Young woman eating apple

The best thing you can eat to keep your colon healthy is fiber.  Fiber aids in easy digestion, along with regular bowel movements, which leads to a clean colon.

As fiber is a staple item to good colon health, you should read labels and choose the right foods.  A woman should eat 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day and a man 30 to38 grams a day.

How much fiber is in the typical foods you eat?

The best foods for a high fiber diet include fruits, vegetables, and grains.  In making the right combination of foods, you can very easily sustain a high fiber diet.

Here are some examples of common foods and their total fiber in grams:

• Apple with skin                                4.4 grams
• Strawberries (1 cup)                      3.3
• Banana                                                 3.1
• Orange                                                 3.1
• Raspberries (1 cup)                        8.0
• Spaghetti (1 cup) whole wheat   6.3
• Bran flakes (3/4 cup)                     5.1
• Brown rice (1 cup)                          3.5
• Bread, whole wheat or rye          1.9
• Split Peas (1 cup)                            16.3
• Black beans (1 cup)                        15.0
• Artichokes (cooked)                     10.3
• Sweet corn (1 cup)                         4.6
• Broccoli (1 cup)                               5.1

As you can see with these numbers, in just adding some of these food items to your diet, you will already be a step ahead of the game.  If you have a strong diet consisting of mostly fruits and vegetables, you can be on your way to a healthy colon.

There are many arguments that suggest that a vegetarian diet is the best for a healthy colon.  Meat is hard to digest, while vegetables are easy to digest.  You can see from the numbers above, this may be true as the high fiber foods are all vegetarian.

Although these foods are good for you health, you cannot move immediately to an all fiber diet or you may have the opposite results, such as bloating and cramping.  You should gradually increase fiber in your diet over a period of a few weeks.  While doing this, your body and your digestive system can adjust.  Along with changing your diet, you also need to increase your water intake.  Fiber works better when it absorbs water.  With the water, your stool will be soft versus without water, it can lead to constipation.

As always, you should consult a doctor if you have any problems, but if you gradually ease into a healthy diet with high fiber components, you can be on your way to a healthier colon.

Suggested Reading

• How can you safely cleanse your colon?
• How Can Foods Heal Your Colon
• Foods and Your Colon: What to Avoid and What to Eat
• Can you Cleanse your Colon with Diet Alone?
• Can my diet help control Candida growth?
• Keeping Your Colon Healthy

Young woman drinking water

Benefits of a healthy colon:

• Lowers your risk of developing colon cancer, which is the third leading cancer-related death in many different countries
• Lowers your risk of experiencing irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation and chronic diarrhea
• Lowers risk of developing hemorrhoids (supposedly; since hemorrhoid development is still unknown, it is hard to say what will help lower the risk for developing hemorrhoids)
• Less gas issues
• Better absorption of water and minerals
• Feeling of lightness and better overall comfort in the abdominal region

The three main causes of diarrhea are:

• Undesirable microorganisms
• Food intolerance, such as being lactose intolerant
• Stress

The reason someone might suffer from diarrhea is because the human body sometimes feels the need to move debris quickly through your system.  Your body wants to spend as little time as possible digesting its food.  If you’re eating foods, which cannot properly extract nutrients, you may be causing many different health problems and not even realize it.  Stress can be a huge cause of diarrhea.  Some people suffer from recurring stress and diarrhea and this medical condition can disrupt day-to-day life.

There are five main causes of constipation:

• Sporadic eating or eating meals, which are too small in quantity
• Not going immediately when you feel the urge to pass a stool
• Lack of healthy intestinal lining, which is capable of producing enough mucous to properly lubricate the stool, as with a vitamin A deficiency
• Insufficient water intake and not enough fiber in the diet
• Stress

Stress is a common problem which can affect the bowels.  As you can see, the problem can go in either direction.  You may not be able to stop passing loose stools or you may be permanently “bound up” or constipated.

Keeping Your Colon Healthy Naturally

Keeping your colon healthy naturally is very important.  If we put too many chemicals into our bodies, we may have an adverse affect, causing the colon to react poorly to its atmosphere.  It’s important to keep your colon and rectum healthy in order to prevent chronic constipation.  Chronic constipation is the single leading cause of an unclean or unhealthy colorectal region.  Over time, constipation will cause your bowel walls to face excessive pressure.  This pressure is created by straining to go to the bathroom.

Make sure you’re eating substantial meals, which are packed full of healthy fiber and that you are drinking plenty of water.  You should be drinking at least six to ten glasses of water a day.  Avoid stimulants, such as soda, coffee and other caffeine.  Never wait to go to the bathroom!  If you feel like you have to pass a stool, go immediately to the bathroom and do your business!

Make sure you take plenty of vitamins and are eating a diet high in fiber.  Vitamin D and calcium are very important to your colon health.  Spend at least 20 minutes a day in the sun (using sunscreen) and your body will make enough vitamin D naturally.  If you’re not getting enough calcium from your diet, take a calcium supplement.

Suggested Reading

• General Tips Regarding Constipation
• What are the causes for constipation?
• A healthy diet and a healthy colon