Pre-Op Clear Liquids Diet

DESCRIPTION: This diet should be followed for 48 hours prior to the day of your surgery unless otherwsie indicated by your surgeon or nutritionist.

This diet is very straightforward. You cannot eat anything and are only allowed to drink liquids from the approved list below. This is the single most important step patients make before their surgery. Failure to comply with this diet can result in your surgeon refusing to perform the surgery and/or could increase the risk of complications during surgery.

You are allowed to drink as much as you want and whenever you feel thirsty or hungry. However, certain liquids such as juice and coconut water have limitations to avoid extreme sugar intakes and keep calories in check.

APPROVED LIST OF LIQUIDS:

• Plain water.
• Clear broths such as vegetable, chicken, beef, or bone. Make sure these are low-sodium because excess sodium can lead to inflammation or swelling. Oragnic broths are also preferred if possible. Almost every supermarket carries their own in-house brand, so you can buy that one if it is low sodium. Other recommended brands are:
  • Pacific Foods Organic Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
  • Swanson Unsalted Chicken Broth
  • Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Bone Broth

• Low sugar electrolyte drinks. Recommended brands:
  • Gatorade G2. Recommended flavors: Fruit punch, Grape, Berries. We recommend staying away from lime, lemon, orange or any citric flavor as they are a bit more acidic and can cause discomfort.
  • Propel. Recommended flavors: Grape, Berries. You can also buy Propel as a powder and mix in a bottle of water until fully dissolved. You can also buy it in powder and add it to plain water.

• 100% fruit and/or vegetable juices. These should be without any added sugar or pulp. Recommended flavors:
  • Apple. Recommended brands: Apple & Eve, Kirkland (Costco) Apple Juice, Mott's 100% Original Apple Juice, Langers 100% Apple Juice.
  • Peach or Grape. Welch's 100% White Grape and Peach Juice.
  • Maximum allowed of juice per day is 16 ounces.
  • Juice should always be diluted with water. Dilute juice with equal amounts of water.
  • Avoid juices with pulp.
  • Note: Juice plays an important role in this diet but will be discontinued later due to its high calorie content.

• Coconut water.
  • Recommended brands: Naked Juice 100% Organic Pure Coconut Water, Vita Coco Original.
  • Note: If you buy other brands just make sure they do not have added sugars.
  • Maximum allowed per day is 8 ounces per day due to its sugar content
  • Note: Coconut water plays an important role in the Clear liquids diet both before and after surgery but should be discontinued later due to its high calorie content.

• Herbal tea (caffeine free and unsweetened). Recommended brands:
  • TICK TOCK TEAS Original Rooibos Organic Tea, Redbush Tea
  • Yogi Bedtime Herbal Tea Caffeine Free Soothing Caramel

• Sugar-free Jell-O.
  • Recommended flavors: Strawberry, grape, mixed berries, or mango.
  • Note: Jell-O is not a liquid but is acceptable by most surgeons during this stage. Please consult with yours to see if it is ok. Jell-O provides little to no nutrition but can help because it is the closest sensation to eating you can get during this stage.

• Sugar-free popsicles.
  • Recommended flavors: Strawberry, grape, or mixed berries.

• Ice chips.
  • Crushed or very small ice cubes.

TIPS & GUIDELINES:

• There is no set meal schedule for this stage. You may drink at any time you feel thirsty or hungry.
• Absolutely no sodas are allowed.
• Do not drink any protein shakes (unless otherwise indicated by your doctor).
• All liquids should be caffeine free. Coffee is not allowed.
• It is important to monitor your glucose (sugar) levels (especially if you are diabetic). You may at some point feel dizzy if your glucose levels fall below your recommended level. If this happens, you may consume a bit of diluted fruit juice and consult with your doctor immediately if this happens often. If you are a diabetic, check your glucose levels closely and follow your doctors’ recommendations. Make sure to consult with your doctor about any adjustments in your medications and/or insulin regimen that may be needed.
• All fruit juice should be diluted with water.
• All liquids should contain no added sugars. Juices contain natural sugar from the fruits, but it is important to make sure they have no added sugars. You can find out if they have any by reading the nutrition labels and staying away from those that list the following ingredients:
  • Cane crystals, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystal dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fructose sweetener, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, liquids fructose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sugar, white sugar
• Maintain a diet journal and begin reporting what you drink throughout the day. This way, you can keep track of what you are drinking and determine if you are meeting your fluid needs.
• Ask your friends and family for their support and understanding. Having a great support team at home is crucial to achieving long-term success!

Exercise: We recommend all patients avoid exercise during this stage. It important to take it slow and keep in mind that you are consuming extremely few calories, so your energy levels will not be ideal to perform any type of exercise.

Vitamins and Supplements: Do not consume any during this stage unless otherwise indicated by your doctor or surgeon.