Detoxification and bowel cleansing foods

There is no special food that can directly "detoxify and cleanse the intestines". Various foods uploaded on the Internet that can "detoxify and cleanse the intestines" after eating them either rely on dietary fiber and water to promote normal intestinal peristalsis, or are pathological diarrhea caused by irritation of ingredients. The so-called "detoxification" is basically a pseudo-concept marketed by merchants.

A while ago, my best friend stocked up on three boxes of Internet celebrity prune juice in order to fit into a dress that was too small to lose weight. She said that bloggers recommended "drinking half a bottle to detoxify three pounds of toxins." As a result, she drank half the bottle greedily on the first day and ran to the toilet eight times in the afternoon. Her legs were so weak that she thought it was "intestine." "The toxins have been eliminated." She said after having a bowel movement that she had indeed lost two pounds. However, the weight went back down after eating normally the next day, and she also suffered from acute gastroenteritis. The doctor at the hospital told her that she was intolerant to sorbitol in prunes, and all she had in her bowels was water and electrolytes. Where did the poison come from?

Of course, this does not mean that all foods that are known as "colon cleansing" are IQ taxes. We have to break them down. If you usually eat less vegetables and fruits, and have a bowel movement every three or four days, and your belly is so bloated that it makes a loud banging sound, eating two red dragon fruits, half a pound of kiwi fruit with the skin, or drinking a cup of warm honey water (provided you are not intolerant to fructose) can indeed help smooth bowel movements - but this is really not a bowel movement. Toxic, the soluble dietary fiber in these foods adds water and adds "propellant" to the intestines. The small seeds in dragon fruit and kiwi fruit cannot be digested and will slightly stimulate intestinal peristalsis and help push out the accumulated food residue. It has nothing to do with "toxicity". I used to eat takeout for a week in a row to catch up on projects. When I was constipated, I would eat two kiwi fruits. I felt really good the next day, but I never felt that this was "detoxification". It just helped reduce the burden on the intestines.

Speaking of which, there must be someone who wants to criticize me. Do I drink enzymes and cassia seed tea to have smooth bowel movements? Here we have to talk about the differences in opinions in different fields. Friends in the field of traditional Chinese medicine will say that materials with the same origin as cassia seeds, lotus leaves, and dandelions do have a laxative effect. If you have a body with excessive heat, you have eaten too much hot pot and barbecue recently. If you suffer from internal heat and constipation, it’s okay to drink one or two cups occasionally. However, if you have a weak spleen and stomach, and your hands and feet are cold in winter and you still drink it every day, the more you have diarrhea, the more it will harm your righteousness. On the contrary, it will turn your intestines into an "inert constitution", and it will not move without external stimulation in the future. The attitude towards enzymes in nutrition has always been very clear: the most formal fermented enzymes are supplemented with enzymes and probiotics. If you run to the toilet half an hour after eating, you must have secretly added stimulant laxatives such as senna and rhubarb. There are really many clinical cases of colonic melanosis caused by long-term consumption. Don’t make fun of your intestines.

Oh, by the way, "defecation" and "intestinal poisoning" are words coined by marketing. There are no such concepts in formal digestive science textbooks. Food residues staying in the intestines for 1-3 days are normal metabolic processes. As long as you defecate regularly, effortlessly, with normal color and shape, there is no need to "clear the intestines" at all. Those who say that there are 10 kilograms of feces in the human body. Calculate the weight of the entire intestine of an adult. Where can there be room to hold 10 kilograms of feces? They are all selling intestinal cleansing products to scare people.

When I was doing nutrition consultation before, I met a girl who just went to college. She only drank fruit and vegetable juice for a month to "cleanse and detoxify her intestines." In the end, not only did she lose her hair, but her aunt postponed her check-up for two months and her intestinal flora was completely disordered. The doctor said that if she continued to do this, she might develop irritable bowel syndrome, which was not worth the loss. Some people follow the trend and drink barley green juice to cleanse the intestines. In fact, if you don’t eat vegetables at all, just drink two bags of green juice to supplement dietary fiber. If you eat a pound of vegetables every day and still drink it, excessive dietary fiber may cause flatulence and constipation, which is counterproductive.

If you really want to talk about "colon cleansing foods" that are good for the intestines, you don't need to look for any Internet celebrity, just the simple meals that you don't find enough to eat on the table: a pound of green leafy vegetables every day, half a pound of fresh seasonal fruits, add one-third of whole grains such as oats, corn, and sweet potatoes to the staple food, drink enough 1500 to 2000ml of warm water, and eat fermented foods such as sugar-free yogurt, natto, and pickled cabbage two or three times a week. These are 100 times more effective than the intestinal cleansing products you spend hundreds of dollars to buy. Don't pursue the "detoxification pleasure" of having bowel movements as soon as you eat it. The more sensitive you make your intestines, the higher the probability of problems in the future. A safe and stable intestinal tract is better than anything else.