colonoscopy? Discuss your diet with your doctor to make sure everything you plan to eat is in line with their recommendations.
Takeaway
A colonoscopy is an exam where a healthcare provider uses a scope with a camera on the end to look at the inside of the colon.
Be prepared by having pre-colonoscopy foods on hand.
Stick to a low-fiber diet before a colonoscopy.
Stay hydrated.
Speak to your doctor about current medications and supplements you are taking.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.
In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.
Karen Gardner is a professional writer and editor based in Maryland. She has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland. She is an experienced Health Writer and Editor. She has also chronicled her personal experiences in endurance sports, including marathon running and long-distance cycling.
