What to eat before and after a colonic

This is the question our front desk answers every single day, so here's the full version. What to eat in the 24 hours before your colon hydrotherapy session, what to eat afterwards, and the handful of things worth skipping for a day. The short version up front: keep it light, drink water, and please don't fast.

The lead-up

The 24 hours before your session

Nothing dramatic is required. Eat lighter versions of normal meals, drink plenty of water across the day, and go easy on heavy, fried or gassy foods and alcohol. Think soups, steamed vegetables, smoothies, eggs, rice, fish. Normal life is fine, you don't need to clear your calendar or your pantry.

In the two hours before your appointment, eat only lightly. A small snack is fine, a big lunch isn't ideal. And whatever you do, don't fast. Arriving hungry and dehydrated makes the session less comfortable, not more effective. If it's your first time with us, our walkthrough of what to expect at your first session covers the whole visit from arrival to heading home.

Light, simple meals of soup and steamed vegetables before and after a colonic

Afterwards

Eating well the rest of the day

Your session ends with a probiotic and an electrolyte drink, they're included every time. Then the aim is simple: warm, gentle, easy to digest food.

Straight after

Take a little time before rushing off, then carry on with your day. Most people feel comfortable eating a light meal soon after they leave, and many tell us they feel lighter and clearer for the rest of the afternoon.

Best choices

Soups, broths, steamed or well-cooked vegetables, soft rice, stewed fruit, and simple proteins like poached chicken or fish. Keep drinking water through the day, it's the single most useful thing you can do.

Go gently on

Caffeine and alcohol are both dehydrating, so ease off for the day. Big raw salads and heavy, rich or spicy meals are best left for tomorrow, when your appetite for them will be back anyway.

If you like a plan

A simple day-after plate

Nothing fancy, nothing you need to buy from a health food shop. Just ordinary food, cooked gently.

Breakfast

Porridge with a soft banana or stewed apple, or scrambled eggs on their own. Herbal tea or warm water alongside. If you're a coffee person, one cup, taken gently, not three.

Lunch

A bowl of vegetable or chicken soup, or steamed vegetables with soft rice. Warm food tends to sit better than cold on this day, so save the crunchy salad for later in the week.

Dinner

Steamed or baked fish, or poached chicken, with well-cooked vegetables. Small serve, eaten slowly, water on the table. Then an early night never hurt anyone.

For a day or so

What to skip, and why it's short-lived

None of this is forbidden forever. It's just a short list of things your gut will thank you for postponing.

Fried and very fatty meals
Large raw salads and tough raw vegetables
Gassy foods like beans, cabbage, onion and fizzy drinks
Big serves of red meat

Alcohol, for the rest of the day at least
More than your usual amount of coffee
Very spicy dishes
Processed snacks and lots of sugar

Above all, listen to your body. If something doesn't appeal or doesn't sit well, leave it another day. Everybody is a little different after a session, and your own reaction is the best guide you have.

A note on "prep"

No strict detox diet required, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise

You may come across clinics or influencers prescribing days of fasting, expensive powders or extreme prep before a colonic. After more than twenty years in clinic, our advice is simpler: eat a little lighter, drink water, come as you are. If you have a health condition that affects how you eat, diabetes for example, keep following your GP's advice and tell your therapist at your consultation, that's what it's for. Our guide to whether colon hydrotherapy is safe covers who should check with their doctor first.

This is the same advice we give every client at our Caringbah clinic, whether you're coming from Cronulla, Miranda or Gymea, and at Newport for Northern Beaches locals from Mona Vale to Manly. Your first visit is $145 all-inclusive and, like every session, finishes with a probiotic and an electrolyte drink. Full prices are on our pricing page.

Front desk favourites

Food questions we're often asked

Do I need to fast before a colonic?

No. Please don't. Eat normally the day before, just a little lighter, and have only a light meal in the two hours before your appointment. Arriving hungry and dehydrated makes the session less comfortable, not more effective.

Can I eat straight after my session?

Yes, lightly. There's no need to wait hours. A bowl of soup, some steamed vegetables or a small easy meal is ideal. Most people feel comfortable eating soon after they leave.

Can I have coffee before my session?

One is fine if you can't face the day without it, but go easy. Have it early rather than right before your appointment, and drink water alongside it so you arrive well hydrated.

What about alcohol that night?

We'd suggest skipping it, or keeping it very light, for the rest of the day. Alcohol is dehydrating, and hydration is the main thing your body wants after a session. It'll taste better tomorrow anyway.

Do I need to buy supplements or cleanse products?

No. Everything we recommend before and after a session is ordinary food and water. Your probiotic and electrolyte drink are already included at the end of every session, so there's nothing extra to buy.

More answers on our colon hydrotherapy FAQ.

Eat light, drink water, we'll do the rest

Your first visit is $145 and includes a consultation, your session, an infrared sauna and a probiotic. Allow about 90 minutes and come as you are.

Book your first visit Read: what to expect