Your health provider may prescribe a clear liquid diet prior to certain medical tests or surgeries. If you have any questions about specific foods permitted, it is best to check with your doctor before eating them. Clear liquid diets are generally prescribed for just a few days as they do not provide much in the way of nutrients, but will at least help you maintain salt, fluid and mineral balance.
Indications
Clear liquid diets usually help clear the digestive tract, especially before tests like a colonoscopy. A clear liquid diet may also be used in cases in which you are unable to tolerate solid food, such as following surgery or during chemotherapy treatment. Clear liquids do not stimulate the digestive tract aggressively, and thus help people who have been tube-fed readjust to eating.
Allowed Foods
Foods that are normally in a liquid state and can be seen through at room temperature are allowed on a clear liquid diet. These include water, apple or white grape juice, lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, broth and bouillon and honey. Clear or lightly colored sports drinks as well as light-colored gelatin desserts and ice pops may also be allowed. Clear hard candy, weak tea and coffee and sparkling water are also permitted for most people. Make sure there is no pulp in any of the juices or fruit pops.
Foods to Avoid
Obviously, no solid food is permitted on a clear liquid diet. Dark-colored drinks are usually off-limits including purple or red juices, ice pops and gelatin as well as cola or orange soda. Soups with any additions -- even soft noodles or vegetables -- are not part of a clear liquid diet. Dairy products, including milk, yogurt and smoothies, are not considered clear liquids.
Considerations
Jackson Siegelbaum Gastrointerology clinic in Camp Hill, Penn., says a clear liquid diet should generally not be followed for more than five days. In cases where you must be on it longer, a doctor might prescribe a lactose-free supplement or high protein gelatin to provide additional nutrition. A clear liquid diet is usually very low in calories, but any lost weight will likely return once you go back to eating solid foods.
Sample Meal Plan
A day on a clear liquid diet might begin with a cup of clear, pulp-free apple juice and a cup of lemon-flavored gelatin. At lunch, you might have a cup or two of chicken broth with an ice pop for dessert. At dinner time, try strained vegetable broth with more gelatin. Snack time might consist of warm, weak tea with honey, hard candy or lemon-lime soda.
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