Colon cleansing breaks down hardened fecal matter so it can pass and also purges many intestinal parasites. A colon cleanse can be done by having a colonic, also called colon hydrotherapy. This is a procedure that should only be done by a licensed hydrotherapist and is not appropriate for people with some preexisting colon conditions.
Other colon cleanses involve fasting and herbal and probiotic supplements or a very restricted diet plus the supplements. These colon cleansing plans usually last for less than a week. Then you start reintroducing foods into your diet, but you keep eating colon-friendly foods.
These colon-friendly foods will help keep your colon cleansed naturally and will keep you at a lower risk for colorectal cancer:
• Fibrous fruits like pears, apples, figs and blueberries• Fibrous veggies like turnip greens, peas and brussels sprouts
• Fiber plus protein found in most all beans
• Whole grains and whole grain foods like flaxseed and oatmeal
• Yogurt which contains live, colon-friendly, bacteria
These foods should be eaten rarely to maintain a healthy colon:
• Red meats and animal fat
• All dairy except yogurt
• Refined sugars
• Most all fast foods or other heavily processed or preserved foods
If you are like most of us eating a typical “American” diet, fast food almost qualifies as a staple of our diet and, for the most part, fast food includes all of the bad foods for our colon in a single meal. The other meals we eat aren’t exactly “greens and beans”.
