Vegan Colonoscopy Preparation: What can I eat?

This article provides tips on what you can eat for an ultimate vegan colonoscopy prep. If you follow a vegan diet, and for some health reason, you have to perform a colonoscopy, you will be surprised by the colonoscopy prep food list provided.

In fact, most of the low-residue diet foods on a colonoscopy prep list are animal foods. So you probably wonder what a vegan can eat before a colonoscopy.

Disclaimer: This article shouldn’t take over the medical instruction given by your gastroenterologist. This food list is provided as a vegan food suggestion to decrease fiber in your bowel before a colonoscopy. However, you must validate with your gastroenterologist that the food listed below is in accordance with its requirement for a successful colonoscopy prep.

Below we listed some of the best vegan colonoscopy prep foods you can eat to decrease fibers on your vegan diet.

Why a colonoscopy?

Studies show that vegan and vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. However, as a vegan, your doctor may recommend a colonoscopy for any reason like:

• Abdominal pain
• Rectal bleeding
• Chronic gut issues like diarrhea, constipation
• Screen for colon cancer

What’s a colonoscopy?

A colonoscopy is a visual examination of the digestive system using a narrow flexible tube called a colonoscope. It’s an important exam to diagnose and treat bowel conditions.

To obtain a good image of the bowel lining, the bowels must be empty. That’s why doctors ask to prepare by following a strict low residue diet before the exam.

Vegan colonoscopy prep

The vegan colonoscopy prep is two steps:

• Low-residue diet – 2 to 6 days before the exam. The timeframe depends on the gastroenterology center you booked your exam. Follow the timeframe provided by your gastroenterologist. The low residue diet, also known as a low fiber diet, is a diet designed to reduce the amount of stool in your large intestine. It’s a temporary diet that helps ‘rest’ your bowels and prepares for colon exams.
• Liquid diet – on the day of the examination. The liquid diet consists of cleansing the bowel drinking a preparation called Glycoprep. During a liquid diet, you will only drink clear fluid, no solid food.

Low-residue diet – 2 days to 1 week before

Depending on the gastroenterology center where you perform the exam, y0u will be asked to follow a low-residue vegan diet for 2 to 6 days before the colonoscopy.

Food you can eat

A-low residue diet focus on low-fiber food.

The best low-fiber vegan diet for colonoscopy are:

• Rice bubbles or cornflakes
• White flour products like bread, pasta, plain tinned spaghetti.
• White rice
• Plain vegan biscuits like arrowroot or wine biscuits.
• Plain crackers – no wholemeal or multi-grain.
• Plain scones – no sultanas, no dates.
• Potatoes
• Oil, margarine
• Dairy-free products like almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, dairy-free plain soy yogurt.
• Clear liquid – like water, coconut water, tea, coffee, lemon-flavored energy drinks light in color – no red, green, or purple drinks.
• Lemon ice blocks and sorbet
• Vegan jellies, barley sugars, and boiled candies.
• Strained fruit juice

Foods to avoid

The vegan foods you shouldn’t eat on a low-fiber diet are listed below. These foods contain a high quantity of fiber per serving and build up in the digestive tract making your bowel surgery difficult.

Avoid the below ingredients before a colonoscopy:

• Fruits – including dried fruits.
• Vegetables – no vegetables except skinless potatoes.
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans or legumes like black beans, chickpeas, hummus, corn kernel, lentils.
• Multi-grain cereals or bread-like oats, muesli.

Liquid diet – the day of the exam

On the day of the exam, you will follow a vegan colonoscopy liquid diet. It means that only clear fluid can be consumed along with the liquid bowel cleansing preparation your gastroenterologist prescribes.

On a liquid diet before a colonoscopy, you can drink:

• Coffee and tea without plant-based milk.
• Lemon-flavored energy drinks without colors.
• Carbonated drinks without colors.
• Lemon ice blocks
• Light-colored jellies
• Barley sugars
• Boiled sweets
• No highly colored drinks like red, purple, or green.

You will be given a specific time at which you must stop drinking any fluids before the exam, usually a few hours before the colonoscopy starts. Follow the directions provided by your specialist for success.

Other vegan foods you should avoid before colonoscopy

On a vegan diet, we often supplement our bodies with medication and foods.

You should not take before a colonoscopy the following :

• iron tablets
• multi-vitamins
• protein powders
• pre-workout drinks

All these foods should be discontinued before the test. Ask the specialist about the timeframe. Sometimes you may be asked to stop iron tablets a week before the procedure.

After the colonoscopy

After the exams, you will be able to return to a normal diet. It’s recommended to start with small amounts and low-fat food.

Some great plant-based foods to eat after the colonoscopy are:

• Vegetable broth with noodle
• White bread and margarine
• Berries and plant-based yogurt
• Apple juice or strained juice
• Banana

Depending on your exam results, you may be asked to follow a vegan low FODMAP diet to release some gut discomfort.

All multi-vitamins and food supplements after the completion of the exams.