A-Z of Fitness: “C” is for Colon Health
Your colon, also known as your large intestine, is rather important in your overall health. The colon has three main functions:
~To digest and absorb nutrients from food
~To concentrate fecal material by absorbing fluid (and electrolytes) from it
~To store and control evacuation of fecal material
Statistics state that 1 in 17 people, in the United States, will develop colorectal cancer. Deaths from colorectal cancer rank third after lung and prostate cancer for men and third after lung and breast cancer for women. Diet (that’s what you eat regularly, not diets you go on), obesity, and smoking are all linked to colon problems.
Colon cleansing has gotten quite a bit of hype recently. This is a subject that is heavily debatable. Personally, I have done colon cleanses (the Master Cleanse/Lemonade Cleanse) before and while I did in fact drop weight, it was never sustained, being that it was mostly water weight, and not to mention very challenging. However, I have noticed that my metabolism has drastically changed since introducing this vigorous method into my life. Is it solely a function of the cleanse? That I don’t know, but I have chosen to never do it again. There is the argument that the body is designed to know what to do to maintain homeostasis/a balance and that introduction of alternate methods is what messes with it. On many levels I agree with this view. What I want to say on this, however, is that the nutritional make-up and design of our food and environment has made leaps and bounds in changes and I would say that our bodies are not able to keep up and deal properly with these added toxins…thus cancer, obesity, and general overall health is becoming a larger problem. One could say natural “evolution” of our bodies, is not keeping up with the fast paced, dramatic “evolution” of our food, environments, and world.
I used to be involved with a man who had ulcerative colitis which is characteristic of bleeding ulcers in the colon. His lifestyle prior to developing UC was not any different than any other person’s…but the lifestyle he had after was, and will forever be, more challenging, difficult, and restrictive than the average person’s. Not only was what he could eat greatly reduced in options, he was constantly in pain, having to be near a bathroom, anemic, and losing weight. He ended up having to medically leave his job as a pilot, a job that at 29 years of age had become too difficult to do comfortably and safely with his illness. It was also greatly effecting the happiness of our relationship as his emotional stability was unpredictable and understandably so. He battled UC for roughly 9 years and after researching every possible healing method, trying almost all of them, and still having a low quality of life…he had a colectomy where his entire colon was removed.
I tell this story to highlight the importance of colon health. His illness was unpredictable, yet was it avoidable?
Pay attention to what foods upset your digestive system…then don’t bombard your body with those foods and do so only moderately or never if it is truly painful. See a medical doctor if you have digestive pains that do not resolve themselves w/in 24-48 hours or with a bowel movement. Gas pains can be rather painful, but it’s only gas. If blood is involved in a bowel movement, see a medical doctor immediately. Take probiotics to maintain healthy digestive flora in the intestines.
There are so many illnesses that are cropping up in the digestive system these days…I, again, question the ingredients in the foods we are eating and the quality of our environment.
You’re probably wondering what specific foods are good for keeping your digestive system rolling and functioning as it should. Here’s a short and simple list that should clear all your doubts, and get you on your way to better health…
- Water
A no-brainer, among the benefits of drinking water are improved colon function and constipation relief. Drink half your body weight in ounces and you’ll be fine! - Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are one of the best food groups that relieve constipation and a sluggish bowel in my opinion. Try eating as much fruit and vegetables as you want for a few days and see how you feel. - Grains
Eating foods like oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain bread, pasta can help you up your fiber intake, but eating too much fiber can have the opposite effect of actually causing constipation. Make sure you balance it out with a lot of water, fruits and vegetables.
