Is Colon Cleansing Right for Me?

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about colon cleansing. Some people have claimed to lose up to ten pounds of waste that is stored in the colon. Makers of colon cleansing diets claim that these excess wastes poison the body with toxins and keep people from losing weight and being at their optimal health. Colon Cleansing Diets claim to rid the body of these toxins and purge the intestines. As a result, people will weigh less and be free of blood-poisoning toxins.

Colon cleansing consists of going on a juice fast for a week in order to cleanse the colon of excess wastes the body doesn't get rid of. The idea of cleansing the colon and flushing it of waste has become popular in recent years as they claim to clear out the colon and cure constipation.

But before you hop onto the colon cleansing bandwagon, it's important to consider the following.

Cleansing the Colon
Colon cleansing basically consists of juice or liquid fasts, taken in conjunction with special pills or powders mixed in to the liquid. Most of the contents of the powders are laxatives. Some colon cleansing diets also utilize enemas. This rids the body of wastes.

According to many of these diets, you eat nothing for seven whole days while you cleanse the colon. The makers of these diets claim you won't be hungry, though, because you'll be taking an intestinal cleanser made of psyllium seed. This powder attaches itself to the walls of the colon and loosens the waste within it, making it easier to pass.

In addition, people who go on colon cleansing diets also take a number of supplements that are supposed to break down other toxins within the stomach and digestive system.

While on the Colon Cleansing Diet, dieters have ten ounces of water mixed with the intestinal cleansing powder every three hours, or 5 times a day. Fruit juice can be mixed in for flavor. In addition, twice a day dieters also take a product made up of volcanic ash, which is supposed to remove the toxins from the entire digestive tract. Supposedly, the intestinal cleanser swells the stomach and makes you feel full.

Is Colon Cleansing Right For Me?
Chances are, colon cleansing isn't right for you. It's not considered a safe diet as a whole, because the colon cleansing process is not a healthy one. Colon cleansing requires that people go on a very low calorie diet. Most people who go through this cleansing process are only consuming about 400 calories a day, mostly in liquids and supplements. This is dangerous if done long-term, as it does not provide the body with the nutrients it needs to function. On occasion, doctors will put patients on very low calorie diets in order to help them lose a large amount of weight for health purposes or before surgery. This should only be done under the order and direction of a doctor. Most of the makes of colon cleansing processes recommend people go on the cleansing diet once a month to keep the body free of toxins.

Overall, colon cleansing diets don't work to cleanse the colon of unnecessary waste. Most of what is depleted from the body during colon cleansing is actually fluid that is gained back when the dieter begins eating normally again. Eating a diet high in fiber and drinking plenty of water is a better option.