Bananas: One Of The Most Popular Foods In The World
This popular and versatile fruit is brilliant at restoring harmony in your guts ecosystem.
Bananas are also heavy in potassium and magnesium, which can aid against inflammation. A 2011 study in the journal Anaerobe even showed that bananas can reduce bloating and help support release of excess weight.
So slice some on your cereal, blend them in a smoothie, or keep them on hand for midday snack attacks.
Start With An Intermittent Fast
Just like you, your gut needs a period of rest and rejuvenation to function optimally.
Giving it a break can support antioxidant and anti-inflammatory processes, cellular cleanup and even help shed water weight and reduce bloating.
Studies are coming out all the time supporting the benefits of intermittent fasting, which gives the body a break for a set number of hours each day so that your gut can repair, reset, and rest. Even a seminal research review in the journal Cell identifies intermittent fasting as a key pillar of longevity nutrition .
The night before you start your gut reset, plan to fast for 12 to 16 hours.
To put this in perspectivea 12-hour fast means stop eating at 7 in the evening and don’t eat again until breakfast the next day at 7 in the morning.
What Is The Gut Cleanse
Sorry if youre perplexed. I know its not an easy choice! But its one of the most crucial choices youll ever make. If youre still unsure which type of gut cleanse is best for you, I recommend comparing the characteristics and functionalities of the gut cleanse listed above. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
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Signs That It’s Time For A Cleanse
The Standard American Diet is ruthless when it comes to messing with your gut health. All of the dairy, sugar, wheat, and fried and processed foods unleash all sorts of havoc on your body, leading to accumulated toxins and even compacted fecal matter in the gut. Many people say that they can feel when it’s time for a gut cleanse.
Your body is constantly sending signals that you need to cleanse, and some people say they can even feel when it’s time for a gut cleanse!
Your body is pretty good at sending out signals to make sure you’re aware that something is off-balance. If you notice any of the following symptoms, it’s a pretty strong indicator that it’s time for a gut cleanse.
- Skin blemishes
- Watermelon
- White grapes
If you prefer vegetables over fruit, you can substitute leafy greens, garlic, artichokes, and Brussels sprouts into your diet.
Ways To Cleanse Your Colon
There are two main colon-cleansing methods. You can buy products or you can see a doctor to have a colon irrigation.
Colon cleansing with powdered or liquid supplements. You take some supplements used for colon cleansing by mouth. Others you take through the rectum. Either way, the idea is to help the colon to expel its contents. You can find these products on the internet or in health food stores, supermarkets, or pharmacies. They include:
-
Enemas
Colon cleansing with colon irrigation . The first modern colonic machine was invented about 100 years ago. Today, colonic hygienists or colon hydrotherapists perform colon irrigations. Colon irrigations work somewhat like an enema but they involve much more water. While you lie on a table, a low-pressure pump or a gravity-based reservoir flushes several gallons of water through a small tube inserted into your rectum.
After the water is in the colon, the therapist may massage your abdomen. Then you release the water like a regular bowel movement the process flushes out the fluids and waste. The therapist may repeat the process, and a session may last up to an hour.
The practitioner may use a variety of water pressures and temperatures and may or may not combine water with enzymes, herbs, coffee, or probiotics. Probiotics are supplements containing beneficial bacteria.
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Do You Need A Colon Cleanse Drink
Youve probably seen them advertised on social media or online outlets, but are these colon cleansing at-home drinks really necessary?
Colon cleanse drinks come in an array of colours and ingredients. Theyre easy to get your hands on online and are delivered in ready-made preparations, usually consisting of fruit and veg juices. Alternatively, they may come as a tea-tox, youve guessed it, a tea diet which acts as a colon detox.
These products are often expensive and usually work by having a laxative effect. So, these are not really recommended if youre not in close vicinity to a loo. Plus, they can cause side effects too, like dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and can reduce the effects of the oral contraceptive pill .
And, theres little scientific evidence that theyre effective at removing toxins from the colon. In fact, a 2015 review found that there was no definitive evidence supporting the use of detox diets for both weight loss or the elimination of toxins from the human body.
What Is A Gut Cleanse
Some people may think the gut is just the part of your body that lets food slide along until its ready to be removed. However, the gut is a little more intricate than that. When you dont have a healthy gut, youll accumulate harmful bacteria that throws off the delicate microbiome balance of your intestine that would require an intestine cleanse. Before you learn how to detox your body you need to know the symptoms of an unhealthy gut.
