A colonoscopy is a relatively safe procedure. But, before the examination, you will need to restrict your diet to empty your colon. Afterward, it is recommended that you wait a few hours before eating solid foods.
After the procedure, you might feel famished and crave your favorite comfort foods. But, you should be careful with fatty and hard-to-digest foods, such as pizza. If you wonder whether you can eat pizza after a colonoscopy, you have come to the right place!
The information you will find here is not medical advice but general suggestions for eating pizza safely after undergoing a colon examination.
Is It Safe To Eat Pizza After A Colonoscopy?
It is safe to eat pizza after a colonoscopy. However, it is strongly recommended that you wait a couple of hours after the procedure before eating.
Preparing for a colonoscopy is dehydrating, and it can take a toll on your digestive system. As such, you want to drink plenty of water and eat soft, easy-to-digest foods. Fruits, mashed foods, cooked vegetables, soups, and eggs are easier on your digestive tract, and they will help you recover faster.
Try to avoid fatty foods in the first few hours following the examination. You might already be feeling nauseous from the procedure, and eating greasy foods can worsen your symptoms, resulting in worse outcomes such as excessive vomiting. Remember, you are already dehydrated; your body needs to conserve fluid, and vomiting does not help.
So, is it safe to eat pizza after your colonoscopy? As long as your doctor has not recommended any diet restrictions, you can enjoy pizza. That said, keep in mind that pizza dough is hard to digest and might cause your already weakened digestive system to work harder.
Pizza is also high-fat and may increase the feeling of nausea following a colon examination. Lastly, pizza contains a significant amount of seasoning and spices, which can easily irritate your digestive tract and slow down the recovery process.
If you really must eat pizza after your medical examination, you should ensure the following:
- Your stool does not have black or red spotting
- You don’t feel abdominal discomfort
- The examination did not include the removal of tissues from your digestive tract for a biopsy
- Your doctor has cleared you of any digestive tract problems
For the best results, you can wait for 24 to 48 hours before eating pizza. This way, you can ensure that you don’t have any dangerous symptoms after the examination.
Can You Eat Pizza Before A Colonoscopy?
It’s not recommended to eat some pizza, or even food before your colonoscopy. Your doctor will recommend that you come to the examination room with your bowel as empty as possible. This will help the doctor conduct a more accurate examination, and working with an empty digestive tract and bowel is more efficient and faster.
It would be best to minimize or cut out high fiber foods from your diet 3 to 5 days before the procedure. Pizza dough and some toppings have high fiber content, so avoid these foods before your examination.
Good choices include yogurt, mashed potato, eggs, white bread, white pasta, bananas, and creamy peanut butter. You can also enjoy lean meats, fish, and low-fiber breakfast cereals.
As you can see, you have many delicious food options before and after a colonoscopy. Yes, you are a big pizza fan but try to delay eating pizza before undergoing this medical examination.
When Is A Good Time To Eat Pizza After A Colonoscopy?
As long as your doctor does not advise against certain foods, you can eat safely and even immediately after a colon examination. That said, it is a good idea to go easy on your colon in terms of the types of foods you eat. You should avoid eating spicy, greasy, and doughy foods.
When it comes to pizza, your best bet is to wait for up to 6 hours after your colonoscopy before you can indulge.
This is assuming there are no concerns such as blood in your stool, bloating or abdominal pain, or nausea. Giving yourself this window period allows your digestive system to adjust from the intensive colonoscopy procedure and aids with the healing process.
If you underwent a biopsy or polypectomy to remove polyps, or experienced symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain, you should still be cautious about eating pizza. But, you are better off waiting for 1 to 3 days to give your system some time to heal.
When NOT to Eat Pizza After Your Colonoscopy?
Now that we have established that you can eat pizza to a certain degree, let’s get into the signs that you SHOULD NOT eat pizza. These include:
No Polyp Removal
As you may know, colonoscopy also deals with inspecting polyps in your colon. If ever there are some and you’re in for removal, eating pizza is the last thing you might want to do. For the procedure, you will need to undergo fasting, so eating anything will postpone the removal.
No Nausea and Vomiting
Vomiting and nausea is a telltale sign that there is something wrong in your bowel. Refrain from eating heavy dishes such as pizza and opt for a more bland, easy-to-digest food. And let us tell you, pizza is not one of those.
No Black Stool or Blood
If, after your colonoscopy, your bowel is triggered to produce stool, check if it’s not black or mixed with blood. These are signs that there is something wrong with your metabolic process.
If, after 24 to 48 hours and there are none of these symptoms, then you can safely gobble down some of your favorite pizza flavors without any problem. Although you can do it in less than a day, it’s best if you wait if some of these symptoms show up before eating pizza.
What Will Happen If I Eat Pizza After A Colonoscopy?
