The health of our intestines is essential to our well-being. To promote its proper functioning, it is necessary to maintain the balance of its intestinal flora and to encourage the elimination of waste. This is the principle of any good intestinal detox!
Intestinal Detox: What Are We Talking About?
When we talk about intestinal detox, we often think of laxative treatments, enemas or colon irrigations that quickly empty the intestine of its contents. In reality, these “cleansing” techniques are rather aggressive for the intestine and counterproductive because they are likely to destroy our precious intestinal flora. The term “detox” refers to much more than simply cleansing the intestines. Intestinal detox not only consists of eliminating waste from our body but also, above all, of rebalancing the microbiota, these billions of “good” bacteria that populate our digestive tract.
In addition to their essential role in digestion and modulating our immune system, these bacteria also prevent the penetration of pathogens and toxic substances of exogenous origin. This shows their importance in the detoxification and detoxification of our body! Intestinal detox, therefore, consists of taking care of your microbiota and correcting any dysbiosis, i.e. an imbalance in the intestinal flora, which could cause digestive, immune or nervous disorders or promote the onset of metabolic diseases.
Adapt Your Diet
The best way to detoxify your body is to adopt a hypoxic lifestyle and diet by consuming organic foods as much as possible and avoiding ultra-processed industrial foods full of additives. Also, remember to increase your omega-3 fatty acids consumption by including camelina, flaxseed, rapeseed or walnut oil in your salads and by eating fatty fish once or twice a week. Omega-3 fatty acids have an overall anti-inflammatory effect at the body level and can, according to some studies, promote the diversity of the intestinal microbiota.
To reduce oxidative stress in the intestine, favor antioxidant foods such as cruciferous vegetables, beets, carrots, artichokes, sweet potatoes, red fruits, onions, garlic or even more tea. These foods are naturally rich in polyphenols, carotenoids or vitamins C and E, molecules that neutralize free radicals responsible for significant biological damage. Finally, give pride of place to foods that are sources of prebiotics, the fibers that allow the development of good bacteria in the intestine. We will come back to this in point 3.
Be On Probiotics
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when ingested in sufficient quantities, positively affect health. When they are taken as a cure, they also make it possible to reseed our intestinal flora with “good” bacteria, taking the place of the “bad” ones or simply increasing the bacterial diversity of our intestines. Make a cure of at least three months with supplements that contain a combination of several bacterial strains dosed in sufficient quantities, that is to say, that will bring you from 1 to 10 billion CFU (Colony Forming Units) per day.
Remember to take your probiotics at least 15 minutes before any meal. Ask your pharmacist for advice on choosing the food supplement that will suit you best and to check that there are no precautions for their use concerning you. Also, bet on fermented foods such as cabbage, kefir, and kombucha or rich in probiotics such as natural yogurts to fill up with good bacteria!
Give Pride Of Place To Prebiotics
Prebiotics are none other than dietary fibers that serve as support and food for the good bacteria that populate our intestines. To enable them to establish themselves more efficiently and sustainably, it is essential to provide them with this fuel by consuming at least 25 to 30g of total fiber per day, including 15 to 20 g of soluble fiber. This quantity can be reached quickly and simply by adopting a varied diet consisting mainly of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes. By retaining water, fibers will also increase stool volume and accelerate intestinal transit…in addition to nourishing your microbiota. This is the double “detox” effect!
In Case Of Constipation, Take Blond Psyllium
If introducing more fiber into your diet isn’t enough, blond psyllium seeds can help relieve a tendency towards constipation. Rich in mucilages, psyllium seeds will act as a ballast laxative by gorging themselves with water up to 8 times their volume and carrying the feces towards the exit! It is taken at a distance from any drug treatment – the absorption of which it can reduce – at the rate of one to two teaspoons diluted in a compote, a dairy product or a glass of water once or twice a day. However, psyllium should not be used in case of obstruction or narrowing of the gastrointestinal tract. Its ingestion must always be accompanied by sufficient hydration, at least 1.5 liters per day. Otherwise, constipation may worsen.
Do A Cure Of Detox Herbal Teas And Charcoal
Beyond all these good practices which aim to restore a healthy intestinal flora, it is possible to stimulate the work of the intestines and to optimize the evacuation of waste by gentle methods such as the consumption of herbal teas. With mild laxative properties. Among these plants, we can count on the wild mallow, the marshmallow or the buckthorn. The wild mallow is known to be a regulator of the intestine.
Its mucilage lines the intestines in constipation and helps fecal matter move more quickly. In case of diarrhea, it allows the intestinal mucosa to rest and helps to regain regular transit. Marshmallow tea softens the mucous membrane of the colon in case of an irritated intestine and thus helps the progression of stools. It is also a mild laxative that can be used with buckthorn in case of occasional constipation.
A detox herbal tea cure can also be accompanied by vegetable charcoal powder. This natural adsorbent makes it possible to capture gasses, toxins and toxic substances before evacuating them in the stool. It, therefore, has its place in the context of an intestinal detox! Always ask your doctor for advice before embarking on a herbal detox. In particular, they may not be recommended for children, pregnant women or weak people.
ALSO READ: Intestinal Dysbiosis, What Is It
