Colonoscopy Prep Diet

This is a partial list of allowed foods and foods to avoid prior to your colonoscopy. Start this diet before your procedure, typically three days prior unless otherwise directed by your physician. Unfortunately, we are unable to list all food items. If it is not listed, please use your best judgment. Download & Print Colonoscopy Prep Diet PDF (Download Spanish Version).

Milk and dairy

Foods allowed:

  • Cow’s milk
  • Ice cream
  • Yogurt
  • Cheese
  • Cream

Foods to avoid:

  • Fruited yogurt
  • Any milk products if you are lactose intolerant
  • Any ice cream or cheese with nuts or seeds

Beverages

Foods allowed:

  • Coffee and tea
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Apple juice
  • Strained juice
  • Water (tap, bottled, coconut)
  • Non-dairy milk (coconut and almond milk)
  • Nutritional supplements without added fiber, such as Boost or Ensure
  • Fruit drinks without pulp, such as fruit punch
  • Kool-Aid or Hi-C (without red or purple dye)

Foods to avoid:

  • Any beverage containing pulp or seeds, such as orange or grapefruit juice
  • Prune juice
  • Nutritional supplements that contain fiber
  • Tomato or V8 juice

Breads, cereals, starches

Foods allowed:

  • Refined breads, rolls, bagels, English muffins, pita bread, biscuits, muffins, crackers, pancakes, waffles, or pastry
  • Potato and sweet potato without skin
  • White rice
  • Refined pasta
  • Tortillas (corn or flour)
  • Refined cooked and cold cereals such as hominy grits, farina, Cream of Wheat or Rice, Cheerios, Corn/Rice Chex, corn flakes, Rice Krispies, Special K

Foods to avoid:

  • High fiber bread
  • Dave’s Killer Bread
  • Whole grain breads, cereals, and pasta
  • Oatmeal
  • Granola
  • Any bread, cereal, cracker, or pasta made with seeds, nuts, coconut, or raw or dried fruit
  • Brown rice
  • Wheat germ
  • Bran
  • Sprouted wheat
  • Wild rice
  • Barley
  • Potato skins
  • Graham crackers
  • Corn bread
  • Quinoa

Fruits

Foods allowed:

  • Canned or cooked fruit without skins or seeds (peaches, pears, apricots, apples)
  • Applesauce
  • Banana

Foods to avoid:

  • Raw fruit (bananas are OK)
  • Canned pineapple, oranges, grapefruit sections, mixed fruit
  • Dried fruit
  • All berries, melons
  • Cranberry sauce
  • Avocado
  • Coconut

Vegetables

Foods allowed:

  • Tender, well-cooked fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables without seeds such as peeled carrots, green beans
  • Strained vegetable juice
  • Strained tomato sauce

Foods to avoid:

  • All raw vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, scallions, etc.
  • Vegetables with seeds
  • Beets
  • Tough, fibrous cooked vegetables such as artichokes, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli and cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, mushrooms, onion, peas (green peas), sauerkraut and cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini summer squash, winter squash

Meat and meat substitutes

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 butters

Foods to avoid:

  • Non-tender meats
  • Gristle
  • Hot dogs
  • Salami, cold cuts
  • Meat substitutes made with whole grains, nuts, or seeds
  • Beans, peas, lentils
  • Crunchy style peanut butter and other crunchy nut butters

Miscellaneous

Foods allowed:

  • Salt, sugar, ground or flaked herbs and spices
  • Vinegar
  • Chocolate
  • Butter
  • Mustard
  • Soy sauce
  • Jelly (but not jam or preserves)
  • Honey
  • Mayonnaise

Foods to avoid:

  • Ketchup
  • Pepper
  • Seed spices
  • Seeds and nuts
  • Popcorn
  • Jams or preserves
  • Pickles and olives
  • Coconut