Q: Can you tell me what will clean out my colon? I mean something that will rip all the old waste out of my system. How can I get my body to have regular movements?
Dr. Dave: If your goal is to have regular bowel movements, then doing it naturally with a fiber-rich diet and hydration is the way to go.
There are two main kinds of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. Most of it is not digested but they all help reduce the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease, strokes and other conditions like constipation, hemorrhoids, chronic diarrhea, and fecal incontinence.
Soluble fiber: fruits, vegetables, oats and oat products, barley, and legumes (peas and beans)
Insoluble fiber: wheat, wheat bran, rye, and other grains.
Women should eat about 25 grams and men 30 grams of fiber daily.
Here are some foods and their dietary fiber amounts in grams. You can copy and paste this to refer to on a regular basis.
Fruit
Apple (with skin) 3.5/1 medium-sized apple
Apricot (fresh) 1.8/3 apricots
Banana 2.5/1 banana
Cantaloupe 2.7/half edible portion
Dates 13.5/1 cup (chopped)
Grapefruit 1.6/half edible portion
Grapes 2.6/10 grapes
Oranges 2.6/1 orange
Peach (with skin) 2.1/1 peach
Pear (with skin) 4.6/1 pear
Pineapple 2.2/1 cup (diced)
Prunes 11.9/11 dried prunes
Raisins 2.2/packet
Strawberries 3.0/1 cup
Vegetables
Asparagus 1.5/7 spears
Beans, string, green 3.4/1 cup
Broccoli 5.0/1 stalk
Brussels sprouts 4.6/7-8 sprouts
Cabbage 2.9/1 cup (cooked)
Carrots 4.6/1 cup
Cauliflower 2.1/1 cup
Peas 7.2/1 cup (cooked)
Potato (with skin)2.3/1 boiled
Spinach 4.1/1 cup (raw)
Squash, summer 3.4/1 cup (cooked, diced)
Sweet potatoes 2.7/1 baked
Zucchini 4.2/1 cup (cooked, diced)
Peppers, green 1.0/1 pod
Tomato 1.8/1 tomato
Spinach 8.0/1 cup (chopped)
Legumes
Baked beans 18.6/1 cup
Dried peas 4.7/half cup (cooked)
Kidney beans 7.4/half cup (cooked)
Pasta and rice cooked
Macaroni 1.0/1 cup (cooked)
Rice, brown 2.4/1 cup (cooked)
Rice, polished 0.6/1 cup (cooked)
Spaghetti (regular) 1.0/1 cup (cooked)
Flours and grains
Bran, oat 8.3/oz
Bran, wheat 12.4/oz
Rolled oats 13.7/1 cup (cooked)
Nuts
Almonds 3.6/half cup (slivered)
Peanuts 11.7/1 cup
Be careful to account for other dietary goals (weight loss, diabetes control, high blood pressure control, kidney problems, allergies, etc) when picking which foods to eat. Keep your calorie goals intact.
I am personally not a fan of colon cleansers for general health purposes. The proper diet, which includes enough dietary fiber to bulk up the stool and clear the colon, is a natural way to accomplish this without the dangers of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration that can occur with colonics.
Here's to Mastering Your Health.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
Dave Montgomery, MD, PhD is a Cardiologist at Northwestern University and a sought after Speaker and Health Coach. http://davemontgomerymd.com
