The typical Western diet is associated with all sorts of digestive problems like indigestion, constipation, gas and bloating but changing your diet with this easy to do 4 week plan will give you a thorough digestive system cleanse and tremendously improve your health.
If the thought of following a restrictive diet and feeling hungry all the time has put you off doing a colon cleanse before then you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy this 4 week plan is to do.
Not only will your digestive problems disappear but you will have more energy, feel and look better.
Here’s how to do the Digestive System Cleanse
1. Reduce Wheat
Many people overdose on wheat – wheat based cereal or toast for breakfast, sandwiches or baguette for lunch, cake or cookies for an afternoon snack and pasta in the evening.
The wheat that is grown today is very different to the original wheat that our ancestors ate. It is much higher in gluten for one thing and contains more genes.
The gluten in wheat today is much tougher and more difficult for you to break down and digest.
The starch gets fermented by the bacteria in the digestive system which produces acids that can damage the delicate lining of the digestive system.
Overloading your digestive system with more wheat that it can handle takes its toll on the whole of your digestive system.
You don’t have to be a coeliac to benefit from avoiding wheat. Although it is regarded as a fad diet many celebrities have found that they have lost weight and felt so much better on a wheat free diet.
There is a lot of controversy over Dr. William Davis’s Wheat Belly but many have benefited from avoiding wheat.
For the 4 week digestive system cleanse you limit wheat to one portion a day. You can of course cut it out altogether if you choose.
2. Reduce Dairy
According to genetic researchers human adults were not designed to digest milk. Many southern Europeans, most Asians and many Africans cannot digest milk products at all.
Milk is one of the most common allergies or intolerances. As many as 75% of adults lose the ability to digest lactose, a sugar in milk. Lactose intolerance can cause gastric upset and irritation of the digestive system.
Although there is much controversy over the notion that dairy products are mucus forming many naturopaths believe that they clog up the digestive system.
Another point to consider is that milk from commercially raised herds contains traces of environmental chemicals and hormones.
Excessive consumption of both wheat and dairy can result in overtaxing your digetion.
Reducing dairy is not as difficult as it may sound. There are many alternatives to dairy milk such as almond milk, rice milk, oat milk or coconut milk.
3. Reduce meat
Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals but like wheat & dairy is hard to digest. The more meat, wheat and dairy you eat the greater the chances of undigested food clogging up your digestive system.
Numerous studies have suggested that red meat causes colon cancer although it seems more likely that its processed meats like smoked, cured, and salted meats.
This includes hotdogs, sausages, deli meats, bacon, corned beef and jerky. The processing causes chemicals to form in the meat which increases the risk of colon cancer when eaten.
Cooking meat at high temperatures produces cancer causing compounds.
For this digestive system cleanse you should reduce meat and eat free range or organic chicken and turkey instead. Try some vegetarian meals too but avoid eating too many carbohydrates. Get your protein from nuts and seeds instead.
4. Eat 10 portions of fruit & vegetables a day
I’m sure you’ve heard that eating your five a day is the way to good health. Do you eat that many? Not many do. Shocking studies reveal that the majority of people only eat only three portions.
Scientists are now saying that we really need to be eating 7 -9 portions a day to help prevent cancer and the risk of heart disease.
For this cleanse I am suggesting that you should eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables. 5 portions will not give you a good enough cleansing effect.
Fruit and vegetables will not clog up your digestive system. They contain lots of natural soluble fiber.
Authorites advocate that we should be getting 55gms fiber a day for health but sadly the majority of people get only a measly 15 gms.
Soluble fiber absorbs water as it goes through your digestive system preventing it from drying out and causing constipation. It goes through your system like a vacuum cleaner gently sucking out the waste matter and debris.
Fruit and vegetables are not only high in soluble fiber but are full of antioxidants that fight free radicals which cause damage to your cells.
Make sure you include a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables to get the best cleansing effect and health benefits. Eating a rainbow of fruit and vegetables is a good policy.
Onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus and artichokes are particularly cleansing because they contain inulin, a type of soluble fiber, known as a prebiotic because it encourges the growth of the good bacteria in the bowels.
Having the right balance of good bacteria in your bowel is good for the health of your whole body as well as your digestive system.
If you find it difficult to eat 10 portions a day try making green smoothies and vegetable soups. Fill three quarters of your plate with vegetables.
5. Eat more beans, nuts & seeds
Beans & seeds are good sources of protein and will make up for the reduction of meat and dairy products.
They are full of fiber and nutients and help with cleansing your digestive system.
Use nuts and seeds as snacks to prevent hunger between meals. There is no need to go hungry on this cleanse. Almonds are good for stabalizing your blood sugar to prevent hunger.
Avoid peanuts, which are actually legumes and not nuts, because they are susceptible to a mold that produces a mycotoxin called aflatoxin. Aflatoxin has been associated with cancer in animals.
Try adding beans or lentils to your soups and salads and seeds to your smoothies.
6. Chew your food well
Digestion starts in the mouth. Chewing each mouthful of food well until it is liquid before you swallow helps to cleanse your digestive system.
The more you chew the more enzymes are released to help break down the carbohydrates. This makes it easier for your stomach to digest the protein which means undigested food will not reach your intestines which can produce mucus and fermentation.
It will take you a lot longer to eat your food and will take some practice if you tend to bolt down your food. You will be surprised at how much more satisfying your food will be.
7. Drink more pure water
Water is a great cleanser and is an important part of the digestive system cleanse. Aim to drink 2 liters of pure water a day in addition to other drinks. Do not drink water straight from the tap.
Reduce your intake of regular coffee and tea and drink green tea, herbal teas, coffee substitutes, fresh juices and green smoothies instead. Avoid fizzy drinks, sodas and diet drinks.
8. Take Lepicol Plus Digestive Enzymes
Lepicol & Digestive Enzymes
Firstly it contains digestive enzymes which will help you diget your food and absorb your nutrients more effectively.
As we get older the amount of stomach acid and digestive enzymes we produce decreases.This can contribute to a poor functioning digestive system.
Secondly Lepicol contains psyllium husks, a soluble fiber that is an excellent way to cleanse your system. It will help increase the effects of the 10 portions of fruit and veg a day.
Thirdly, it contains a prebiotic and probiotics. I talked earlier about inulin a prebiotic that encourages the growth of the good bacteria in your gut which are essential for health.
Antibiotics kill good bacteria in the gut as well as the bugs they are designed to kill. They alter the balance of the good bacteria to the bad and it can be difficult to restore the right balance especially if you have taken more that one course.
The diet that most people eat in the Western world does not support the growth of the good bacteria. Many studies show that that the balance of the organisms in the gut have a profound effect your your long term health.
The success of the cleansing program depends on restoring the good bacteria in the gut.
You should start to see the results of the cleanse wihin 4 – 5 days. You should be passing good, soft and moist stools at least once but preferably two or three times a day.
Although this digestive system cleanse is designed to last for 4 weeks it is a healthy eating plan that you can adopt for the rest of your life. The more cleansing foods you eat the more healthy you will become and feel.
