Eating and fasting before your gastroscopy
A gastroscopy needs an empty stomach, not a bowel cleanout. Eat normally until your fasting window begins, then follow the timings below.
At a glance
A gastroscopy looks at the oesophagus, stomach and the first part of the small bowel. The stomach only needs to be empty, so there is no bowel preparation and no low-fibre diet.
Eat as normal
There is no special diet before a gastroscopy. Keep eating and drinking normally right up until your fasting window begins.
- Keep drinking water
- Avoid alcohol the night before
Morning admission
If you are admitted in the morning, have nothing to eat from midnight. Water only after that, until 2 hours before your admission time.
- No food from 12:00 midnight
- No milk, cream or smoothies
- Water only until 2 hours before
- Nothing at all in the last 2 hours
Afternoon admission
If you are admitted in the afternoon, you may have a light breakfast, finishing by 7:00am. Water only after that, until 2 hours before your admission time.
- Light breakfast before 7:00am
- No food after 7:00am
- Water only until 2 hours before
- Nothing at all in the last 2 hours
Do you take a weight-loss or appetite injection?
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or liraglutide. These slow stomach emptying, so the fasting plan changes. Your answer stays on this device.
Are you being tested for Coeliac disease?
If your doctor is taking biopsies to check for Coeliac disease, you need to keep eating gluten before the test. Your answer stays on this device.
Follow your doctor's orders first
These are standard gastroscopy fasting instructions. Your gastroenterologist may tailor them to your health, your medications or the time of your procedure. If their instructions differ from what is here, follow theirs.