Colonoscopy Prep FAQ

This page answers questions that patients might have regarding colonoscopy prep diet and other frequently asked questions.

Low Fiber Diet (Low Residue Diet)

Food Group

Milk & Dairy

Breads & Grains

Meats

Legumes

Fruits

Vegetables

Nuts & Seeds

Fats & Oils

Soups

Desserts

Other

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CAN eat these foods

  • Milk, buttermilk, and cream
  • Cheese, including cottage cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Sour cream
  • Dairy-free (Almond Milk, Oat Milk)
  • Breads/grains made with refined white flour (rolls, muffins, bagels, pasta)
  • Gluten-free bread (No grains, nuts, or seeds)
  • White rice
  • Plain crackers (such as Saltines)
  • Low-fiber cereal (puffed rice, corn flakes, cream of wheat)
  • Chicken, turkey, and pork
  • Fish & seafood
  • Eggs
  • Tofu
  • None allowed
  • Applesauce
  • Ripe cantaloupe and honeydew
  • Ripe, peeled apricots and peaches
  • Canned or cooked vegetables without skin or peel
  • Potatoes without skin
  • Creamy (smooth) peanut and almond butter
  • Butter, margarine
  • Vegetable, olive, and other oils
  • Mayonnaise
  • Salad dressing without seeds or nuts
  • Broth, bouillon, or milk-based strained soups
  • Custard, pudding, sherbet or sorbet
  • Jell-O (other than red or purple)
  • Salt, sugar, pepper, yellow mustard
  • Honey and syrup
  • Jelly (no seeds)
  • Lemon juice

CANNOT eat these foods

  • Do not put nuts, seeds, mixed fruit with skin, berries, or granola on your dairy foods
  • Breads/grains made with whole grain (rolls, muffins, bagels, pasta)
  • Brown/wild rice
  • Whole grain cereal including granola, raisin bran, oatmeal
  • Bread/cereal with nuts/seeds
  • Steak
  • Lamb
  • Meat with gristle
  • Dried peas, beans, lentils
  • Raw fruit with seeds, skin, or membranes (berries, pine apple, apples, oranges, watermelon)
  • Raisins or other dried fruit
  • Corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion
  • Cabbage and Brussels sprouts
  • Peas and lima beans
    Summer or winter squash
  • Chunky peanut or almond butter
  • Nuts or seeds of any kind
  • Salad dressing with seeds or nuts
  • Unstrained soups
  • Chili
  • Anything with red/purple dye
  • Cookies, brownies, cake
  • Popcorn, coconut, olives
  • Jam and marmalade
  • Pickles and relish
  • Stone-ground mustard

Clear Liquid Diet

Clear Liquids & Limited Light-Color Drinks Only

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CAN drink these liquids

  • Water
  • Tea, black coffee
  • Flavored water without red/purple dye
  • Apple, white grape, white cranberry juice and lemonade without pulp
  • Clear chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
  • Soft drinks, soda, and other carbonated beverages
  • Sports drinks such as Gatorade, Propel, or Powerade without red/purple dye
  • Jell-O or gelatin without red/purple dye
  • Clear nutritional drinks without red/purple dye

CANNOT drink these liquids

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Milk, cream, buttermilk
  • Orange, grapefruit, tomato, red cranberry, red grape juice
  • Soup other than clear broth
  • Cooked cereal
  • Any beverage with red or purple dye

Other FAQs about Your Colonoscopy or Endoscopy

Do I need to hold my medication prior to the procedure? Which medications should I stop taking?
  • Blood thinners (see below) need to be held prior to procedure (time varies). We will obtain clearance from your prescribing physician for you to hold your blood thinner and will notify you prior to your procedure.
  • Commonly prescribed blood thinners are:
    • Rivaroxaban or Xarelto
    • Dabigatran or Pradaxa
    • Apixaban or Eliquis
    • Edoxaban or Savaysa
    • Warfarin or Coumadin or Jantoven
    • Clopidogrel or Plavix
    • Prasugrel or Effient
    • Ticagelor or Brillinta
    • Aggrenox
  • Phentermine needs to be held for 14 days prior to procedure.
  • Aspirin (81 mg- 325mg) does not need to be held prior to procedure unless specifically directed.
  • Iron and supplements containing iron need to be held for 7 days prior to the procedure.
  • Most patients can use our Standard Miralax Bowel Preparation. Prescription preparations can be sent to your pharmacy of choice upon request and at the discretion of your provider.
  • Our Standard Miralax Bowel Preparation is all available over the counter. We have prep kits available for purchase in our Londonderry office. All materials can also be found in in the digestive health section of your pharmacy.

Plenvu, Suprep, Golytely, and Clenpiq can be sent to your pharmacy at the discretion of your provider. The prescription prep sent is dependent upon your health history and may differ from another patients.

BASC, PMC, CMC, and SCNH do not require COVID tests.

  • All facilities set their own schedule for each procedure day. GSGI will schedule you for a specific date, facility, and provider. Facilities will reach out to you with your check-in time for the procedure.
  • SCNH, PMC, and CMC all reach out to you the business day prior to procedure with your arrival time. PMC and CMC will contact you via phone call, SCNH will send an automated text message or email at 2:30pm.
  • BASC reaches out via phone call (typically afternoon) 3 business days prior to procedure.
  • Our providers have you start a low fiber (low residue) diet several days prior to your procedure to begin reducing residue in your colon and make it easier for you to clean out your bowels. This helps to reduce the likelihood of poor bowel preparation, which could result in your colonoscopy being rescheduled.
  • Our providers have found that by splitting the consumption of your bowel prep into separate days

There is not a specific prep, we suggest that you start the prep earlier and drink it slower.

No, please follow our prep instructions that we have supplied you with. If you do not have these prep instructions, please reach to us at 603-432-8802 to obtain them.

We find that our patients do best with a split prep so unfortunately if you have an early morning procedure it does require you to walk up earlier in the morning.

To avoid any late fees, please be sure to call our office 7 business days prior to your procedure. Fees for cancelling outside of this time frame are $100 for a single procedure and $200 for a double procedure.

This is a diet that you start the week of your procedure. Please see low fiber diet/low residue diet cheat sheet. If you did not receive this outline, please contact our office.

A clear liquid diet starts a day or two prior to procedure. You are only allowed jell-o, popsicles, strained broth, and liquids that you can see through when you pour them out. Black coffee and tea are considered clear liquid.

You cannot drink alcohol the day prior or the day of your procedure. Alcohol is a blood thinner and can cause bleeding issues during your procedure.

Please call the office so we can update your chart.