Most health professionals say that a daily bowel movement is ideal, yet some people report having only two or three per week. If you are in the group having the fewer bowel movements, consider eating whole foods that will provide nutrition and the soluble and insoluble fiber to stay regular. Also, drinking water and herbal teas between meals can help you detox, eliminating the toxins absorbed from air pollution, pesticides and insecticides. It is also important to learn to combine foods so that they are more easily digested. Consuming enzymes made from papaya will help digestion.
Eat Whole Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains
Eat a whole foods diet for several days to cleanse the entire gastrointestinal tract. Elson Haas, M.D., author of The New Detox Diet, recommends people eat whole vegetables, fruits, whole grains and non-saturated oils to cleanse all the internal organs. Whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats and basmati provide B complex vitamins and roughage---dietary fiber. Add garlic, oils such as olive, canola, flax seed and hemp seed to provide heart-healthy fats. Include small amounts of lean proteins such as legumes of all kinds, fish, chicken or organic yogurt.
Add Ground Flax Seeds and Herbal Teas
Drink herbal teas and add flax seed and psyllium seed to your diet to cleanse the body. Carrie L'Esperance, author of The New Seasonal Detox Diet, encourages people to drink teas that help the colon cleanse, such as buckthorn tea. Adding 1 tbsp. of ground flax seed to any cooked grain (or cookie or pancake batter) will increase fiber, too.
As a stand-alone remedy, consume 1 tbsp.psyllium seed with 2 oz. of real apple juice and 2 oz. of water in the morning to provide bulk fiber to cleanse the GI tract.
Consider a Directed Juice Fast to Detoxify
Do a directed cleanse by drinking freshly-extracted vegetable and fruit juices for a few days. For example, start on a Friday morning by consuming only fresh juices and herbal teas, and continue with this until Sunday night, when you should eat a whole foods dinner to break the juice fast.
Use a powerful juicer that can make quick work of carrots, apples and dark green vegetables. Consume at least 1,200 calories per day by drinking six 8-oz. glasses of juice a day, along with at least 1 cup of senna, cascara sagrada or other herbal tea to help move the bowels. Drink another four to six 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.
A juice fast is best done when you do not have a demanding work or school schedule so that you can rest.
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