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Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:38 am
by cptmac
I always eat foods high in fiber. I love salads and veggies. But these are on the no eat list before a colonoscopy. I haven't had one in 5 years and am looking for suggestions for food.

Red meat is out, I'm allergic to seafood, so chicken and turkey it is. I don't know if I could eat a chicken or turkey sandwich w/o raw veggies....

Even more so, I'll be traveling on one of the days, so what can I eat at fast food joints that are low in fiber? Is fried chicken okay? I haven't have fried chicken in years.....

Is chicken terriyaki ok? I can't eat that in a car, but could eat it later...

Ohh, I haven't had mac and cheese in years either....

Suggestions are welcome.

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:52 am
by Ivona
I'm goin' thru the same issue as we speak. My prep is tomorrow and the scope is thursday. I eat a mostly low carb diet..so veggies are my mainstay. I am having a really difficult time with the pre-pre diet. :twisted: No nuts, no raw veggies, no cheese, no red meat, no red anything........grrrr... So I'm 'feasting' on soups at lunch....and supper is cooked seafood/fish with cooked veggies. No red wine......... :roll:

After my scope...I am having my nice veal/pork meatloaf, ceasar mashed potaters with lots of garlic and chives, corn on the cob and gravy! Screw the diet that day!!! :D

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:55 am
by Gaelen
on the road, you could have a KFC grilled double-down - grilled chicken (2), bacon, cheese, sauce and no bread. I could only eat half.

Ivona, I know that cptmac doesn't eat red meat, but why are you avoiding it pre-scope?

Personally, I try to go to a liquid diet (protein shakes, mainly) for at least two days prior to prep.

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:58 am
by Ivona
Gaelen wrote:on the road, you could have a KFC grilled double-down - grilled chicken (2), bacon, cheese, sauce and no bread. I could only eat half.

Ivona, I know that cptmac doesn't eat red meat, but why are you avoiding it pre-scope?

Personally, I try to go to a liquid diet (protein shakes, mainly) for at least two days prior to prep.


My pre-prep instructions are NO iron rich foods....NO red foods....no raw veggies...NO cheese......sigh....very very difficult to eat like this for two days...........oh well...by tomorrow I'll be on broth and mountain-dew.....yippee.... :roll:

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:22 pm
by weisssoccermom
Ivona,
You can eat red meat. I wouldn't go OVERBOARD - mostly with the iron rich foods, they are talking about things like liver (yuck) and definately NO iron supplements.
Red meat isn't the same as red dye - which is what they want you to avoid. Go ahead and eat red meat. It's fine.
Also, this surprised me at my last scope. My doc said that cranberry juice (as long as it's natural) was fine. Kind of surprised the heck out of me - being a red drink and all but she said it was the red DYE that I had to avoid, not natural coloring. Oh well, I'm not a huge fan of cranberry juice anyway - just was something new to be able to have during that fun day before the prep!

Also not sure why no cheese - never an issue with me or any of my prep instructions.

Gaelen has a good choice for the KFC - eat today - you can't tomorrow!

cptmac - yep you should be able to eat mac and cheese (again I've never been told no cheese), chicken and turkey on bread (no whole wheat though and no sesame seeds or any other seed type buns though - just pick the seeds off) are also fine.

Soups are generally fine - even homemade ones with veggies as long as they are cooked. I was also fine with the Boston Market apples (cooked - again fine as long as they are cooked) and anything else I wanted. Fried chicken is a good one - popcorn chicken, is fine too.

Just get a sandwich minus the lettuce, tomato, sprouts, etc. and you'll be fine. The day before my last scope I ate fish and chips out at a seafood place and I'm not a big seafood lover although I do love a good fish and chips!

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:08 pm
by jonva
If you can stand it, I have found that the best possible thing for me to do is to eat nothing at all starting at least 48 hours before the procedure. I just survive on Slurpee's that are not red and other clear liquids. It makes the prep and the trips to the bathroom so much easier when you have done a natural clearing out before the prep starts. Good luck.

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:57 pm
by Ivona
Notice that most junky foods is what is 'allowed' on the low residue diet???? :lol: So you can go nuts (ok...NO Nuts!) on cake, pasta (not w.w.), white rice, potatoes, fries, blah blah.....ironic ain't it???

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:13 pm
by cptmac
Ohhh fries... I've not had fries in years... And their is a great cupcake place on the way to the hospital. Thanks for the suggestions... I'm looking forward to my new diet.... At first I couldn't think of what I could possibly eat, now I'm heading to the bakery.... :D

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:55 pm
by meeko
My GI doc puts me on a low residue diet two days before...baked chicken, no skin. tuna, no mayo. potatoes and white bread and plain pasta..vanilla wafers.. marshmallows.. jello, not red.. white rice...not tasty but worth it...!!

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:58 pm
by SkiFletch
Wierd, the only thing my doc cares about is red dye. He let me eat anything I wanted until the night before...

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:15 pm
by garbovatwin
No solids.
Fast the day before the prep, or at most, eat a clear liquid diet.
Your prep will go a lot easier with a lot less to get rid of.

This is what I have done for every prep and the worst part of all of them has been the taste of the nasty swill taken to clean one out.

bottoms up
cheers
yeeeeeeeeeecchhhhhhhh!

j

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:37 am
by Gaelen
If you're an ostomate - NO MARSHMALLOWS! Marshmallows are one of the 'tricks' of ileostomates and they also work for colostomates to STOP the flow from an ostomy temporarily so that people can do a change of wafer/bag. The last thing you want to be eating before a colonoscopy prep designed to clean you out is something that essentially constipates you. ;)

Re: Suggestions on what to eat before a colonoscopy.

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:00 pm
by Ivona
Take it from me...(am prepping as we speak)...you do NOT want to eat any hot peppers, hot sauce or anything with capsaicin the day or so before prep day.

I totally forgot ... and trust me the stuff burns as much goin' out as it did goin' in.....can you say...'dumb'..... :roll: