Questions & Answers

Regaining Your Gut Health After a Colonoscopy

How do you restore your gut function, especially your colonic function, after having a colonoscopy?

Colonoscopies have come a long way. They’re nothing like there were back in the ’70s and ’80s. They’ve become a lot less invasive, much more technologically advanced, and they use much smaller equipment.

Still, I recommend that you take it nice and easy after a colonoscopy. Try not to have a lot of food. Have smaller portions and don’t eat high fiber fruits or vegetables that could irritate the gut. An essential step is to completely avoid alcohol for at least two weeks after the colonoscopy.

Light soups like chicken broth and steamed vegetables would be good options after a colonoscopy. Nice, soft, white fish filets are also suitable. Steamed fish and chicken breast are quite tender and easy on your gut. Some fruit is okay but not too much and avoid fruit that is particularly high in sugar.

Further readings:

I’m not keen on the fruit juices and gelatin desserts that some medical websites recommend. I don’t think that amount of sugar is what your gut needs. I suggest keeping sugar to minimal levels when trying to get your gut back to a good state after a colonoscopy.

I’ve read that eating brown rice after a colonoscopy is not recommended. I tend to disagree. If you cook the rice and make it very soft, it’s a perfectly good food to eat after a colonoscopy. I also recommended having a bit of sour Greek yogurt daily, and kefir might be helpful as well.
Probiotics after a colonoscopy can help with your recovery.

In general, rest up and take it easy for a bit after you’ve had the procedure. If you want to know what shape the gut is in after the colonoscopy, wait a month and get a comprehensive stool analysis. That will let you know the levels of your gut bacteria and where you’ve got the right species in the right amounts.

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