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Colon Cleansing Foods

Having a clean colon is about more than just preventing constipation. It also involves removing toxins from your body, which can help prevent health problems such as recurrent fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and some skin problems. It can even help in fighting off depression. In fact, cleansing your colon can result in clearer skin, shinier hair, and stronger nails.

While you may choose from several products for helping you cleanse your colon, colon cleansing foods can also help you get started. In addition, eating only these foods can help keep your colon clean and possibly reduce the need to conduct routine colon cleansing. Of course, most of us splurge now and again on foods we know aren't healthy for us. Therefore, the most effective health regimen is to perform an occasional colon cleansing in addition to eating beneficial foods.

Fruits and Vegetables: The Ultimate in Colon Cleansing Foods

Among the best foods you can include in your diet are fresh fruits and raw uncooked vegetables. Fruits and vegetables help alleviate and prevent constipation when eaten regularly. To get the most benefit out of these colon cleansing foods, you should consume at least five servings every day.

Locally grown fruits and vegetables are among the best colon cleansing foods because they are high in fiber, which is found naturally in plant matter. Dietary fiber cannot be digested by your body, so it binds to the water within your digestive tract. This helps keep water inside your intestines and helps to soften the stool by adding bulk.

There are a number of fruits and vegetables you can include in your diet to help keep your colon clean. Some of these foods also help your colon in other ways. For example, some of these colon cleansing foods help lubricate your bowels as well. As a result, your waste can pass through more easily. These foods include:

These foods help make your bowels work more efficiently:

These foods work to soften the stool:

Breads and Grains Add Fiber

You can add more fiber to your diet with whole, unprocessed breads and grains. Oat bran and wheat breads are particularly effective as colon cleansing foods because they provide high fiber levels. Therefore, whole-wheat bread (not enriched or bleached) and whole grain rice are excellent staples to have on the menu.

When you increase the amount of fiber in your diet, it is important to also increase the amount of purified water you drink. If your body becomes dehydrated, your stool will become dry, hard, and difficult to pass. Increasing the amount of fiber without also increasing your water intake will exacerbate that problem. Therefore, be sure to include at least eight 8-ounce glasses of purified water in your meal plan each day.

Yogurt

Active-culture yogurt helps keep your colon clean because it has lactobacteria and acidophilus in it. Lactobacteria helps keep the colon healthy while acidophilus helps the colon produce smaller amounts of bile acid. In fact, research has shown increasing the amount of acidophilus bacteria within the colon reduces your chances of developing some forms of colon disease.

Obviously, the calcium content of yogurt provides additional benefit. While other dairy products, such as cheese and dairy milk, can promote constipation, yogurt does not. As a result, Organic yogurt is an excellent choice for increasing calcium intake without binding your bowels. In addition, calcium helps prevent excess cells from growing in the lining of your colon. In fact, one study showed consuming just 1,200 milligrams of calcium every day may reduce your chances of developing harmful colorectal conditions by a whopping 75%!