Please begin the Low Residue Diet outlined below. Following this diet closely ensures your physician can view your colon as clearly as possible. Remaining residue can obscure the colon lining, making it difficult to detect potentially cancerous polyps or lesions.
Foods to Avoid on the Low Residue Diet
- Corn: Any kind of corn.
- Raw or Dried Fruits and Vegetables: Especially anything containing seeds, skins, stalks, or pulp, such as:
- Salads, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, asparagus, raw carrots, tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, and squash.
- Berries, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, apple skins, prunes, figs, dates, and raisins.
- Fruit juice with pulp (including prune juice).
- Legumes: Peas and beans, such as black-eyed peas, black, lima, pinto, butter, navy, and northern beans.
- Seeds: Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (including those on hamburger buns), and poppy seeds.
- Nuts: Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, etc.
- Whole Grains and Bran: Bread products containing whole grains and/or bran, such as multi-grain bread, whole wheat bread, or whole wheat crackers.
- Any breads or crackers containing nuts, seeds, or fruit.
- Granola, high-fiber cereals, oatmeal, and any cereal containing seeds, nuts, dried fruit, or coconut.
- Meats: Tough, fibrous meats.
Recommended Foods on the Low Residue Diet
- Beverages: Strained juices (no pulp), coffee, tea, carbonated beverages, and milk.
- Ripe Bananas
- Vegetables: Tender cooked or canned vegetables without skins or seeds, such as carrots, asparagus tips (no stalks), green beans, and spinach.
- Meats and Proteins: Well-cooked, tender meats (such as beef, lamb, ham, pork, fish, and chicken), eggs, and smooth (not chunky) peanut butter.
- Dairy: Yogurt, cheese, and cottage cheese.
- Breads and Grains: White breads (including rolls, biscuits, muffins, crackers, and waffles), while strictly avoiding multi-grain options or anything containing seeds. White rice, pasta, and potatoes (without skin).
- Cereals: Low-fiber cereals (such as Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, etc.).
- Soups: Bouillon, broth, cream soups, and soups made exclusively with approved vegetables.
- Desserts: Sorbet, popsicles, and ice cream.