What is a Clear Liquid Diet?
A clear Liquid Diet is a form of feeding regiment that contains only clear liquids. For this purpose, any liquid that you can see through will be considered a clear liquid even though it is colored. On this diet, no type is solid food is allowed. Generally, a clear liquid diet includes clear liquids or foods that turn to liquids at room temperature. As you can probably guess already, a clear liquid diet is usually medically prescribed. The goal of a clear liquid diet is mainly to allow the gastrointestinal tract to observe some rest before a test or procedure such as a colonoscopy. It also serves to ensure that there is adequate visibility for the Medical caregiver during the procedure. It must also be understood that a clear liquid diet will obviously not meet your nutritional needs, it is just to keep you hydrated, provide the critical minerals and vitamins and as mentioned above, to keep the stomach and intestines rested. For this reason, it will always be recommended for a short-term period only.
A clear liquid diet has been mechanically altered to include only foods without any pulp, bits of food or other residue. Sometimes, some of these meals have tints, for example, a strained orange or a cranberry juice. There is a chance that they are also a salty or sweetened, but not, in any case, should be anything floating or settled underneath the liquid.
Apart from a surgical procedure such as a colonoscopy, other reason why a clear liquid diet is recommended will include health concerns such as a bowel obstruction or digestive problems such as Diarrhea, Diverticulitis or the Crohn’s disease. Following the success of the medical procedure of resolve of the medical concern, the patient is not immediately placed on a regular diet. Instead, he is put on is known as the full liquid diet, which is not very different from the clear liquid diet. Though, the former contains a few food allowances, usually dairy or milk products such as creamed soups or ice cream.
Readily available example of clear liquid diet includes water (of course), broth, clear juices, and coffee/tea.
Is Coffee part of a clear liquid Diet?
As we mentioned in the close up of the first paragraph above, coffee may count as part of a clear liquid diet, but there is a caveat! Coffee (or tea) is only allowed as long as nothing is added to them. The presence of additives such as sugar, honey, milk, or a coffee creamer will compromise the standard of coffee as a clear liquid diet and will not count as one any longer.
In other words, the legendary black coffee is the only form of coffee that will be considered pure and clear enough to be regarded as suitable for a clear liquid food regiment. Thus, if you are placed on a clear liquid diet regiment and you cannot take your coffee black, then you will have to blacklist coffee for that entire period.
That being said, what are other food substances that will count as part of a clear Liquid Diet?
Acceptable Clear Liquid Food Substances:
• Strained fruit juice with no pulp (for instance, white grape juice, apple juice, cranberry juice.)
• Broth. Fat-free chicken, vegetable or beef broth.
• Soft drinks such as ginger ale, 7 up, and coca cola are suitable.
• Bouillon already dissolved in water.
• Sports drinks such as Gatorade is also suitable.
• Popsicles without any fruits, ice cream, or sherbet.
• Flavored gelatin without any fruit or solids added
• Lemonade with no pulp.
• Tea without with no cream or other additives.
• Soda pops
• Plain jell- o
• Ice chips
A sample Diet Plan
Below is a sample diet plan for the avoidance of any doubt
Breakfast
• One glass of fruit juice.
• A cup of coffee or tea (without any additive)
• A cup of broth
• A bowl of gelatin
Lunch
• A bowl of gelatin
• A glass of water
• A bowl of broth
• A glass of juice
Snack
• A bowl of gelatin
• Ice chips
Dinner
• A cup of chicken broth/ A dish of flavored gelatin
• A glass of water/ a cup of tea
What are the things to know before starting a clear liquid diet?
If you have been placed on a clear liquid diet ahead of a medical procedure such as colonoscopy, you should know to avoid cleared liquids with purple or red color. This is because these can obstruct clear imaging of the medical procedure. In the case that you are diabetic patient, your clear liquid should provide at least 200 gm of carbon-hydrate content spread evenly across the day to manage the blood sugar level properly. You should pay careful attention to your blood sugar level and switch as soon as practicable to the regular diets.
Lastly, as we have mentioned before, the clear liquid diet should only last a few days. It is extremely low in calories and vital nutrients, hence, shouldn’t be taken considered for an extended period stretch. In all the cases, the doctor’s instructions are paramount and must be complied with at all times.