Low fibre vegetarian diet 7 days before colonoscopy/gastroscopy?

[HeathisWealth]

White carbs, eggs, cheese, butter, processed cereals, milk, well cooked carrots and strained tomatoes (but staining?).

This is my idea of food hell.

White bread egg/cheese sarnies?

Pasta with butter and cheese?

Usual diet is rich in fruit, berries, seeds and nuts with my yoghurt, veggies (skin on!), beans, pulses, salads, seeds and nuts- and wholemeal, brown and whole grain.

Please can I ask for your help with better ideas as honestly, if I didn't need one before, I'll definitely need one with that diet!

Y it’s very sweet so you might want to make yourself something salty like chicken broth

If you eat normal cheese then they can be very interesting. Lots of good cheeses.

Also cheese omelette.

I had to do this for 12nths.
Courgette is a no, unless skinned and even then not really as there are seeds.
Just embrace it, you can have a nice toasted cheese scone. French toast. Crackers, toast and shredless marmalade. Ice cream. Ramen with miso soup. Just adjust your mind set for a few days. II was allowed tofu though and if I remember rightly it was on my colonoscopy list too.
The thing I hated the most was the clear liquid thing the day before the colonoscopy.
The only prep med that I've struggled with is Plenvu due to the strong flavouring, the rest have been OK.

Thank you for your kindness. I hope you stay well. You are right, we do what we do to stay well. Wishing you good health 🙏🏼

You’ll have a much easier time of the prep.

I only eat white rice for 5 days before the prep.

Then I fast for 24 hours (I am used to fasting though, I do omad).

Hardly anything comes out with the prep, just water. I have a much easier time of it.

I have picolax 🎉 Dare I ask what it tastes like? 🙉🙈🙊

Thank you! I fast, too. Usually 18/6. I can go longer, though. I'm sure you're not a fattypants on OMAD!

This is a good idea. I also fasted for 24 h which was longer than my guidance suggested.

I've done it three times now, it's grim but doable. I just went back to eating like I did as a kid, I actually found it quite comforting.

Good luck, I hope the colonoscopy goes well.

Top tip for the prep:- chill everything, chill the prep, chill the 'chaser' drink and use a straw, that stuff is vile but it's the worst part, the actual colonoscopy is a breeze after and think of all the lovely foods you can treat yourself to afterwards.

It tastes reasonably ok and is bearable, unlike the other 2 (and I managed to keep it down).

He's actually been accepted for a reversal, which surprised us, because we thought the anaesthetist would knock it back. It's the anaesthetist that makes the final decision on non life threatening surgery. He's struggled, like you would, he misses fruit and vegetables. We eat out in weatherspoons now. Christmas and birthdays are completely changed. Our social life has halved. Food was a part of our holidays, now we've got to find 'Brit abroad' type places, but without the drinking. However, he's very grateful that he's still alive.

The prep is salty - add squash to it and it’s bearable.

try and tell yourself ‘I have to eat this crap for 7 days ‘ just for this procedure then I can have all my old favourites again ’ .

smother your bum in Vaseline or sudacrem or similar before you take the first dose and then after every bowel movement as you can get very sore from the amount that comes out. Use wetwipes that are water based no fragrance.

It is usually for three days. You can do it! - thanks to all the suggestions above. I had stuff, some of which you would prefer not to have, like white bread, toast, cheese, greek yogurt and vanilla protein powder, and lots of cake 😊I had a top Boston Score on the day too. Chuffed I was! And polyps galore but benign thankfully.

I'd also recommend reducing what you eat the few days before hand, I did the second and third time and found the prep much easier to get through.

Only certain crackers and biscuits, IIRC.

I saw someone mention tempeh above, best to check that as I think it's made with whole beans?

Some really great ideas here. Thank you for your kindness and understanding and taking time to share. It's been really helpful and reassuring to know others 'get it'. If I haven't replied to you directly, I have read all replies and I really do appreciate your time and support.

I’m vegetarian and despite my username I didn’t find the prep that awful. After all I was being investigated for bowel symptoms and can feel far worse from time to time anyway. Just set yourself up near the loo and preferably without any other responsibilities that day. As we work in a lovely school, with classes you can leave, a colleague has even done it and carried on working, but I prefer to have a rare day at home.

As to the diet, I like to eat things I’d normally restrict because of the calorie content, like milk puddings and cheese sauce, so it’s not all deprivation. My trust says 3 days, like previous posters, and you can’t have anything red or purple - like Ribena.

I’ve had several colonoscopies and they’ve never found anything awful, apart from worsening diverticulitis. Possibly because of the ‘reset’ aspect of the clearing out I usually find my misbehaving bowel calms down a bit within a few days, too. I hope you have the same results, minus the diverticulitis.

