There is no doubt that it can save lives. The colonoscopy is a crucial issue in the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer (and not only). Before carrying out it, however, it is necessary to undergo a preparation that has as its objective the emptying and cleaning of the organ to be explored.
Today, preparing for a colonoscopy is easier than in the past. The diet can be changed even twenty-four hours before the assessment and the volume of liquids containing laxatives to be taken on the eve has halved in the last twenty years.
Consequently, the inconveniences for patients have decreased, who in view of the examination are required to follow a diet low in plant-based foods, but above all to drink a lot of water.
What to eat in the days (3 to 5) before the colonoscopy?
Foods allowed
- White flour bread and pasta
- Rice
- Meat
- Fish
- Cheeses
- Potatoes without peel
- Fiber-free drinks
Foods prohibited
- Vegetable
- Fruit
- Wholemeal bread, pasta and rice
- Bran
- Vegetable sauces (e.g. pesto, tomato sauce and peeled tomatoes)
- Fruit juices
Simple rules on nutrition
In the days before the exam, it is good to follow some simple rules with extreme care in order not to risk having to cancel the colonoscopy or repeat it:
- Start the diet 3 solar days before the exam.
- In the first 2 days, follow a slag-free diet, i.e. without pasta, rice, wholemeal bread, vegetables, fruit, peeled potatoes, legumes, whole foods, dried fruit, jams, marmalades, olives and pickles, fruit and vegetable juices (filtered citrus juices or fruit jellies are allowed).
- In particular, avoid the intake of fruit and vegetables with seeds (such as grapes, kiwis, figs, strawberries, tomatoes and so on). The persistence of seeds in the lumen of the colon can lead to obstruction of the aspiration channels of the colonoscope with consequent lengthening of the time of the colonoscopy. Avoid drinks that contain red or purple dyes.
- You can eat: meat, cold cuts, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, peeled potatoes, white bread.
- On the third day (the one before the exam), take only liquids for lunch (such as tea, milk, coffee, sugary liquids, broth …).
- In the early afternoon of the day before the exam, following the instructions given at the time of booking, take the prescribed laxatives.
- According to the time of the colonoscopy, always the day before the examination, take the colon cleansing solution, also indicated at the time of booking. This process must be repeated twice within 3 hours.
- Do not ingest any type of solid food neither before (3-4 hours) nor during the intake of the solution, nor in the interval between the end of the solution intake and the endoscopic examination.
- On the day of the exam, take only fluids up to 3 hours before the colonoscopy.
Here are 3 best recipes you can prepare before colonoscopy exam
1. Grilled Fish
The grilled fish is a light main course and digestible, ideal for summer evenings. The composition of the grill depends on personal taste: calculate that it generally takes about 250-300 grams of fish for each diner, as much also depends on the side dishes you prepare.
Preparing grilled fish is not difficult, however, you have to follow some simple precautions and dedicate the right time to preparation
Ingredients
Sea bream 2
Tuna 2 steaks
Salmon 2 steaks
2 large fresh squid
Prawns 12
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic
Basil 1 bunch
Parsley 1 bunch
Sage 3-4 leaves
Rosemary 2 sprigs
How to prepare grilled fish
Wash the sea bream, gut them, leaving the scales, and sprinkle them inside with the chopped aromatic herbs, salt and pepper. Remove the bones from the tuna and salmon steaks and wash them. Also wash the squid and cut them into fishbone by making side cuts, so the meat will remain tender during cooking. They will be left natural, as well as the prawns; in fact they are two fish with a delicate taste, which is better not to cover with marinating.
Put the salmon in a container with white wine, oil, sliced garlic, rosemary and pepper. In another container, place the tuna steaks with oil, chopped garlic and parsley and pepper. Let them marinate well covered in the refrigerator for an hour.
Brush the sea bream with a marinade made with extra virgin olive oil, a mix of aromatic herbs, garlic and pepper and leave to marinate for at least half an hour.
Half an hour before cooking remove the fish from the fridge, drain well from the marinade, pat them with absorbent paper.
Place the fish on the grill and cook the sea bream for about 15 minutes, shrimp, squid and fish steaks for 5-6 minutes, a little more if the steaks are thick. During cooking, turn them over and brush them with the marinade.
Once ready, serve them immediately or place them in a closed container before serving. Your grilled fish is ready to be served.
2. Beef Roast
Roast beef, all my secrets to make it super soft and cooked in a pan, in short, without stress and perfect for all occasions. Now follow me as I tell you how I prepare the Roast beef.
Ingredients
800 g roast beef (shoulder, tender, rump or sirloin roll)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tuft Roast flavorings
1 l beef broth
How to prepare beef roast
First, massage the meat with the olive oil for a few minutes, then tie it with string and if you have the possibility, put it well covered in the fridge overnight.
Heat a non-stick pan and brown the meat roll on all sides, this operation is called sealing and is used to keep all the juices inside and ensure that the meat remains tender during cooking.
Put the oil and the herbs for the roast and then cover with the beef broth and cook for 50 minutes, adding more broth when it starts to withdraw.
Remove from the heat, let it rest for a few minutes, then cut the Roast beef into slices and season with the cooking juices.
3. Saffron Rice
This first course, in its essentiality, enhances the aromatic qualities of saffron to the best but not only, thanks to the strong coloring power, the rice grains are embellished with a pleasant and captivating gold color that makes this dish so special.
Ingredients
Saffron in pistils 1 tsp
Rice 320 g
Butter 125 g
Onions 1 finely chopped
Lactose free cheese grated 80 g
Water to taste
Chicken broth 1 l
Salt up to taste
How to prepare saffron rice
To make the saffron rice, first put the pistils in a glass pour over the water just enough to completely cover the pistils, stir and leave to infuse overnight, in this way the pistils will release all their color.
In a large saucepan pour 50g of butter taken from the total amount needed, melt it over low heat, then pour the chopped onion and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, adding some broth to keep the sauce from drying out: the onion must be very transparent and soft.
Once the onion is stewed, add the rice and toast it for 3-4 minutes, so the rice beans will seal and keep cooking well. Let it evaporate completely. At this point, proceed with cooking for about 18-20 minutes, adding the broth a ladle at a time, as needed, as it is absorbed by the rice. The rice beans must always be covered.
Just before the end of cooking, pour the water with the saffron pistils that you had infused, stir to flavor and dye the rice a beautiful gold color. After cooking, turn off the heat; add salt, stir in the grated cheese and the remaining 75 g of butter.
Stir and cover with the lid let it rest for a couple of minutes, at this point the saffron rice is ready, serve hot, garnishing the dish with some pistils.
