Believe it or not, the very foundation of good health is having regular bowel movements. When your body has a bowel movement it is removing the build-up of toxins, toxins that are the pre-cursors to many diseases and health conditions, especially cancer.
Our bodies have not changed much over time, yet our diet has changed drastically. A thousand years ago humans lived off of the land. Now, however, we are eating food that is covered in pesticides and processed until there is no nutritional value left in them. These foods increase the risk for disease.
The second leading cause of cancer death in the United States is colon cancer. In order to reduce our risk of this terrible disease, we must regularly remove the toxins that build up in our system from the unhealthy foods that we eat. However, one of the unpleasant results of our over-processed diets is constipation.
Constipation slows the movement of the toxic waste and harbors the foul matter in our intestines. The longer it takes for the toxic materials to move through our system, the longer the waste matter sits in our bowel and putrefies and sometimes is re-absorbed.
The longer our bodies are exposed to this putrefied matter, the greater the risk for developing diseases such as colon cancer. Even if you have one bowel movement every day, you still have at least several meals worth of waste materials putrefying in your colon. Over time this can be very hazardous to your health.
Since the colon is basically the body’s sewer system, keeping it cleaned out is the best option for reducing disease risk. Switching your diet to one that is rich in raw fruits and vegetables and very few processed foods will keep your digestive system free of toxins.
This will result in easy and frequent elimination, preventing toxins from building up in the first place. Depending on how toxic your bowels are, in can take several weeks for your body to detoxify and restore itself to good health.
TIPS FOR A FIBER-RICH DIET
+AVOID SUGAR. There is no fiber in sugar or sugar-laden foods.
+EAT WHOLE GRAINS. Avoid white bread and white rice as they have had the fiber processed out of them. Use only food made with whole grains such as whole grain breads, cereals, wheat germ, barley and brown rice. Always check food labels.
+EAT WHOLE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Avoid fruit juices (except fresh fruit juices made in a juicer), as they can be high in sugar content. The skins are the richest source of fiber.
+EAT BEANS. Most varieties of beans are a rich source of fiber, especially kidney beans and garbanzo beans.
+REDUCE MEAT AND DAIRY. If you eat too much meat and dairy products you will not get enough fiber in your diet. You either need to reduce the amounts you eat or increase the amount of fiber you eat.
+DRINK LOTS OF WATER. You must drink plenty of water throughout the day to help push the fiber through your body. Water also eliminates toxins and speeds up the metabolism. Drink at least 8 glasses a day.
BEST FIBER SOURCES
+All-Bran cereal and other high fiber cereals
+Psyllium husks
+Flax meal
+Kidney, garbanzo, and navy beans
+Apple with skin
+Dried figs
+Prunes
+Barley
+Corn
+Whole grain spaghetti
+Banana
+Blueberries
+Sweet potato
+Broccoli
Eating a fiber-rich diet and drinking lots of water will keep your bowels running smoothly and greatly reduce the build-up of toxins. Reducing the toxins will, in turn, reduce the risk of many diseases, especially some types of cancer including colon cancer.