I am due one next week too. AI is your friend here. I put in asking for a menu and ideas then cross checked it to the list I has as areas differ. Once I had a menu I narrowed own ideas I liked and asked it to tell me what to get from x supermarket. Then again crossed check those. Although mine is only 3/4 days too. The booklet says good prep starts 7 days due to stopping certain medication.

There is so much more you can eat now than the last time I had one. Ready salted crisp (Pringles/walkers type). Bagels and crumpets to make a change from the white bread slices. Lots of the protein yogurts are suitable as they don’t contain fruits for example lindahls kvarg vanilla or white chocolate or get pro banana (this one should be ok) (I have to take high protein due to other meds and was really worried about this as I usually have a shake as I can’t stomach chicken an eggs for breakfast) .

Jacket potatoes skin off are ok too. Love it or hate it tomato ketchup (Heinz smooth type) is ok and I have used that to flavour rice and pasta. According to my safe list you can have sweet potato, butternut squash carrot, broccoli as long as it is skin off, seeds out and no stalks. so worth a close check.

My favourite is the fact chocolate and marshmallows are on the list too for snacks when needed. I have had lemon curd on half a bagel too for a filling sweet treat. As well as plain rice pudding or muller rice pudding with custard. A plain sponge pudding is actually on the suggested ideas from my hospital. Plain biscuits such as rich tea and shortcake biscuits but no digestives!

Lemon and lime jelly for the day before as it is clear. Rose lime drink was also recommended for prep day as it goes clear when you mix it apparently although mine does say any fizzy drinks but I’m sticking to lemonade that day just to be sure.

I hope you manage to find some ideas and that your list is not too restrictive when you look closely. Good luck.

Haven't yet RTFT but Nigella Lawson has a recipe for lemon and rosemary risotto which is delicious. (A bit like savoury rice pudding but in a good way.) Would that comply?

Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels (white)? Fish and chips? Tiramisu?

to you OP, don't know why people were giving you such a hard time and best of luck with the results.

Edited to say sorry, I see you've already said no fish, must read more carefully!

I’d eat syrup sponge and custard twice a day.

If you are allowed added sugar, how about meringues? And if neat lemon juice without bits is allowed (or even lemon flavouring) as well as sugar I wonder if lemon curd would be possible.

Have they given you a leaflet? If not, check your NHS trust website for further info or ask them for a full list.

Also look at other NHS websites to see what they say. For example;

The Guys and St Thomas' advice says you only need to completely cut out veg for 3 days before prep;

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/colonoscopy-diet-advice-and-bowel-preparation/3-days-your-colonoscopy

And the NHS Sussex advice has a good section on vegetables (and everything else!);

https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/resources/low-residue-diet/

As for meal ideas... Following the advice in the websites above;

Breakfast

• Cornflakes or rice crispies with milk
• Decent white loaf, sliced and toasted, with butter
• Plain yoghurt with banana
• Scrambled, boiled or poached eggs, on/with toasted crusty white bread

Lunch

• Avocado on white toast
• Toasted crumpets with cheddar
• Toasted English muffins with scrambled or poached eggs
• PEELED root vegetables, made into a well cooked (and pureed) soup served with crusty white bread
• Egg mayo sarnies made with crusty white bread
• White pitta or wraps filled with soft cheese, tofu or avocado and VERY well roasted SKINLESS veg (eg butternut squash, courgette, carrot, swede)

Tea

• White pasta with veggie carbonara-style sauce (cut the pancetta and replace with cheese, quorn or tofu)
• Stir-fry tofu with white rice noodle
• Spinach and ricotta cannelloni or lasagne
• Bubble and squeak - boiled, peeled potatoes, mashed with cheese/egg/well cooked spinach, and made into patties and fried - serve with very well steamed broccoli or very well roasted butternut squash
• Pasta bake made with passata, fresh basil (leaf only), white pasta topped with cheese then bake in the oven

Pudding

• Fruit without skins, stewed and served with custard
• Rice pudding
• Yoghurt, custard or evaporated milk with tinned peaches
• Ice cream
• Banana custard
• Plain sponge cake

Drinks

• Clear apple juice
• Herbal tea
• Weak tea or coffee
• Water

I’m pretty sure you can have quite a few veggies if you peel them? Or at least I could on my last one.

I made some ratatouille with peeled tomatoes peeled courgettes and peeled peppers. Yes it was pretty mushy but with poached eggs on top it was delicious!

Im not going to say deal with it, but yo some extent you have to view the diet as part of the process. Unpleasant but needed and it isn’t for long.

I messed up with the spinach in the bubble and squeak - replace it with well cooked courgette or broccoli?

Maybe make a root vegetable stew or casserole that you cook for AGES and serve it with cheesy mash?

Also consider omelettes and frittata - Spanish, cheese, oven baked, butternut squash and feta, broccoli and blue cheese.

Quiche made with white flour.

There's loads of options