Detoxification and bowel cleansing foods

There is currently no magic food that can achieve "special detoxification and bowel cleansing." The food that everyone often talks about is essentially an ordinary food that meets the three characteristics of "high dietary fiber, low irritation, and sufficient water" and can help improve intestinal peristalsis and reduce metabolic waste retention. Moreover, "detoxification and bowel cleansing" itself is a controversial concept, and the definitions in different fields are completely different.

There is no term for "detoxification" at all in the Western medicine system. The "intestinal toxins" that everyone refers to are simply metabolic wastes and incompletely digested food residues that have been retained in the intestines due to long-term constipation. The so-called "intestinal cleansing" is to improve the condition of constipation.； In the context of traditional Chinese medicine, "detoxification and intestinal cleansing" belongs to the category of "clearing the intestines and releasing heat". The purpose is to straighten the intestinal transport function and improve the problems of abdominal distension, bad breath and constipation caused by the accumulation of damp and heat. ； The "intestine cleansing" often mentioned in the fitness and nutrition circles refers more to reducing the intestinal metabolic burden and maintaining the stability of the bacterial flora by adjusting the diet. It is not at all the "expelling toxins and losing ten pounds" as many marketing accounts say.

When I first got into fitness two years ago, I was often deceived by this kind of marketing content. I saved half a drawer of green juice, kale powder, and enzyme jelly. One time, I drank 300ml of prunes in one go to "cleanse my intestines" before taking a physical test. Juice, I ran to the toilet eight times in one afternoon, and in the end my legs were so weak that I couldn’t even get out of the gym door. My best friend in the nutrition department gave me electrolyte water, and by the way, I threw away all my IQ taxes in a drawer, and then I understood the twists and turns.

Prunes should be the most hyped "detoxification tool" nowadays. In fact, their function is not to contain special "detoxification factors" at all, but to have high sorbitol content. This stuff is a natural hypertonic substance that can "pull" the water in the body into the intestines. Coupled with the insoluble dietary fiber it contains, it promotes intestinal peristalsis in a two-pronged manner, making bowel movements faster naturally. But this thing really depends on the person. My colleague is sorbitol-tolerant and has no reaction after eating a pound of prunes at a time. Another friend of mine has a bad stomach and runs to the toilet after eating three prunes. Don’t just follow others and eat the same amount as others.

There was also red dragon fruit. The first time I ate it, I ate half of it in the morning. The poop I pulled out in the afternoon was all red. I thought I had stomach bleeding, so I hurriedly went to the emergency room. When it was my turn to see the doctor, the doctor asked me what I had eaten. He couldn’t hold his pen in laughter and said that the betalains had not been absorbed. Don’t scare yourself next time. Its function is also simple. The dietary fiber content is much higher than that of Bai Xin. Those tiny seeds will not be digested and will "rubb" the wall in the intestines, stimulating peristalsis. It is indeed friendly to people with occasional constipation. However, if you have a weak spleen and stomach that is prone to diarrhea and cold hands and feet, don't listen to the bloggers who say "one dragon fruit a day can cure constipation." If you eat it for three days in a row, you may not even be able to walk. What Chinese medicine says about "injuring the spleen and stomach" is really not scary.

As for the popular green juice, kale powder, and enzyme jelly sold online, I advise you to read the ingredient list first. If the first ingredient list is "senna leaf" or "cassia seed", don't buy it. It is not a bowel cleanse, but a laxative. If you drink it for a long time, your intestines will become dependent, and you will not be able to defecate on your own without eating it. If it's pure fruit and vegetable powder, there's nothing magical about it. It's just drying and grinding vegetables into powder. If you can eat a pound of vegetables every day, drinking this thing is not as cost-effective as eating two more bites of lettuce. If you can't get vegetables in takeout, it's not impossible to make a cup to supplement dietary fiber. Don't expect it to "detoxify".

If you really want to make your intestines comfortable, don't blindly buy "detox foods". First, understand your own situation: If you just recently ate hazelnuts, ate too many highly processed foods, had no bowel movements for two or three days, and your stomach is bloated. You don't have gastrointestinal problems. Then eat about 200g of red dragon fruit, or drink 100ml of prune juice with a cup of warm water. You can get rid of it in basically half a day, which is much gentler than taking laxatives.； If you are prone to diarrhea and stomach pain when eating something cold, if you want to regulate your intestines, avoid these cold foods. Eat more steamed pumpkin, boiled corn, or drink sugar-free plain yogurt. These will slowly adjust the flora and will not make you jerk. But if you persist for a week or two, you will find that your bowel movements will gradually become regular and your stomach will not be bloated at all times.

Oh, by the way, there is another pitfall that many people have stepped on: Don't think that "colon cleansing" is only effective if you need to remove water. If you do it to a dehydrated state, all the water will fall off the scale, which is not a toxin fat at all. Over time, it will disrupt the balance of intestinal flora and make constipation more and more serious. I have two prunes stuffed in my business bag all year round. Sometimes I eat too much when I go out and I feel incontinent for two days in a row. Eating two prunes and drinking two glasses of water will help, and I won’t suffer the stupid consequences of drinking prune juice like before.

Seriously, there is no magic detoxification and intestinal cleansing food. The intestines are your own. Whatever you eat makes you feel comfortable or uncomfortable. It is more accurate than any blogger’s recommendation. Don’t mess with your own intestines and stomach for the so-called "detoxification". It is better than anything else.