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Colonic Irrigation Benefits Risks And Medical Applications
Flushing out your colon with water is an age-old practice in many cultures, dating back to 1,500 BC in Ancient Egypt. Today, its used to improve the success of colonoscopies.
Colon cleansing practitioners claim that the procedure has many benefits, like aiding weight loss, improving digestion, and even increasing your energy levels. However, these health benefits are unfounded and have little scientific evidence to back them up.
Instead, it can have several uncomfortable side effects, some can be pretty mild while others can be quite severe. In some cases, herbal remedies are added to the flushing water and this has been known to cause a type of anaemia which stops your bone marrow from producing enough blood cells. These remedies have been known to cause liver issues, too.
Which Probiotic Supplements Are Best
There are thousands of probiotic products on the market, with each company claiming theirs is best. Scan the supplement aisle at your local grocer and youre likely to be overwhelmed with options.
If you decide to take a probiotic supplement, here are four factors to look at when you shop:
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Signs Of A Healthy Gut
When talking about the bacteria in the gut, there are usually two types you find in your body.
These are the good bacteria and the bad bacteria.
Here the important thing to know is that you need a balance of both.
Having an unbalance in the gut is known as dysbiosis, which is the main reason why you may have an unhealthy gut.
On the other hand, having the correct balance gives you the following advantages.
Whats The Theory Behind Natural Colon Cleansing
One of the main theories behind colon cleansing is an ancient belief called the theory of autointoxication. This is the belief that undigested meat and other foods cause mucus buildup in the colon. This buildup produces toxins, the theory goes, which enter the blood’s circulation, poisoning the body.
Some people claim these toxins cause a wide range of symptoms, such as:
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Reducing the risk of colon cancer
Quality scientific research is lacking when it comes to determining whether or not a colon cleansing is helpful.
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Your Body Is Designed To Detoxify
Detoxification is part of our biology. Without it, we wouldnt last very long: it functions continuously to keep us safe from the toxins in our environment and the ones our own body produces naturally.
The human body has evolved complex systems of detoxification enzymes, controlled by your genes. Everyone has their own set of detoxification genes that work differently to everyone elses.
These genes play a vital role in your ability to detoxify, for example through a chemical pathway called methylation. The methylation pathway can be affected by a genetic mutation called MTHFR.
The MTHFR enzyme plays a key role in your bodys detoxification processes. Individuals with an MTHFR mutation may, therefore, have issues detoxifying, leaving them more susceptible to ill health. However studies show that with the right diet and sufficient nutrients like folate and vitamin B12, people with MTHFR mutations can override this risk .
There are many lifestyle choices that can help or hinder our bodys ability to detoxify. For instance, initial research suggests that the current trend for fastingat least for longer periodsmight deplete intestinal alkaline phosphatase levels .
IAP is a gut defence protein found in our gut epithelium . It detoxifies some substances that bacteria produce and prevents intestinal inflammation. Recent research shows that IAP can also prevent a pathogenic type of E. coli bacteria from adhering to our gut walls .
What To Do Today
Throw out your antibacterial toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash
Antibacterial chemicals can cause antibacterial-resistant microbes and harm beneficial bacteria in your mouth. A small study found that changes in the bacteria in your mouth can impact how well you absorb nutrients like nitrite which has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Destress
reduces beneficial bacteria and increases harmful bacteria in the gut.
Chronic stress is particularly dangerous because it may increase intestinal permeability and allows the gut microbiota to go where they shouldnt, causing inflammation.
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Best Supplements To Improve Gut Health
The gut plays an important role in your health because it controls the digestion of all nutrients you need to be healthy and improve performance. An imbalance of microbes in the intestine can cause weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and other disorders. In a healthy gut, the intestines are resistant to harmful substances that leak through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream causing leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome has been associated with several chronic conditions such as:
- Mental health conditions
- Food sensitivities
- Autoimmune conditions
If you have leaky gut syndrome, there are many supplements as well as other options that may help you feel better. Gut health supplements are used to ensure good digestion, prevent stomach discomfort and support good gut bacteria. So, what are these best supplements for good gut health?
There are many supplements that support your digestive health, here are the most beneficial gut supplements in the market:
What Does Detoxing Even Mean
Humans have detoxed in one way or another for thousands of years. We just didnt always call it that.
Native Americans had sweat lodges, Hippocrates recommended enemas after overindulging, bloodletting was an orthodox medical procedure until 200 years ago and people have fasted since the dawn of time.
