Some things are better slow—cooked meats, new romance, hours in the weekend—but your bowels aren’t one of them.
No one wants sluggish bowels. Not only is it a sign of poor digestive health (and a slow metabolism), it’s downright uncomfortable. But sadly, it’s a problem many people face every day.
Someone who knows this all too well is nutritionist and founder of Digestive Health Clinics, Anna Paredes. With years of experience dealing with digestive issues, Paredes recognises the importance of keeping yourself regular. To do so, she recommends that her clients undertake a colon cleanse. Never done one? Here’s what you need to know.
“The best diet to cleanse your colon and relieve stress off the digestive system is juicing. Juicing introduces nutrients straight into the cells of our body, boosts the immune system and gives our digestive system a chance to eliminate toxins and the waste that has been fermenting in our guts,” Paredes told us.
But not all juices are created equally. When it comes to clearing your system, certain ingredients are better than others. Choose vegetables over fruits and add detoxifying foods like lemon. When Parades patients are in need of a colon cleanse, she recommends this recipe:
- 3 carrots – high in Vitamin A to repair mucosal lining of the gastrointestinal tract
- 1 beetroot – good blood cleanser and liver detoxifier
- 2 leaves of silver beet or spinach – rich in iron and vitamin B12
- 1 lemon – natural detoxifier and good source of vitamin C
- Small piece of ginger – Blood purifier and also speeds up metabolism
“I recommend doing this cleanse for three days. It will stimulate bile production within the liver and eliminate toxins and fats straight away. If you start to feel nauseous during the juice cleanse, it is an indication as to how overloaded your body is of toxins, especially in the liver. On the third day of the cleanse, you should feel a sense of purification and should start to eliminate impacted matter that has been stored within the bowel.”
Along with juicing, Paredes advises that her patients drink three litres of water per day to help flush the nasties. “Ideally the liver needs 3 litres to eliminate stored fats and toxins. The organ systems need water to move inflammation out of the body through the elimination systems, our biggest elimination organs being the skin. If we do not drink enough water, the aging process is accelerated.”
You can also have a selection of hot beverages, such as dandelion tea, peppermint tea, or the livers favourite—½ a lemon squeezed in a glass of hot water.
