The days before
What can I eat the days before a colonoscopy?
“You’re joking.” Then “Why?” Then “Actually, that’s a good idea.”
That is the usual reaction to a cookbook for the days before a colonoscopy. The Colonoscopy Cookbook is twenty gourmet low-residue white-diet recipes by Sophie Hansen, compiled by Rob Knox. It sits beside the clinic sheet you were given, not instead of it.
A colonoscopy is an unusual procedure, and not only for the obvious reasons. It depends on the person doing it, and on you. If you are about to have one, you should have been told to stick to a low-residue diet for the few days before, and to clear fluids for the hours your proceduralist names.
The reason is practical. If undigested fibrous food is still in the colon, the 3mm suction channel of the endoscope blocks again and again. Large parts of the bowel cannot be inspected for pre-cancerous lesions or other important pathology. The procedure may even be abandoned and have to be rescheduled.
So you are handed a list of what you may eat, and what you may not. the usual reaction from the health conscious and inquisitive such as yourself is “What am I going to be able to eat?!”. So, here is a list of approved recipes in conjunction with former Australian Rural Women of the Year and renowned author, journalist, and food identity Sophie Hansen (local-lovely.com) for a gourmet colonoscopy experience whilst on a low residue and clear fluid diet.
Recipes, an adjunct to your clinic's instructions.
Being provided with and using a recipe resource has been proven to improve the patient experience and bowel prep outcomes. In 2023 we published a study on what happens when the usual food list is handed over with recipes a patient can actually cook. The recipes in the study were written by the research team, and put in the pre-colonoscopy pack at a regional Australian public hospital. A matched group from an earlier year got the list only. Of 96 given the standard instructions, only 70 had adequate bowel preparation. Of 96 patients given the resource, 92 did - a big improvement, supporting the value of a recipe resource.
Bennett L, Knox R, Luscombe G, Egan J, Wallace L. The Colonoscopy Cookbook: analysis of effect of a recipe resource on quality and experience of bowel preparation in colonoscopy. Endoscopy International Open 2023; 11: E561–E565. Read the paper
Because if you are going to have a colonoscopy, and congratulations for doing so, make it a quality one.
From the book
Two of the recipes
The 20 recipes here are professionally created by Sophie, for a low-residue and clear-fluid diet. We wrote them with the person eating with you in mind, so a second dinner does not have to be cooked. Optional ingredients are marked for whoever is not preparing. These optional ingredients should not be eaten by the person who is, unless your proceduralist says otherwise.
Of course, we encourage you to double check these recipes comply with your particular endoscopist's pre-procedure instructions.
The Colonoscopy Cookbook. Recipes by Sophie Hansen. Compiled by Rob Knox.