clear liquid diet

1 3.7

Only clear drinks and foods like broth, juice or gelatin for medical reasons

noun

Specialized

: dieta de líquidos claros

Before the surgery, the doctor advised him to follow a clear liquid diet to prepare his stomach.

Examples

A clear liquid diet is important before surgery.
After her surgery, the doctor recommended a clear liquid diet to help her recovery.
A clear liquid diet is often prescribed when a patient has digestive issues.
You may have to follow a clear liquid diet before certain medical procedures.
Is a clear liquid diet necessary after surgery?
To recover smoothly from her procedure, she adhered to a clear liquid diet for two days.
Patients are often required to consume only a clear liquid diet before certain medical tests.

Antonyms

solid food

11 1.0

Food that is not a drink and you chew before you swallow

How Solid

soft diet

1 2.9

puree

29 3.0

liquid diet

4 4.1

clear liquid diet

Specialized

1 3.7

Surface Forms

clear liquid diet singular

clear liquid diets plural

Morphology

clear + liquid + diet

The meaning is directly and compositionally derivable from the constituents: 'clear' = transparent, 'liquid' = flowing substance, and 'diet' = a prescribed way of eating, so a B1 learner who knows these words can infer a diet made up of transparent liquids. This construction follows common cross-linguistic patterns (e.g., 'dieta de líquidos claros') and is not idiomatic or metaphorical, making it immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

Clear liquid diet is a simple, literal name: clear means see-through, liquid means not solid, and diet means what you eat or drink. Doctors often prescribe it 'before or after surgery' so the stomach can rest, which is why the phrase means a short plan of only see-through drinks and broths.