Follow this diet for 3 days in preparation for your colonoscopy. The list below details what foods are allowed and which ones to avoid.
Vegetables
Foods allowed:
- tender, well cooked fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables
- without seeds such as peeled carrots, green beans, and beets
- strained vegetable juice
- strained tomato sauce
Foods to avoid:
- all raw vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, scallions, etc.
- vegetables with seeds
- tough, fibrous cooked vegetables such as:
artichokes, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli and cauliflower, brussel sprouts, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, onion peas (green peas), sauerkraut and cabbage spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash
Milk & Dairy
Foods allowed:
- milk and milk products
- cow’s milk
- ice cream
- yogurt
- cheese
- cream
Foods to avoid:
- fruited yogurt
- any ice cream or cheese with nuts or seeds
- any milk products if you are lactose intolerant
Meats & Protiens
Foods allowed:
- cooked, tender fish, poultry, beef, lamb, pork, ham, veal, organ meats
- eggs
- cheese
- tofu
- tuna fish
- smooth peanut butter and other smooth nut butter
Foods to avoid:
- non-tender meats
- gristle
- hot dogs
- salami, cold cuts
- meat substitutes made with whole grains, nuts, or seeds
- dried beans, peas, lentils
- crunchy style peanut butter and other crunchy nut butters
Beverages
Foods allowed:
- coffee and tea
- carbonated beverages
- apple juice
- strained juice
- bottled water
- tomato juice
- fruit drinks without pulp, such as fruit punch
- Kool-Aid or Hi-C (without red dye)
- nutritional supplements without added fiber, such as Boost or Ensure
Foods to avoid:
- any beverage containing pulp or seeds, such as orange or grapefruit juice
- prune juice
- nutritional supplements that contain fiber
Fruits
Foods allowed:
- canned or cooked fruit without skins or seeds (peaches, pears, apricots, apples)
- applesauce
- ripe bananas
- jellied cranberry sauce
Foods to avoid:
- raw fruits (bananas are okay)
- dried fruit
- all berries
- all melons
Breads, cereals, and starches
Foods allowed:
- refined white breads, rolls. biscuits, muffins, crackers, pancakes, waffles, or plain pastries
- white rice
- refined pasta
- reinded cooking cereals including quick-cooking oatmeal, grits, and farina
- refined cold cereals such as puffed rice, cornflakes, Corn/Rice Chex, Rice Krispies, and Cheerios
Foods to avoid:
- whole grain bread and pastas
- bran
- any bread made with seeds, nuts, coconut or raw or dried fruit
- cornbread
- graham crackers
- wild or brown rice
- oatmeal
- any whole grain cereal, or any cereal containing seeds, nuts, coconut or dried fruit
- granola
Miscellaneous
Foods allowed:
- salt, sugar, ground or flaked herbs and spices
- vinegar
- ketchup and mustard
- soy sauce
- jelly (but not jam or preserves)
Foods to avoid:
- pepper
- seed spices
- seeds and nuts
- coconut
- popcorn
- jams or preserves
- pickles and olives