Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Cleanse Your ColonDo Colon Cleanses Help?Is It Safe?Improving Colon Health
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Cleanse Your Colon
Do Colon Cleanses Help?
Is It Safe?
Improving Colon Health
You may be interested in doing a colon cleanse if you feel bloated or have aconstipated feeling. While a colon cleanse may help alleviate your symptoms, there’s no scientific evidence supporting its use. However, there are some simple dietary changes you can make to improve your bowel health.
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How to Clean Your Colon Naturally
If you like the idea of “cleansing” your colon and want to do it safely, look no further than the produce and bulk food aisles of your local grocery store.
Drinking More Water
Don’t worry about the old advice that you should drink eight, 8-ounce glasses a day. Instead, use the color of your urine as a guide. If it’s pale yellow or straw-colored, you’regetting enough water. If it’s any darker than this, you likely need to drink more.
Increasing Fiber Intake
Fiber can be found in a variety of foods, including fruits and veggies, oats, lentils, peas, and almonds. Increasing your intake of fiber will help to regulate your bowels and maintain overall colon health.
Taking Probiotics
Probioticsare live bacteria and yeasts that you eat and that have health benefits, primarily when it comes to digestion. Researchers think that they help to replace “good” bacteria and balance “good” and “bad” bacteria in your body, which keeps digestion running smoothly.
Yogurt and other fermented foods such as kimchi and pickles are good sources of probiotics. You can also buy them as supplements.
Juice and Smoothies
Adding more fruits to your diet in any form, including juice and smoothies, is a good way to stay hydrated, as well as add fiber and other nutrients to your diet that improve gut health. Some fruits, such as bananas and apples, are a good source of probiotics. You can also add yogurt to a smoothie for an extra probiotic boost.
Taken together, these elements can help improve the gut microbiome and regulate your bowel movements.
What is the fastest way to clean out your colon?If you need to clean out your colon for a colonoscopy or other medical procedure, your healthcare provider will advise you on bowel prep. A bowel prep typically starts the day before your procedure. It involves drinking an osmotic laxative, such as MiraLAX with Gatorade.Your diet may also be limited in the days leading up to a bowel prep, depending on the healthcare provider’s recommendations. A liquid diet is started 24 hours before the procedure.
What is the fastest way to clean out your colon?
If you need to clean out your colon for a colonoscopy or other medical procedure, your healthcare provider will advise you on bowel prep. A bowel prep typically starts the day before your procedure. It involves drinking an osmotic laxative, such as MiraLAX with Gatorade.Your diet may also be limited in the days leading up to a bowel prep, depending on the healthcare provider’s recommendations. A liquid diet is started 24 hours before the procedure.
If you need to clean out your colon for a colonoscopy or other medical procedure, your healthcare provider will advise you on bowel prep. A bowel prep typically starts the day before your procedure. It involves drinking an osmotic laxative, such as MiraLAX with Gatorade.
Your diet may also be limited in the days leading up to a bowel prep, depending on the healthcare provider’s recommendations. A liquid diet is started 24 hours before the procedure.
Are Colon Cleanses Helpful?
A colon cleanse, also known as acolonic, is a procedure that involves flushing out the large intestine with liquid to clean it out. Proponents of natural colon cleanses say that they offer a host of benefits, such as:
While people may feel better after a natural colon cleanse, no research supports any medical benefits to this practice.
Is it Safe to Clean Out Your Colon?
Cleaning out your colon naturally with a healthy diet is considered to be safe for most people.
However, it’s best to speak to a healthcare provider if you are thinking of drastically changing your eating patterns or trying new supplements or treatments (including a colon cleanse)—especially if you have an underlying condition.
That said, colon cleansing may come with some risks, such as:
Doing an occasional, short colon cleanse may not result in side effects, but the chances of side effects increase the longer or more often you do cleanses. It’s best to consult a healthcare provider if you experience any symptoms.
How to Improve Colon Health
Summary
Colon cleanses may be a popular health trend, but there isn’t much scientific evidence to support their purported benefits. While safe for most people, the practice does come with side effects, such as nausea or dehydration.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cornell University.Fiber, digestion, and health.Mount Sinai.Lactobacillus acidophilus.Cedars Sinai.Ask a doc: Are colon cleanses healthy?Additional ReadingAmerican Cancer Society.Colon Therapy.American Cancer Society.Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment.American Institute for Cancer Research.Using Healthy Eating to Lower Cancer Risk.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cornell University.Fiber, digestion, and health.Mount Sinai.Lactobacillus acidophilus.Cedars Sinai.Ask a doc: Are colon cleanses healthy?Additional ReadingAmerican Cancer Society.Colon Therapy.American Cancer Society.Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment.American Institute for Cancer Research.Using Healthy Eating to Lower Cancer Risk.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cornell University.Fiber, digestion, and health.Mount Sinai.Lactobacillus acidophilus.Cedars Sinai.Ask a doc: Are colon cleanses healthy?
Cornell University.Fiber, digestion, and health.
Mount Sinai.Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Cedars Sinai.Ask a doc: Are colon cleanses healthy?
American Cancer Society.Colon Therapy.American Cancer Society.Cancer Prevention.American Cancer Society.Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment.American Institute for Cancer Research.Using Healthy Eating to Lower Cancer Risk.
American Cancer Society.Colon Therapy.
American Cancer Society.Cancer Prevention.
American Cancer Society.Nutrition and Physical Activity During and After Cancer Treatment.
American Institute for Cancer Research.Using Healthy Eating to Lower Cancer Risk.
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