# Clear Liquid Diet: Cider acceptable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025 "2013-03-04T18:39:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/1 "2013-03-04T18:39:42Z")
Cecil addressed the [cider vs juice](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/391/whats-the-difference-between-apple-juice-and-apple-cider) controversy already. But I still have a question. It seems like the only difference between the two may be pasteurization. Would lack of pasteurization alone prohibit the consumption of apple cider? If you are on a clear liquid diet, would it be acceptable to drink apple cider? What about the product Simply Apple, which is marketed as juice, is pasteurized, but bears the hallmark opacity of cider? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/2 "2013-03-04T18:46:12Z")
If you don’t mind being steaming drunk all day, then sure. _reads article_ Oh, didn’t realise that cider could be non-alcoholic in the US. Cider is one of the stronger things you can buy in pints in a pub in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/3 "2013-03-04T18:50:49Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Oh, didn’t realise that cider could be non-alcoholic in the US. Cider is one of the stronger things you can buy in pints in a pub in the UK. We refer to the alcoholic version as hard cider these days. Of course I can’t find hard cider anywhere. I can find various malt beverages that are apple flavored but no genuine hard cider. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/4 "2013-03-04T19:40:30Z")
Wow, Cecil did a whole column about that? Ned Flanders summed it up in one catchy little phrase: [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fDsuHH8RAA) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/5 "2013-03-04T20:46:30Z")
What are you on the clear liquid diet for? The purpose of the diet will be what determines whether or not cider is okay. Tho I will add that for most medical reasons, cider would be okay for most clear liqud diets. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/6 "2013-03-04T20:51:19Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > We refer to the alcoholic version as hard cider these days. Of course I can’t find hard cider anywhere. I can find various malt beverages that are apple flavored but no genuine hard cider. Where are you looking? There are several brands in most supermarkets around here (New England). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/7 "2013-03-04T21:03:44Z")
Simply Apple, in particular, has pulp in it, so would not be allowed on a hospital ordered Clear Liquid Diet, and it off limits for bowel prep Clear Liquid Diet. [Clear liquid diet - Mayo Clinic](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/clear-liquid-diet/my00742) The easiest way to tell if your nurse will let you have it is to hold a glass of the stuff up to the light. Could you read a newspaper through it? If not, it ain’t clear liquid. We let coffee squeak by, because our patients would hurt us if we didn’t. 🙂 Popsicles pass this test because if they were melted and put into a glass, you’d be able to read through them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/8 "2013-03-04T21:05:06Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Where are you looking? There are several brands in most supermarkets around here (New England). Same here. At the very least, Woodchuck is pretty much available at most supermarkets. Crispin is common, too. I’ve also been seeing Angry Orchard lately. Go to a proper liquor store and you’ll find a dozen or more brands. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/9 "2013-03-04T21:21:03Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Where are you looking? There are several brands in most supermarkets around here (New England). I misspoke, actually. I have found cider in some dedicated liquor stores here in Arkansas that was actually cider. I did have a hard time finding real cider until I went to the liquor store though. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/10 "2013-03-04T22:02:54Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Popsicles pass this test because if they were melted and put into a glass, you’d be able to read through them. Cool, I’ll take a vanilla crunch cone then. Back when I was trying to figure out how to make hard cider, I tried to find out if there was a difference between apple juice and non-alcoholic apple cider. Is there a formal difference? All I was able to come up with was, if they let it sit in a vat for a while before they bottle it, it’s cider (or can be called cider), but if they go straight from the press to the bottle, it’s juice. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/11 "2013-03-04T22:20:48Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Cool, I’ll take a vanilla crunch cone then. Can’t read through it. I’d be happy to bring you some jell-o Mr. Ethilrist! Or perhaps some nice ice chips? I’ll be back to wake you for vitals just as soon as you fall asleep, okaybee? 😃 (Plain ice cream without crunchy bits is okay for a Liquid Diet, but not a Clear Liquid Diet. Different clicky boxes in the orders.) ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/12 "2013-03-04T22:31:53Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The easiest way to tell if your nurse will let you have it is to hold a glass of the stuff up to the light. Could you read a newspaper through it? If not, it ain’t clear liquid. We let coffee squeak by, because our patients would hurt us if we didn’t. 🙂 So why is Mountain Dew acceptable and Coke isn’t? I mean, MD is clear, but aside from that, they’re pretty much the same thing, no? