Colon Cleansing Reduces Excess Weight!

Years of abusing our bodies with poor diet, stress, medications, and other factors can cause chaos in our intestines and throw everything out of balance, causing several illnesses as well as weight gain. All those colas and burgers we so enthusiastically reach out to, are no good.

Alternative medicine provides gentle and effective methods that restore the intestinal health and at the same time facilitate weight loss. All health problems, such as depression, fatigue, obesity, chronic constipation, acne, gas and lower back pain are also alleviated with cleansing and healing the intestinal system.

The idea of cleansing a colon may seem weird to some, but people should understand that most of the illnesses arise from problems with the intestines. Most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place in the small and large intestines and keeping them clean is vital to maintaining good health.

At birth, the inner lining of the intestines is clean and supple; however, over a period of time, toxins cause the intestines to become swollen, caked with debris and stagnant. While the stomach and small intestine also are impacted with food debris, the colon is where the most severe buildup occurs. This accumulated debris often contributes several pounds to the weight of the colon. There are people who lose about seven pounds as well as their tummy bulge with colon cleansing.

Fecal material stored in the colon can cause a lot of health issues. There are several colon cleansing programs available to help scrub the hardened fecal matter and other toxic materials from the intestines. However, it is never good to rush into a colon cleansing (detoxification) program right away. A person must be prepared for cleansing in stages. The body as well as the mind of a person is deeply buried in a ruinous lifestyle and they need to wean themselves off all the harmful dietary habits, such as cola or diet soda addiction etc.

There are certain basic steps that are the foundation of any colon cleansing program:

The person should first start eating fresh vegetables and fish. Flaxseed oil also helps assist in digestion and Aloe Vera juice is said to be excellent too.

Prior to the cleanse – Even before getting a colon cleanse done, it is important to start on a healthy diet, with adequate intake of fiber and water.

Diet – The diet during a colon cleanse should be high in fiber, fresh raw vegetables and fruits, and low in acid forming foods that encourage the intestines to secrete mucus.

Fiber – The main cause of obesity is a diet deficient in fiber. Fiber does the job of a sponge, absorbing water as it goes through the stomach and small intestine and reaches the colon full of moisture. Diets low in fiber cause fecal material to become dry and hard to expel. However, insoluble fiber such as wheat, corn bran, nuts and legumes can also irritate the colon, if it is already in a bad shape. Soluble fibers are good for the bowel and they are found in vegetables and fruits, barley, oat bran, beans and peas. Intake of foods containing these fibers stimulates bowel movements and decreases appetite, which leads to weight loss.

Water – Soluble fiber needs lots of water to carry it to the colon. When there is not enough water, the colon tries to absorb every drop of water from the food we eat, which results in the fecal matter becoming very dry. Adults need at least 8 to 10 cups of water a day. Do not be under the wrong notion that coffee, milk, tea, juice and soda can act as substitutes for pure water. Even if these liquids are consumed in large quantities, water is still required for the body.

Good bacteria – Whenever a person undergoes a colon cleansing program, all the bacteria, both friendly and unfriendly are washed out. Therefore, the intestines need to be repopulated with good bacteria. Cabbage is one of the best sources of good bacteria; either eaten raw or in juice form. There are other foods also that encourage the growth of good bacteria, such as onions, garlic, chicory, asparagus, bananas as well as yogurt.

In addition to the above basic dietary program, one should use a good cleansing supplement that contains nutrients, herbs, enzymes and toxin-absorbers. They get rid of the false lining in the colon and improve the digestion and absorption of food. Many of these supplements include ingredients that also cleanse the liver, lymph and gallbladder.

Once the colon becomes clean, people will soon find themselves shedding pounds. This is just the beginning and it is important to maintain the intestinal health and keep the weight down.

This can be done by inculcating the following dietary habits:

• Reducing the consumption of white sugar, white rice, white flour and fried foods.

• Making 50% of each meal raw, fresh and unprocessed foods.

• Chewing each mouthful 10 to 20 times.

• Not eating when one is emotionally upset.

• Eating one serving of protein daily, two different fruits, six different vegetables that include fresh sprouts and at least one serving of while grain; changing foods from meal to meal and day to day.

• Drinking plenty of water.

• Drinking liquids before and after meals but not during the meal.

• Cutting back or if possible totally eliminating stimulants such as coffee, colas, black teas, chocolate and alcohol as well as aspirin and nicotine.

A cleansing program should not be a one-time effort but a precursor for a healthy lifestyle.