A stool test can check for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract -- the tissues extending from your mouth, into your throat, stomach, intestines, colon and rectum. It can test for the presence of infectious particles like bacteria and viruses, for the presence of chemicals, or for the presence of blood. The foods you eat can affect the results of your stool test and as such, you should avoid specific foods leading up to the test to help prevent false positive or negative results. Always consult a physician about appropriate foods to eat before your stool test as specific tests may require additional food restrictions.
Rare Meats
A type of food to avoid before a stool test is rare meat. One substance for which doctors look when analyzing a stool test is blood. Digested blood in the stool can indicate a lesion or a bleed in the stomach and upper gastrointestinal tract, while undigested blood can indicate the presence of a bleed within the intestines or colon. Eating rare meat means introducing blood into your gastrointestinal tract and can lead to the presence of digested blood in your stool, essentially creating a false positive in a stool test. Harvard Medical School recommends avoiding rare meats, especially beef, for several days before your stool test for accurate test results.
Specific Vegetables
In some cases, specific vegetables can also alter the results of a stool test. Doctors use a range of chemicals to test for the presence of factors in your stool to indicate disease. Some vegetables may contain compounds with the test chemicals, leading to false positive results. Harvard Medical School recommends you avoid turnips, cabbage, radishes, broccoli, horseradish and cauliflower before your test, so as not to falsely test positive for a gastrointestinal disorder. To maintain a healthy diet leading up to your stool test, consume several servings of other vegetables, or ask your doctor about appropriate vitamin supplementation before the test.
Vitamin C-Rich Foods and Supplements
You should also avoid consuming large amounts of vitamin C, either in the form of a supplement or in your diet, in the days leading up to your stool test, reports the University of Michigan Health System. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, can also affect your test result, leading to a negative result, even in the presence of a gastrointestinal bleed. Avoid consuming multivitamins containing vitamin C as well as separate vitamin C supplements. You should also avoids very rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, strawberries or pineapple, before your test to help ensure accurate test results.
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