Keep Your Colon Happy

Your colon is an important part of your digestive tract. Its main function is to help absorb water and minerals and to help clear waste from your body. It also contains bacteria that aid digestion and promote vital nutrients to maintain a healthy pH balance and prevent an increase in harmful bacteria. In order to keep your body as healthy and youthful as possible, it’s important to keep your colon in good working order! Here are five very simple ways you can do:

1. Start the day with a glass of warm water or some herbal tea to flush out your system, followed by breakfast to wake up your system.
2. Many people have allergies to common foods like dairy, wheat and eggs without even knowing it. Determine which foods cause you indigestion, gas or diarrhea. All you have to do is practice trial and error. For instance, if you fear you have allergies to wheat, eat some wheat bread or pasta and notice if you have an adverse reaction. If you find that you are irritated by these common foods, avoid them or minimize your consumption and, as an added bonus, you will probably lose a few pounds as well!
3. Eat more grains, cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables, and avoid processed food and refined sugars, or anything that is unnatural or man-made. The planet supplies everything you need to stay healthy and to give you energy. “Fake” foods don’t give you energy; they take energy away and are very difficult to digest.
4. Do your best to avoid eating protein (such as fish, meat, eggs) and carbohydrates (such as bread, potatoes, pasta) in the same meals. Our stomach uses different digestive enzymes to break down carbs than it does for protein, and eating fewer food groups at a time helps digestion and gives you more energy.
5. Take digestive enzyme supplements if you know you are going to eat a rich meal or one that mixes protein and carbohydrates to help you digest better.