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/13 "2013-03-04T22:40:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Same here. At the very least, Woodchuck is pretty much available at most supermarkets. Crispin is common, too. I’ve also been seeing Angry Orchard lately. Go to a proper liquor store and you’ll find a dozen or more brands. Huh. Woodchuck’s website assures that it’s not a beer. Every other “hard cider” I’ve found in the past has been a malt beverage so I assumed likewise. Maybe I’ll give Woodchuck a shot, then. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/14 "2013-03-04T22:46:49Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > So why is Mountain Dew acceptable and Coke isn’t? I mean, MD is clear, but aside from that, they’re pretty much the same thing, no? I personally allow Coke, but I suspect many nurses don’t because they rely on the “easy way to tell” mnemonic and check their brains at the door. That is, if you can read through it, it’s clear liquid diet. If you can’t, you need to know if there’s residue in it; if there’s residue (like fruit pulp or milk or meat solids), then it’s not clear liquid diet. If there’s no residue, it’s clear liquid diet. It’s really the absence of residue that’s the determinating factor. Now OTHER drinks that may be clear liquid diet but contain some colors of food coloring should be avoided before a colonoscopy, because they can make it look like there’s bleeding or inflammation on the colonoscopy, or just make it hard to see what’s what. But cola doesn’t. No red, blue, purple or orange jello though, even though it’s clear liquid diet. The colonoscopy clear liquid diet is a little more restrictive than just the regular clear liquid diet. Hope that, uh, clears things up. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/15 "2013-03-04T23:40:46Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Huh. Woodchuck’s website assures that it’s not a beer. Every other “hard cider” I’ve found in the past has been a malt beverage so I assumed likewise. Maybe I’ll give Woodchuck a shot, then. Wait, your location is New Hampshire? There’s gotta be a bunch of ciders available near you, I would think. If you can get your hands on anything from Quebec, go for it. Otherwise, you guys got [Farnum Hills](http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/farnum-hill-ciders/where-to-buy/) up there. I actually can’t think of any malt beverage “ciders” off the top of my head. Unless you’re talking about that Smirnoff stuff, but that’s not marketed as cider. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/16 "2013-03-05T00:31:41Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Now OTHER drinks that may be clear liquid diet but contain some colors of food coloring should be avoided before a colonoscopy, because they can make it look like there’s bleeding or inflammation on the colonoscopy, or just make it hard to see what’s what. But cola doesn’t. No red, blue, purple or orange jello though, even though it’s clear liquid diet. The colonoscopy clear liquid diet is a little more restrictive than just the regular clear liquid diet. But a big glass of beet juice will be OK, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/17 "2013-03-05T14:41:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wait, your location is New Hampshire? There’s gotta be a bunch of ciders available near you, I would think. If you can get your hands on anything from Quebec, go for it. Otherwise, you guys got [Farnum Hills](http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/farnum-hill-ciders/where-to-buy/) up there. > > I actually can’t think of any malt beverage “ciders” off the top of my head. Unless you’re talking about that Smirnoff stuff, but that’s not marketed as cider. Houston produces [Leprechaun cider](http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-26-12-alcohol-wiz-heights-hard-cider-company-started-by-a-then-underage-entrepreneur-goes-national/?utm_source=sf_facebook)–from apples grown in the Pacific Northwest, for now. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/18 "2013-03-05T14:54:59Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > But a big glass of beet juice will be OK, right? 😉 _facepalm_ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/19 "2013-03-05T15:02:36Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Houston produces [Leprechaun cider](http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-26-12-alcohol-wiz-heights-hard-cider-company-started-by-a-then-underage-entrepreneur-goes-national/?utm_source=sf_facebook)–from apples grown in the Pacific Northwest, for now. Yeah, cider is undergoing a bit of a renaissance here in the US. I’ve noticed more and more cideries popping up, and even some of the local beer brewmasters have started moving towards cider. For example, Greg Hall, former brew master of Chicago craft brewery Goose Island, has his own Virtue Ciders label. You are also more and more likely able to find cider on draft at pubs here. This is a good thing, as I do like cider. I still haven’t settled on an American brand I love, though. My favorites are from Quebec and Normandy, but those are not really ciders you drink by the pint, but more like champagne or wine in a smaller glass. Michigan’s JK Scrumpy is pretty darned good, but can be all over the map in terms of sweetness, depending on how long it’s been sitting and the vintage. I prefer it on the less sweet side. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025/20 "2013-03-05T15:20:16Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Huh. Woodchuck’s website assures that it’s not a beer. Every other “hard cider” I’ve found in the past has been a malt beverage so I assumed likewise. Maybe I’ll give Woodchuck a shot, then. You can buy Strongbow at all my local grocery stores. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clear-liquid-diet-cider-acceptable/652025.md?page=2)