Your digestive system is a complex series of tube-like organs that begin at the mouth and end at the rectum. This is where your body breaks down the foods you eat and extracts nutrients, leaving indigestible particles to accumulate as waste. The rate at which your body digests food is largely affected by the kinds of food you eat and your overall health. If you are eating highly processed foods with little fiber, chances are you have slow digestion and perhaps impaired nutrient absorption. Cleansing your colon with certain foods can help improve the digestive process and increase the nutrients your body can absorb.
Step 1
Eat foods that are high in fiber. Fiber serves many important roles in cleansing the colon and keeping it healthy. Fiber helps to increase the bulk of solid waste and sloughs off any waste products that may linger in the digestive tract. Eating adequate fiber also helps to prevent the development of diverticular disease, in which small pockets form on the inside of the colon. These pockets can become inflamed and infected when solid waste becomes trapped in them, causing significant pain. Women should eat at least 25 g of fiber daily, while men should aim for at least 38 g daily. Foods that are high in fiber include fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain products.
Step 2
Emphasize foods that are rich in prebiotics. Prebiotics are indigestible bacteria that stimulate the growth of bacteria that are usually produced by the intestine. Conditions such as high stress and illness can cause the body to produce less of these beneficial bacteria, causing impairment in digestion. Eating foods such as bananas, barley, berries and dairy products can help recolonize the intestine with prebiotics. As a result, digestion will become more efficient, and remnant bacteria and waste products in the colon will be neutralized and excreted.
Step 3
Consume foods that contain live culture probiotics. Foods that contain probiotics include yogurt, miso and some soy products. Check the label for probiotics and make sure it's specified that they are live cultures. Probiotics are bacteria that occur naturally in the digestive system that help protect it from disease, bacteria and viruses. Probiotics can help to prevent illnesses that affect the colon such as irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis. Probiotics can also help maintain a healthy number of beneficial bacteria when taking antibiotics and can prevent gastrointestinal side effects from these medications.
Step 4
Drink at least 64 oz. of water every day. Although water isn't technically a food, foods that are high in fiber work together with water to cleanse the colon. In order to form bulk from solid waste and move it along the digestive tract, fiber requires water to increase its volume. In addition, inadequate amounts of water can lead to mild to moderate dehydration, which can slow digestion.
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