Can I Eat Shrimp Before a Colonoscopy? A Complete Guide

Getting ready for a colonoscopy can be challenging. As the procedure requires your colon to be completely clean, you will need to follow a restricted diet in the days leading up to it One common question is can I eat shrimp before a colonoscopy?

Shrimp and other types of seafood are low-fiber foods, making them a good option for the preparatory diet However, the answer depends on exactly when you plan on eating the shrimp relative to your colonoscopy appointment

In this article, I’ll walk through a complete guide on what you can and cannot eat before a colonoscopy. I’ll provide sample meal plans for what to eat 5 days before, 1-3 days before, and the day of your colonoscopy. I’ll also answer common questions like:

• Can I eat shrimp 3 days before a colonoscopy?
• What seafoods are allowed 2 days before a colonoscopy?
• Is shrimp part of the clear liquid diet the day before my colonoscopy?

Overview of Colonoscopy Prep Diet

Before we dive into the specifics on shrimp, let’s quickly go over the different dietary stages leading up to your colonoscopy appointment:

5 Days Before: Transition to a low-fiber diet. Avoid high-fiber foods like whole grains, beans, vegetables with skins, nuts, seeds, and certain fruits.

3 Days Before: Stick to low-fiber foods. This includes white bread, white rice, eggs, cheese, canned fruits and vegetables without skins or seeds, chicken, fish, etc.

2 Days Before: Continue the low-fiber diet.

1 Day Before: Begin a clear liquid diet. Avoid all solid foods and eat only broths, juices without pulp, water, clear sodas, and gelatin. Also take laxatives to clear out your colon.

Day Of: Continue the clear liquid diet until a specified time when you need to stop drinking liquids as well.

Keeping this timeline in mind, let’s look at whether shrimp is allowed during each stage.

Can You Eat Shrimp 5 Days Before a Colonoscopy?

In the 5 days leading up to your colonoscopy, you’ll want to move to low-fiber foods that are more easily digested and eliminated. Examples of low-fiber foods include:

• White bread, pasta, rice, crackers
• Eggs, chicken, turkey, fish
• Canned fruits/vegetables without skins
• Cheese, milk, yogurt
• Potatoes without skin

Shrimp and other seafood are considered low-fiber foods, so yes you can eat shrimp in the 5 days before your colonoscopy. Other low-fiber seafood options include fish, crab, lobster, scallops, clams, etc. Just avoid seafood with a lot of small bones like sardines or fish with tough skin.

Here are some shrimp meal ideas 5 days before your colonoscopy:

• Shrimp scampi with white pasta
• Shrimp fried rice with white rice
• Grilled shrimp skewers with white rice and steamed carrots
• Crab or lobster bisque soup
• Shrimp cocktail
• Seafood omelet with cheese

Just avoid eating the shrimp with any high-fiber grains, vegetables, or sauces. Stick to low-fiber starches like white rice or bread.

What Can You Eat 3 Days Before a Colonoscopy?

In the 3 days leading up to the colonoscopy, you’ll want to continue eating low-fiber foods. This includes all the foods recommended 5 days before like white breads, eggs, cheese, canned fruits/vegetables without skins, chicken, fish, and shrimp.

Some examples of low-fiber shrimp meals 3 days before your colonoscopy include:

• Grilled shrimp over white rice
• Shrimp salad wrap with white tortilla
• Shrimp tacos on corn tortillas
• Baked fish with sautéed shrimp
• Seafood chowder with fish, shrimp, clams

What Can You Eat 2 Days Before Your Colonoscopy?

Two days before your colonoscopy, continue to eat low-fiber foods including shrimp, fish, eggs, white starches, cheeses, and canned fruits/vegetables without skins or seeds. Here are some delicious shrimp recipes:

• Garlic butter shrimp with white pasta
• Coconut shrimp with white rice
• Shrimp stir fry with white rice
• Grilled shrimp and pineapple skewers
• Shrimp quesadillas with cheese on flour tortillas

So shrimp is definitely allowed 2 days before a colonoscopy as it is low in fiber and good for the preparatory diet.

Is Shrimp Allowed the Day Before a Colonoscopy?

The day before your colonoscopy, you’ll need to switch to a clear liquid diet. On this diet, you must avoid ALL solid foods. You can only have clear liquids like:

• Water, tea, coffee (no milk/creamer)
• Clear broths and bouillons
• Fruit juices without pulp
• Carbonated beverages
• Gelatin
• Popsicles

Since shrimp is a solid food, you cannot have any shrimp the day before your procedure while on the clear liquid diet. Make sure to stick to only fluids like broth, juice, tea, water, and other clear liquids the day before your colonoscopy.

Also, remember to take your laxative as instructed that evening to fully clear out your colon.

Are Shrimps Allowed on the Day of the Colonoscopy?

The day of your colonoscopy, you’ll need to continue the clear liquid diet until a specified time, usually a few hours before the procedure itself. At that time, you will likely be asked to stop drinking liquids as well.

So on the actual day of your colonoscopy, you still cannot have any solid foods including shrimp. Stick to the clear liquid diet and follow your doctor’s instructions for when to stop drinking liquids.

Once your colonoscopy is complete, you can gradually return to regular foods like shrimp. Just take it easy for the rest of the day and stick to lighter meals as your body recovers.

Sample Meal Plans for Before Your Colonoscopy

To summarize the dietary guidelines, here are some sample meal plans for what you could eat before your colonoscopy procedure:

5 Days Before Colonoscopy:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and white toast

Lunch: Tuna sandwich on white bread, yogurt

Dinner: Grilled salmon, garlic shrimp, white rice

3 Days Before Colonoscopy:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with milk, white toast

Lunch: Shrimp salad wrap with tortilla, fruit cocktail

Dinner: Baked cod, shrimp scampi over linguine

2 Days Before Colonoscopy:

Breakfast: Cheese omelet and white toast

Lunch: Chicken noodle soup, saltine crackers

Dinner: Coconut shrimp, mashed potatoes

1 Day Before Colonoscopy (Clear Liquid Diet):

Breakfast: Tea, apple juice

Lunch: Chicken broth

Dinner: Gelatin, popsicle