Life is short, and colonoscopy prep is NOT for whole food vegans … so break out the good china and just celebrate you’re alive and kicking!
Pictured: Celestial Seasonings Jammin’ Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea; “Cheerios” (only Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, and Cheerios allowed – no whole grains/high fiber cereals); canned peaches (most fruits not allowed).
Ehh … it’s only 3 days, right?
Where Does A Vegan Get Protein On A Colonoscopy Prep Diet?
Great question! Beans, legumes, and peas (including hummus) are not allowed. Nuts and seeds (including quinoa) are not allowed. Whole grains are not allowed. Protein bars – nope, as they may have nuts, dried fruits, and dreaded F.I.B.E.R. Protein drinks seem like they could be an option but only non-vegan ones have been vetted for use.
Remaining choices? Tofu (but not with veggies). And – thank God – creamy peanut butter! A PBJ (on white bread – ugh) and glass of almond milk was my lunch for 3 days.
Vegan Colonoscopy Prep – Don’t Eat The Rainbow, Eat YELLOW!
Yup, colors not allowed on the prep. No leafy greens. No veggies except for potatoes without skins, asparagus tips, cooked carrots, and canned green beans. (Odd because green beans have seeds, which are a no-no.) Fresh fruits are cantaloupe, honeydew, bananas, and avocados. Canned fruits are applesauce and peaches.
Pictured: Cantaloupe, canned peaches, and Annie’s vegan boxed mac and cheese with added nooch. Coldplay might love all this yellow stuff, but I didn’t. Take a look at the pic below – cantaloupe, Annie’s vegan boxed shells and sauce, and ginger ale – to see how using your fancy dishes makes this slightly more palatable.
Dr. Approved Chocolate
Now, the strange part. You can’t eat leafy greens, most fresh fruit, or most vegetables, but you CAN eat as much chocolate (and other sweets) as you want – as long as there are no nuts or fruit.
We’re talking candy, cookies, cake, ice cream. Oatmeal raisin cookies are a no, but chocolate chip cookies are a yes. Angel food cake is a yes, but Christmas fruitcake is a no. Cherry Garcia ice cream is a no – but Chocolate Fudge Brownie is a yes.
Final Day Of Prep
The “clear liquids day” is the day most people dread, but to me it was a relief. Going from a high-protein, high-fiber diet to a diet of mostly refined carbs took its toll on me. I lost my usual zip and zest. My sensitive facial skin became red and irritated and the arthritis in my right knee flared up. I was constipated. Yes, that’s right – a constipated vegan! Taking a break from the refined carbs and sticking to clear liquids and popsicles felt great.
As for the laxatives – it makes no sense to eat a diet almost guaranteed to make you constipated, just to use major strength laxatives to blast everything out. However, it did feel good to move my bowels.
Day Of
You won’t remember much about the colonoscopy. Afterwards, you can eat anything you want (although they recommend sticking to a clear liquid diet the rest of the day).
Final Tips
Read over your instructions as soon as the doctor gives them to you and start making a plan.
It’s probably easiest (and cheapest) to have roughly the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day.
Expect to have a small financial outlay as you’ll need to purchase items you likely don’t have at home. (For me, it was an approved cereal, white bread, applesauce, canned peaches, Annie’s Mac n Cheese, white grape juice, popsicles, ginger ale, Sprite, Gatorade, and the laxatives.)
You may want to research a few recipes. These orange ginger glazed carrots (cooked very soft, with powdered, not fresh, ginger) could be an option. You could go old-school and make your own macaroni and cheese with a nooch sauce (remember, no nuts!) You could make plain scrambled tofu (without veggies) or baked tofu. Or you could just keep things extremely simple, as I did.
Life is short. Eat the chocolate and use the good china.
VegCharlotte 
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