If you’re feeling bloated, uncomfortable or just downright sluggish, you may have considered cleansing your gut. A gut cleanse is the process of emptying the part of the digestive tract called the colon, or large intestine. Some people believe this offers health benefits and relief from digestive issues.
Let’s explore what a gut cleanse is, how to cleanse your gut, and additional ways to support gut health.
What Is a Gut Cleanse?
The goal of a gut cleanse is to rid the large intestine of fecal material and clean out the colon. To do this you can use teas, enemas, laxatives, enzymes, water procedures or supplements.
What Are the Benefits of a Gut Cleanse?
The practice of cleansing the gut has been going on for thousands of years, with some reports finding evidence of gut cleanses from 16th century B.C. in Egypt.1 In the modern world, wellness centers, doctors’ offices, and spas offer gut cleanses as part of their wellness practice. So, why are gut cleanses so popular?
Some people claim that gut cleanse benefits include gut detoxification, improved energy levels weight loss and digestive relief.2
How Can I Naturally Cleanse My Gut?
A gut cleanse may be of interest to some, but for most people, you can adequately support gut health through diet and lifestyle. The body is naturally equipped to eliminate toxins through the liver and through daily bowel movements. Plus, staying regular will help to maintain energy levels and keep things moving along.
Daily choices about what you eat and how you live are evidence-based approaches that can help improve and maintain gut health. To keep your bowel movements regular, foster a healthy gut microbiota and ease digestion, consider adopting the following into your routine:
Read More: Tips to Support A Healthy Liver
Focus On Fiber
Fiber-rich foods are vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Fiber helps to gently cleanse the colon. It encourages colon health by helping to speed food through the digestive system by serving as a bulking agent. It also provides an effective aid to eliminate unwanted toxins from the body.
Read More: What is Fiber?
Incorporate Prebiotics and Probiotics
Many fiber-rich foods contain prebiotics, which is a component of fiber that feeds the gut microbiota. Prebiotics provide fuel for “friendly” gut bacteria to keep them healthy. This fuel allows the beneficial gut bacteria to produce short chain fatty acids, which in turn provide immune system benefits to you.3
Probiotics are foods or supplements that also contain friendly bacteria. Taking a probiotic can help replenish the bacteria species we need the most of. They can be especially helpful in repopulating the gut bacteria species by crowding out the “bad” bacteria that may occur from a poor diet, stress, or feeling under the weather.4
Read More: Probiotics vs Prebiotics
Drink Adequate Fluids
Drinking enough fluids throughout the day ensures that your digestive tract will continue moving so that you can regularly eliminate waste.5 A good way to remember to drink more during the day is to carry an insulated water bottle. Without proper hydration, things slow down and your bowels can become stagnant, leaving you feeling uncomfortable.
Aim to drink plenty of water, electrolyte drinks, teas, or other fluids each day to stay hydrated for gut health.
Consider Drinking Peppermint, Ginger, and Other Herbal Teas
Ginger and peppermint are two digestion-friendly ingredients. And when warmed up as teas, they are delicious and soothing.
Ginger and peppermint have been traditionally used to sooth and comfort the stomach and support digestion. Ginger contains compounds with antioxidant benefits to help support gut health.6 Beyond use as a digestive aid, peppermint supports wellbeing – critical to the maintenance of good gut health.
Read More: Benefits of Ginger
Move Daily and Manage Stress
Stress is a component not to overlook as well. The gut and brain are connected and managing stress can have major improvements in gut health. Being in a “fight or flight” mode impairs our ability to digest food, which can be detrimental to gut health. However, activating the “rest and digest” nervous system helps to ease digestion.8
Daily movement can also help to keep bowels working regularly. Taking walks, doing yoga, or going for a swim are all good forms of gentle movement that will support gut health.
As you can see, a gut cleanse may be a procedure sought out by some people seeking digestive relief, but optimal gut health can be achieved by simple diet and lifestyle changes.
References
- Bazzocchi, G.and R. Giuberti. “Irrigation, lavage, colonic hydrotherapy: from beauty center to clinic?”. Techniques in Coloproctology, vol. 21, no. 1, Techniques in Coloproctology, 2017, pp. 1–4, doi:10.1007/s10151-016-1576-6.
- Ernst, E. “Colonic irrigation: therapeutic claims by professional organisations, a review.” International journal of clinical practice vol. 64,4 (2010): 429-31. doi:10.1111/j.1742-1241.2009.02166.x
- Holscher, Hannah D. “Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota.” Gut microbes vol. 8,2 (2017): 172-184. doi:10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756
- Williams, Nancy Toedter. “Probiotics.” American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists vol. 67,6 (2010): 449-58. doi:10.2146/ajhp090168
- Treatments for Constipation: A Review of Systematic Reviews. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, 17 November 2014.
- Nikkhah Bodagh, Mehrnaz et al. “Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials.” Food science & nutrition vol. 7,1 96-108. 5 Nov. 2018, doi:10.1002/fsn3.807
- Ingrosso, Maria Rosa et al. “Systematic review and meta-analysis: efficacy of peppermint oil in irritable bowel syndrome.” Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics vol. 56,6 (2022): 932-941. doi:10.1111/apt.17179
- Altaf, Muhammad A, and Manu R Sood. “The nervous system and gastrointestinal function.” Developmental disabilities research reviews vol. 14,2 (2008): 87-95. doi:10.1002/ddrr.15
