Intestinal Cleansing Diets

The best cleanse for your intestines is one that will empty them out as well as remove toxins from the tissue. The Master Cleanse has been designed to do just this. The cleanse consists of fasting on a specially prepared diet as well as flushing out the bowels. Colonics can be taken during this diet to add an extra level of detoxification to the colon. The effects of the fast and cleanse can be intense at first before becoming easier. Take caution when reintroducing foods to protect your gut and notice the foods' effects.

Fasting

Fasting is an excellent way to start cleansing the intestines. When you fast, you dramatically reduce or even stop eating. This reduces the amount of food matter in the intestines. When combined with other steps taken like flushing colonics, it results in a cleaned-out GI tract. A popular fasting technique is the Master Cleanse. The cleanse provides calories through maple syrup, and it is basically a clear liquid you subsist on for about 10 days.

Protocol

The protocol for the Master Cleanse is as follows. Every day of the cleanse you limit your intake to 1,200 calories that are consumed from a lemonade mixture. The lemonade is made from lemon juice and maple syrup mixed with a pinch of cayenne pepper in few liters of water. This drink is all you will consume over the 10-day period. As well as limiting your diet, you also drink a laxative tea or a saltwater flush that helps wash out your colon. After 10 days of this combination of diet and flushing, you eliminate all residual waste from you colon. The secondary effect of this diet is that you are also completely cutting out other substances, like caffeine and alcohol.

Effects

The first few days of this diet are often quite difficult as people report hunger and headaches. People who make it through the initial phase do report it gets easier and that at the end of the 10 days, they not only have lost weight but feel clean and refreshed. Many people report having adverse effects to food as they begin eating again. This cleanse also acts as an elimination diet. When you do not eat food for 10 days, the effects that certain foods have on you stop. When you reintroduce them to your eating regimen, you notice effects you had not previously noted.

Colonics

A colonic is a procedure where a hose is inserted into the rectum to flush out the colon. Warm saline or different herbal mixes are pumped gently into the colon and then suctioned out. This is done repeatedly to remove fecal matter that may have become impacted on the colon lining. When this is done in conjunction with the Master Cleanse, it can be detoxifying. The Master Cleanse empties your colon while the colonic flushes the lining.

Eating

People are advised to take their time when resuming their normal diet. Over the cleansing period, the GI tract shrinks and motility slows. If difficult-to-digest food is introduced immediately, it may result in stomach upset. Start by eating soups and juices, working your way back to solid foods.