A gentle low-residue menu for the day before your colonoscopy

Ask anyone who's had a colonoscopy what they remember most, and it's rarely the procedure. It's the prep: the laxative drink, the bathroom trips and, for many people, a long day of nothing but broth and gelatin.

The good news is that the day before doesn't always have to be liquid-only. Current US recommendations allow simple low-fiber meals earlier in the day. Here's what the research says, plus a gentle menu you can use if your own instructions allow it.

What the research says about prep diets

In 2025, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer updated its bowel prep recommendations. It recommends limiting diet restrictions to the day before the colonoscopy, with either clear liquids or a low-fiber, low-residue diet for the early and midday meals. It also recommends a split-dose prep, with part of the laxative taken the evening before and the rest on the day of the procedure (Jacobson et al., 2025).

That fits earlier research. A meta-analysis of 9 trials with 1,686 patients found that people who ate a low-residue diet the day before tolerated it better and were more willing to repeat the prep than those on clear liquids, with no difference in how well the bowel was cleaned (Nguyen et al., 2016). Stretching a low-residue diet to three days didn't improve cleansing compared with one day (Gimeno-García et al., 2019).

A 2024 trial in people having a colonoscopy after a positive stool test even found that a less restrictive diet was not inferior to a one-day low-residue diet, and it was better tolerated (Machlab et al., 2024). Still, instructions vary by practice and by person, so follow the ones you're given.

What low residue means

Low-residue foods leave little undigested material behind in the colon. Practices differ, but typical lists look something like this:

• Usually allowed: white bread, white rice, plain pasta, eggs, tender chicken or fish, tofu, smooth yogurt, and peeled, well-cooked potatoes
• Usually avoided: whole grains, nuts, seeds, popcorn, beans, raw vegetables, fruit skins, and foods or drinks with red or purple coloring

Breakfast: soft scrambled eggs on white toast

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk or water
• 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil
• A pinch of salt
• 1 to 2 slices white bread, without seeds

Steps

1. Whisk the eggs with the milk or water and the salt.
2. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over low heat.
3. Add the eggs and stir slowly with a spatula until softly set, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Toast the bread and spoon the eggs on top. Skip pepper flakes, seeded spice blends and whole-grain toppings.

Lunch: lemony chicken and rice soup

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 cup white rice, rinsed
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced (optional, only if your list allows well-cooked vegetables)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, strained
• Salt to taste

Steps

1. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer in a medium pot.
2. Add the chicken breast and simmer for about 15 minutes, until cooked through. Lift it out and shred it with two forks.
3. Add the rice, and the carrot if using, to the simmering broth. Cook for about 15 minutes, until both are very soft.
4. Return the chicken to the pot, add the lemon juice and salt, and heat through.
5. Eat one serving for lunch. Strain the second serving and save only the broth for later, when you may be limited to clear liquids.

Afternoon and evening: clear liquids

Most instructions switch to clear liquids after a set time. Clear means you can see through it. Typical options include:

• Strained broth, including the broth saved from your soup
• Water, clear sports drinks, and apple or white grape juice without pulp
• Lemon or lime gelatin and ice pops, avoiding red and purple
• Black coffee or plain tea, without milk or creamer

Sip steadily through the afternoon and evening. Some people find the prep drink easier to finish when it's chilled or sipped through a straw.

A few important notes

• Your instructions come first. If your practice says clear liquids all day, follow that.
• Ask for tailored instructions if you have diabetes, take a GLP-1 medication or blood thinners, have kidney disease, or had a poor prep in the past.
• Call the office if you can't keep the prep down, have severe abdominal pain or feel faint.

Sources

1. Jacobson BC, Anderson JC, Burke CA, et al. Optimizing bowel preparation quality for colonoscopy: consensus recommendations by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2025;168(4):798-829. PMID 40047732
2. Nguyen DL, Jamal MM, Nguyen ET, Puli SR, Bechtold ML. Low-residue versus clear liquid diet before colonoscopy: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Gastrointest Endosc. 2016;83(3):499-507.e1. PMID 26460222
3. Gimeno-García AZ, de la Barreda Heuser R, Reygosa C, et al. Impact of a 1-day versus 3-day low-residue diet on bowel cleansing quality before colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial. Endoscopy. 2019;51(7):628-636. PMID 30943553
4. Machlab S, Martínez-Bauer E, López P, et al. Restrictive diets are unnecessary for colonoscopy: non-inferiority randomized trial. Endosc Int Open. 2024;12(3):E352-E360. PMID 38464979

This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. Always follow the bowel prep and diet instructions from the team performing your colonoscopy.