Cleanse The Colon: Cleansing Diet

Improper feeding can lead to a blockage. Hence, in part, the importance of having a good diet, which includes a sufficient amount of fiber. But along with this, it is also important to maintain good hydration. Otherwise, cleaning the colon or large intestine is much more difficult.

Without good lifestyle habits, we cannot have a good intestinal transit. For this reason, health professionals insist on the importance of adopting lifestyles, rather than complying with diets for specific periods of time.

According to the detox stream , it is possible to cleanse the colon by following a specific diet. However, as we mentioned previously, the important thing is not to focus on adopting plans for a few days, obtaining the improvement and then returning to the excesses.

Actually, the idea is to adopt good eating habits and maintain them over time. As in almost all processes in life, you will only need some perseverance and patience.

Next we will do a brief review about what the colon is and its functions.

What is the colon?

The experts of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) explain that “ the colon or large intestine is the last section of the digestive tract. It is approximately 1.5 meters long and extends from the end of the small intestine to the anus ”.

So when we talk about the colon, we are referring to an important part of the digestive system. This is made up of a hollow tube of wide extension that is located at the end of the aforementioned system.

Among the functions that the colon performs in the body, the most important is that it extracts water from some nutrients and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, among others) from partially digested food. On the other hand, it also has the function of storing the feces (which is the remaining material) until it is expelled through the anus.

Some of the diseases that can prevent its proper functioning are:

• Ulcerative colitis.
• Colon polyps.
• Stomach cancer.
• Irritable bowel syndrome.

Why should we clean the colon?

When we do not eat enough fiber and we have bad eating habits in general (we eat too many fried foods, we abuse sugar and salt, we hardly eat vegetables, etc.), we can overload the colon, have a bad intestinal transit and experience various discomforts, such as:

• Fatigue.
• Diarrhea.
• Allergies
• Constipation.
• Headache.
• Stomach ache.

In other words: if the body cannot completely get rid of all the amount of food we eat every day, health can suffer.

What foods should be included in the diet to cleanse the colon?

A balanced diet, in which there is a variety of healthy foods, can have many health benefits and can even help cleanse the colon. This means that it is not necessary to base the diet only on fruits and vegetables to be healthy, but to include these foods often, in sufficient quantities so that they can provide us benefits.

Below we will discuss some of the foods that we should include in our diet regularly.

Vegetables

• Lettuce.
• Cucumbers
• Artichokes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Asparagus.

Fruit

• Kiwis.
• Bananas
• Oranges
• Apples
• Tangerines

Cereals

• Oatmeal.
• Wholemeal bread.
• Integral rice.
• Whole wheat.

Foods rich in omega 3

• Avocados
• Nuts.
• Olive oil.
• Fish (blue).

Healthy recipes to cleanse the colon

In addition to maintaining a balanced diet with the aforementioned foods, it might be advisable to consume preparations such as those that we are going to discuss below.

Aloe and lemon juice

Aloe vera and lemon juice is intended for people who suffer from constipation and who need to cleanse the colon naturally. On the other hand, it is not recommended for sensitive people, as it can cause serious discomfort when consuming it.

Ingredients

• 1 stalk of aloe.
• 2 small lemons.
• 4 glasses of water (1 liter).
• Optional: honey (1 teaspoon, 5 g).

Preparation

• Take the aloe leaf, cut it in half and extract the gel.
• Run the gel through the stream of water, to remove all the yellow layer (sage). Reserve the gel on a plate.
• Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons.
• Take everything to the blender and process until smooth.
• Serve and consume in moderation.
• Never consume more than 1 glass (250 ml) a day. 

Strawberry, pineapple and parsley smoothie

The strawberry, pineapple and parsley smoothie, in addition to being refreshing and satiating, is an excellent option to cleanse the colon naturally. 

Ingredients

• 6 strawberries
• Fresh parsley.
• 1 slice of pineapple without skin.
• 1 glass of water (250ml).

Preparation

• Wash and drain the strawberries well. Cut them into slices.
• Take all the ingredients to the blender.
• Process until homogenized.
• Serve and consume in moderation along with a meal or snack.
• If you want, you can add a little ice to make this delicious drink more refreshing.

Creole-style mixed salad

Inspired by the Mediterranean diet, we suggest the following salad.

Ingredients

• 1 onion.
• 2 lemons.
• 1 squash.
• 3 carrots
• 2 apples.
• 2 zucchini.
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Fennel seeds.
• Balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• Fresh mint leaves (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon: basil (15 g), oregano (15 g), ginger (15 g).

Preparation

• Wash all the ingredients very well.
• In a large bowl, mix all the vegetables.
• Add the liquid elements and stir to integrate everything.

Maintaining healthy and consistent habits is essential

You can make many other healthy and delicious recipes with various combinations of foods. Go ahead and try it, there are many models that can inspire you, from the Harvard dish to the famous Mediterranean diet.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle and you won’t have to worry about cleaning your colon with any specific plan.