Colonoscopy Clear Liquid Diet

How to Prepare for Your Colonoscopy at WTMF in Fremont

You’ll be asked to maintain a clear liquid diet before coming in for your colonoscopy appointment at Washington Township Medical Foundation. In order for your colonoscopy procedure to be effective in providing your doctor with clear visuals of your colon in order to screen for cancer, polyps, and other growths, your colon needs to be clear. Part of this is accomplished with the colon prep substance your doctor will give you, which prompts bowel-clearing diarrhea that cleans out your colon in the time prior to your procedure. The other half of your preparation will involve sticking to a clear liquid diet.

Tips for Success

Simply put, your clear liquid diet will consist of clear, colorless liquids—nothing containing milk, colored dies, and so forth. The keys to successfully sticking to your clear liquid diet are preparation and variety. Having a broad range of options on hand will help you stick to your diet.

Options to Include

Some options that may be OK to drink on your clear liquid diet include the following clear liquids and some light-color drinks:

• Water
• Popsicles that have no fruit or cream or red or purple dye
• Jell-O without fruit and no red or purple dye
• Boost Breeze Tropical Juice drink
• Clear juices such as white cranberry, apple, white grape, and lemonade without pulp
• Fat-free, clear broths such as bouillon or consommé
• Soda
• Flavored water with no red or purple dye
• Tea without milk or creamer
• Coffee without milk or creamer
• Hard candies such as lemon drops and peppermint rounds
• Gelatin
• Strained tomato juice / vegetable juice
• Sports drinks without red or purple dye

If you have any questions or if you are unsure whether or not a food or drink is approved, ask your doctor. Remember, it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. Failure to closely follow colonoscopy preparation instructions can result in a failure procedure, and you may have to go through it all over again if the results are unclear.