In the first few hours after a colonoscopy, you should avoid eating but continue drinking plenty of fluids to combat dehydration. Staying away from solid food gives your colon time to rest and recover.
Several consequences might arise if you decide to eat pizza right after your colonoscopy. First, the likelihood of overexerting your digestive system is high. Remember, pizza dough, and raw vegetable toppings can be particularly difficult to digest.
Your colon has already undergone a pretty exhausting procedure. It will need to work overtime to break down any heavy foods, which only delays your healing.
Another downside of eating pizza immediately after a colon examination is that the grease and cheese can increase the feeling of nausea, resulting in vomiting. Excessive vomiting can dehydrate you and put a lot of stress on your body, which is obviously an undesirable outcome.
These consequences might not seem serious. But, the risk of slowing down your recovery process might be greater than the temporary benefits of eating your pizza. The good news is, if you don’t have any other complications or undesirable symptoms, you can begin eating in just a few hours. By then, your colon will be in full recovery mode.
What Type Of Pizza Can I Eat After A Colonoscopy?
Spicy, salty, and fatty foods are strongly discouraged following a colonoscopy. Avoid high-fat pizzas containing excessively acidic or spicy toppings. Pizzas with an overload of cheese might be delicious on any other day but not after a colonoscopy. Greasy cheese can elevate the side effects of colonoscopy, including bloating, colic, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Stay away from popular toppings such as acidic tomatoes and pepperoni, which are quite spicy. Also, try to avoid pepper flakes or other kinds of hot sauces. Instead, opt for pizzas with fresh vegetables, including mushrooms, sweet peppers, and arugula. Unprocessed lean meats such as chicken and seafood options such as shrimp are also easy on the gut.
| Pizza Type | Ingredients | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Veggie Pizza | Whole Wheat Crust, Olive Oil & Garlic Sauce, Low-fat Mozzarella, Grilled Chicken, Mushrooms, Sweet peppers | A balanced choice with lean meat and digestible veggies |
| Seafood Delight | Thin Crust, White Sauce (low-fat), Low-fat Mozzarella, Shrimp, Arugula, Sweet peppers | Light seafood and veggies are easy on the gut |
| Vegan Pizza | Whole Wheat Crust, Olive Oil & Garlic Sauce, Vegan Cheese, Mushrooms, Sweet peppers, Arugula | Low-fat and plant-based for easy digestion |
Eating Pizza Safely After A Colonoscopy
If you really must have your pizza after a colonoscopy, I get it. As a big pizza fan myself, few things can deter me from indulging in my favorite. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to stay safe if you decide to eat pizza following your colon examination:
1. Opt For Smaller Portions
The colon and your entire body are subjected to a lot of stress before, during, and after a colonoscopy. For this reason, it is best to start eating small portions of food to avoid further stressing out your digestive system. Order a small size pizza or eat fewer slices than you normally do. Starting small, so to speak, allows your digestive system to acclimatize and heal faster.
2. Eat Low-Calorie Pizzas
It is best to opt for less greasy and spicy pizzas. Fat and spices can quickly irritate your already sensitive colon, resulting in abdominal pain, bloat, and nausea.
Avoid extra cheesy pizza and stuffed-crust pies. Toppings such as pepperoni, sausages, tomatoes, seeds, and processed meats tend to be high in fat and acid content and are likely to aggravate the colon.
If possible, stick to plain, classic pizza crusts with toppings with low sodium chloride, spice, and fat content. Shrimp, lean meats, cooked veggies, and a regular amount of cheese are good options, so you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for nutrition. [34 Best Low-calorie Pizza Recipes]
3. Drink Plenty Of Fluids
Dehydration is a common side-effect of colonoscopy. It is recommended that you drink plenty of water to hydrate and replenish your body. Water also aids with digestion, preventing your digestive system from working overtime to break down the food you eat.
So, try to accompany your pizza with healthful drinks such as water and fresh vegetable or fruit juice. Aside from pizza, you should also eat other high-water content foods that will help to heal your colon. Good choices are soups, yogurts, steamed vegetables, whole fruit, and ice cream.
Eating Pizza After Colonoscopy: A Little Caution Goes A Long Way!
What you eat before and after will play a big role in the success of your colonoscopy. You can enjoy pizza a few days before the procedure, but afterward, it is strongly recommended that you wait for a couple of hours before consuming pizza.
Pizza can be quite difficult to digest after a colonoscopy. It is smart to give your colon time to heal before you go back to eating as usual. Eat smaller portions of low-calorie pizza, and be sure to accompany this with plenty of healthy fruit.
So yes, you can eat pizza after a colonoscopy but always, adhere to your doctor’s recommendations and seek medical help if you notice unusual symptoms after your examination.
Barbara is an enthusiastic food-exploring person that goes through different culinary experiences. She got inspired by creating a pizza blog post after she tasted one of the best-selling pizzas in Toledo.