The festive season is over and perhaps on top of your new year’s resolution is adopting a healthy lifestyle. You may have probably overindulged over the holiday season while promising yourself that come the new year, you will start living well and healthy.
Now, the new year is here and you are wondering where to start to achieve this one key goal you have set for yourself. Surprisingly, one way of ensuring that you achieve this goal is by gut cleansing. Gut cleansing simply means flushing out your colon popularly known as the large intestines.
Why gut cleansing is important
- Improves your health by removing toxins from the body
- Help boost your energy.
- Helps in weight loss
- Enhances your immune system.
You may be required to cleanse your gut if you experience the following signs
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloating
- Irregular bowel movement
- Digestive discomfort
There are vital foods necessary for cleansing your gut thus helping you live a healthy life. These foods will help you flush out toxins, help you shed some extra fat and improve your digestive system.
- Dark leafy greens. Leafy greens such as spinach, kales and lettuce are essential in gut cleansing. They are high in fiber which is crucial in the cleansing of the gut. They are also abundant in minerals and antioxidants that can help our body protect itself from toxins.
- Chia seeds. When soaked in water to form a gel, these tiny power seeds are the perfect gut cleaner as they help flush out toxins and other unwanted materials in the stomach. They are a great source of fibre which is vital in clearing any constipation and also supports the growth of good bacterial flora in the intestine
- Water. Whereas water is not food, it is one of the best and readily available cleansing substances. As far as gut cleansing is concerned, water keeps your digestive tract hydrated thus helping flush out extra materials in the body thus helping avoid constipation. Water also enhances the absorption of nutrients in the body. According to the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, most people should drink between 11 and 15 cups of water a day. However, your gender, activity level, and environment all play a role in how much water you need to stay adequately hydrated.
- Probiotics. These are live microorganisms that have health benefits when consumed. Popular probiotics include yogurt and Sauerkraut. If you want to cleanse your gut, it’s important to cultivate an abundance of good bacteria. Fermented foods such as yogurt and sauerkraut provide ‘friendly’ bacteria that contribute to a healthy digestive system. Consumption of probiotics also improves your gut’s microbiota composition. Check out our range of Probiotic dietary supplements.
- Lean proteins. These include foods that are high in proteins and low in fat. Examples of Lean protein foods are chicken and fresh fish such as tilapia. If you are suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or gut sensitivity then lean proteins are beneficial.
- Bone broth. Chicken soup, beef soup and fish soup help in the healing of the gut. Bone broth helps to heal the integrity of the gut lining by sealing the small spaces. Lime and apple cider vinegar can be used to leach out calcium from the bones, to help make a good bone broth.
- Green Tea. If you aim to clean your gut with a detox, green tea is great for that because it helps cleanse your body and some of the side effects can be weight loss (bonus!). Green tea also contains lots of antioxidants and can improve your bowel functions thus a perfect colon cleanser.