The rise of the wellness industry in the 21st century has seen detoxing and gut cleansing go mainstream once more. But detoxing doesnt have a real medical definition, so anyone can claim that their product, method or diet will detoxify you. The same goes for gut cleansing.
Both terms are a bit misleading. This is because our body is constantly detoxifying on its own. The main function of your liver is to filter and remove toxins from your body. There are many mind-bogglingly complex ways it does this, using enzymes, oxygen and amino acidsamong many other thingsto send toxins on their way out of the body through bile or urine.
If you want to cleanse or detoxify your gut, the good news is youre already doing it. Its just a question of how well youre doing it.
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Begin Your Morning With Water
In my opinion, drinking water, especially room temperature or warm water on an empty stomach, is one of the best things you can do for digestion.
According to ancient ayurvedic principles, warm water is gentle on the GI tract and stimulates digestion, which naturally helps food move through the digestive tract and promotes detoxification and removal of waste.
I recommend you start your day with at least one full glass of room-temperature water before you consume any food.
What Do You Eat On A Gut Cleanse
As weve seen, the best way to cleanse your gut is to eat nutritious whole foods that support your bodys natural detox processes. Detoxification is made up of many, staggeringly complex biochemical processes, but its fair to say that the liver plays the leading role.
So bulk up on the foods your liver will love:
1. AvocadosAvocados contain glutathione, which protects liver cells against oxidation and helps to get rid of heavy metals like mercury .
2. SpinachSpinach is full of inorganic nitrate, which has been found to reduce the buildup of fat in the liver .
3. TomatoesThe lycopene in tomatoes protects the liver from free radical damage. Tomato sauce, tomato paste and even ketchup contain high levels of lycopene .
4. BeetrootBeetroot contains a group of phytonutrients called betalains that support phase 2 detoxification in the liver .
5. CarrotsCarrots are very high in flavonoids and liver-supporting beta-carotene, as well as vitamin A which helps to prevent liver disease .
6. AsparagusResearch has shown that asparagus can actually reduce alcohol toxicity and helps to break down other toxins in the liver .
7. Green leafy vegetablesHigh amounts of chlorophyll in dark leafy greens like kale triggers the liver to eliminate toxins .
9. ApplesThe pectin in apples helps our guts sweep toxins away, which in turn helps the liver manage its own load of toxins .
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What Is A Gut Cleanse Exactly
There is no set definition of what a “gut cleanse” is, exactly.
In fact, many gurus have their own “flavor” of gut cleanses types of gut cleanses include juice cleanses, specialized diets that incorporate colon cleansing foods, popular cleanses like the Master cleanse, and even things like coffee enemas and probiotic enemas.
Gut cleanses advertise all sorts of health benefits that theyll make your skin glow, clean you out, boost your immune system, help you lose weight, and more.
Unfortunately, not only do most gut cleanses not provide any of these benefits, but they may also do more harm than good.
Gut Microbiome And Colonic Irrigation
Your gut isnt just an organ dedicated to evacuating waste, toxins, and pathogens, its home to trillions of health-promoting bacteria. They take the dietary fibre you eat and transform it into organic compounds, like short-chain fatty acids and vitamins, which have important roles in your digestive tract and overall health.
It was even shown to lower the abundance of specific probiotic bacteria, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, that perform essential functions to keep your gut environment happy and balanced. They help maintain the right pH, deter pathogens, and maintain an ecosystem that is welcoming to other essential and beneficial bacteria.
FACTHealthy individuals shouldnt need to cleanse their colon with extreme methods because the body has its own ways of keeping itself clean on the inside.
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How Does Diet Impact The Gut
Diet is by far the most powerful way you can support your gut health.
The average person has over 1000 different types of bacteria in their intestines, and over 100 trillion individual bacteria. They all live and die by your diet.
Like people, each type of bacteria has its favourite foods. Were still at the beginning of our exploration into the human microbiome but we know that most of the good types of bacteriathat we want to encouragelike unprocessed plant foods.
What Else Can You Do To Enhance Colon Health
What you eat not what you flush through your colon may have the greatest impact on colon health, lowering your risk of colon cancer and enhancing your overall health.
The typical American consumes about 15 grams a day, but you need closer to 25 grams to 30 grams. If there are no gluten issues, add sources of both insoluble fiber, such as cereal and whole grains, and soluble fiber, such as bran, some fruit, some vegetables, and oatmeal.
Also, drink plenty of fluids. Avoid tobacco and limit red meat. Regardless, talk to your doctor to ensure that you have the greatest experiences possible using them.
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