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 12:00 midnight. Water only after that, until 2 hours before your admission time.
- Nothing to eat from midnight
- No breakfast on procedure day
- 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. Nothing to eat after that — water only, 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
Light breakfast and day-before tips
A light breakfast is small, low in fat and easy to digest. Eat normally for the rest of the day before, but avoid anything heavy that sits in the stomach.
Examples of a light breakfast
- 1–2 slices of white toast with honey or jam
- Plain crumpet or English muffin
- Small bowl of low-fibre cereal with skim milk
- Scrambled egg on white toast
- Small banana with plain yoghurt
Keep the portion small and finish by your cut-off time.
What to avoid the day before
- Fried or fatty foods (bacon, pastries, chips)
- Nuts, seeds and wholegrain breads
- Raw vegetables and large salads
- Spicy or very rich dishes
- Alcohol
- Chocolate or creamy desserts
These take longer to leave the stomach and can affect the camera view.
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.