# Is eating Jello equivalent to drinking all the water used to make it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2021, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022 "2021-11-09T05:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/1 "2021-11-09T05:38:21Z")
As mentioned elsewhere, I’m getting my first colonoscopy soon. The instructions from the clinic includes clear Jello as part of what it defines as liquids. I interpret this as also applying to the “other fluids” I have to drink after drinking the prep. _Assuming_ that is the case (and I will ask the clinic tomorrow), would eating Jello that requires four cups of water to make really be equivalent to drinking four cups of water? I know it’s a hell of a lot of sugar, but I’m not eating much else that day, and if it helps me get the fluids I need more easily, it might be a worthwhile sacrifice. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/2 "2021-11-09T05:58:02Z")
I am not a doctor or chemist, but I am pretty sure it isn’t the same, because your body consumes fluids while digesting solids, more so than while digesting liquids. That, and also, the sugar will have a dehydrating effect on your body. You had better drink the cups of water. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/3 "2021-11-09T06:44:31Z")
No, the Jello [does count as wate](https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/clear-liquid-diet#pros-and-cons)r. It’s not considered a solid. > A clear liquid diet is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a diet consisting of exclusively clear liquids. > > These include water, broth, some juices without pulp, and plain gelatin. They may be colored, but they count as clear liquids if you can see through them. That said, drinking water in addition to the gelatin and broth sure can’t hurt. OP, they’ll probably tell you to avoid red or purple liquids. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/4 "2021-11-09T11:01:41Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > OP, they’ll probably tell you to avoid red or purple liquids. This. If you’re going to get your water by eating Jello, make sure it’s yellow or green. And I’d opt for the sugar-free varieties. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/5 "2021-11-09T11:37:36Z")
My understanding (and personal experienc) is that the gelatin liquifies at body temperature. So, by the time it gets to your stomach, it’s essentially liquid. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/6 "2021-11-09T12:13:29Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > The instructions from the clinic include **clear** Jello Clear is important: red, green, blue, all to be avoided as the dye will colour your intestines. Drink water and just use some clear jello for the taste. I put lime juice in mine for the flavour. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/7 "2021-11-09T13:02:08Z")
It seems like if you aren’t eating any food all day, the calories from the sugar might be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/8 "2021-11-09T13:08:28Z")
Although there is a factual question here, there’s an unstated codicil, “what should i do to prep for this colonoscopy?” So I’m moving this to IMHO. I’d ask posters to attempt the factual question, though. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/9 "2021-11-09T18:54:08Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Clear is important: red, green, blue, all to be avoided as the dye will colour your intestines. Green and blue Jello are OK to eat, according to my pre-colonoscopy instructions and [this site](https://www.gastrocenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/YTPrep-Miralax-Gatorade-Dulcolax.pdf) (and many others). The way it was explained to me, red dye can look like inflammation or blood during the colonoscopy, so red, orange, and purple are forbidden. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/10 "2021-11-09T19:02:54Z")
FWIW, I called the number in my instructions the clinic gave me for questions, and I was told that for this doctor, color doesn’t actually matter (and indeed isn’t mentioned at all in the clinic instructions; only in the prep instructions). So all that’s left is the factual question, really. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/11 "2021-11-09T19:03:08Z")
You guys do know the difference between clear and colorless, right? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/12 "2021-11-11T01:47:18Z")
Yeah, red jello is a clear liquid. It’s not great to eat before a colonoscopy, but my father had several gut surgeries that required him to be on a clear liquid diet for a while after, and tomato aspic was one of his staples when he had to do that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/13 "2021-11-11T07:21:55Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > You guys do know the difference between clear and colorless, right? Sure. But I suspect you means something other than “clear means transparent, while colorless may be opaque.” I would not have expected things with dye in them to be considered a clear liquid. But apparently they are. I would not refer to a green Mountain Dew Bottle as being clear, nor Mountain Dew itself. But, looking it up, even dark sodas apparently count for a “clear liquid diet.” So it seems to be a bit of an esoteric usage of “clear” to me. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/14 "2021-11-11T11:53:54Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Sure. But I suspect you means something other than “clear means transparent, while colorless may be opaque.” > > I would not have expected things with dye in them to be considered a clear liquid. But apparently they are. I would not refer to a green Mountain Dew Bottle as being clear, nor Mountain Dew itself. > > But, looking it up, even dark sodas apparently count for a “clear liquid diet.” So it seems to be a bit of an esoteric usage of “clear” to me. Apparently you don’t know the difference between clear and colorless. If you can see through it, regardless of color, it’s clear. That includes Mountain Dew and its bottle. Milk, on the other hand, is colorless but not clear. Water is both clear and colorless. Chocolate syrup is neither clear nor colorless. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-jello-equivalent-to-drinking-all-the-water-used-to-make-it/954022/15 "2021-11-11T16:35:38Z")
I’ve got no problem with you having a different definition than I do. But my point is that it doesn’t make me (or you) wrong. Here is the first result I got from Google by searching “can clear be colored”. You’ll notice that they use “clear” as a synonym for transparent, saying that a clear object takes on the color of what is behind it. [https://www.reference.com/science/clear-considered-color-b683b9a7f1c7d41e](https://www.reference.com/science/clear-considered-color-b683b9a7f1c7d41e) The way it is used below is how I’ve always used it.