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Eating and drinking the right things helps your body get ready for surgery.
The information in this section will help you be safe during surgery, and recover sooner. You'll also be given a handout that tells you what you need to know.
Please follow the instructions for eating and drinking. If you don’t, your surgery will need to be cancelled. This is for your safety, to prevent food or fluid going into your lungs (aspiration). Aspiration is life-threatening.
You can eat as you always do the day before surgery.
You must stop eating 8 hours before surgery.
You can have a low fat snack as your last food before surgery. The Eating and Drinking Before Surgery handout will tell you what the snack should be. Click to see the handout at right.
It’s important to drink enough fluids with carbohydrate (sugar) to prepare your body for surgery.
The Eating and Drinking Before Surgery handout gives you directions about drinking juice the evening before surgery.
If you have diabetes or kidney problems, ask your healthcare provider if you need to prepare in a different way.
Once you start the bowel preparation, you can only drink clear fluids (no food, snacks, or alcohol).
The Eating and Drinking Before Surgery With Bowel Prep handout gives you directions about drinking the evening before surgery and the morning of surgery.
