Having a healthy gut is essential to feel good, energetic, and to maintain good nutrient absorption. If you’re feel bloated, you get sick so often or exausted all the time, you may consider detoxing your colon. That’s why I made this post on how to cleanse your gut naturally at home !
Detox is a natural process that our bodies use to get rid of toxins and bad harmful elements that can cause inflammation or make you sick in one way or another, but sometimes when there are too many toxins your body can feel a little overwhelmed and canāt get rid of all the bad elements in a short period of time which makes those toxins accumulate and cause a lot of problems.Ā
I’ve already made a post covering the most important causes of having unhealthy gut so you can avoid them, and in this post i’ll show you how to cleanse your gut naturally.
1/How to cleanse your gut naturally at home with food:
Having a regular bowel movement is an important way your body uses to detox:
- Flax seeds: loaded with fatty acids and fibers; flax seeds are a great choice if youāre thinking about cleansing your gut, itās called fiber cleanse. The insoluble Fibers in flaxseeds can help your digestion and poop faster. Also, fibers help you get rid of bad bacteria in your gut and help protect your colon.
- Chia seeds: Also loaded with insoluble fibers; another great source of antioxidants and fibers that help your colon to get rid of toxins and bad bacteria
- Psyllium Husk: Psyllium Husk is a bulk-forming laxative; it soaks water in your gut and helps your bowel movement which increases your colon’s ability to detox.
- Senna tea: Senna tea is a powerful laxative that is usually used to treat constipation, it helps you poop faster. Although Senna is helpful it can be dangerous when consumed in a large dose and also your colon can become dependent on it so make sure to stick to the dose and donāt use it longer than 6 days. If you have any type of heart, liver, or kidney condition, you should consult your doctor before using Senna.
- Probiotics / fermented food: Probiotics are the good bacteria living in our guts, they help you digest food and they make some vitamins such as vitamin B and K. These probiotics are essential for a healthy gut and they help you detoxify by getting rid of the other bad bacteria and protect you from toxins, so you need to make sure that theyāre in a safe environment so they can work well. But sometimes when there is a problem with these good bacteria (in cases like having gastrointestinal diseases or having lots of bad bacteria in your gut that can attack these good bacteria and killing it) you can eat fermented foods that are very rich in probiotics and it will help your body restore its microbiome. Here is a list of fermented foods and how to make them
Also, you can try my favorite snack recipe that can boost your gut probiotics and gives you so many other benefits! - Lemon: not just great for cleansing the liver, but also rich in vitamin c and can help regulate blood ph level
- Ginger: Ginger rhizome contains several constituents which have antibacterial and anti-fungal effects, so itās very good for helping you flush out toxins and cleansing your gut.
- Green tea: green tea is very rich in polyphenols which have antimicrobial effects against a variety of organisms. Also, it has catechins that can exhibit a variety of antimicrobial mechanisms. Learn more about the benefits of polyphenols
- Cucumber: Cucumber is filled with healthy digestive enzymes, which helps in digestion and help you get rid of toxins
- Ground cinnamon: with its amazing antibacterial and antiviral properties, ground cinnamon can help you flush out toxins, and also it can boost your metabolism. Keep in mind that you should not take too much cinnamon per day, just 2 teaspoons are fine.
- Bone broth: can heal your gut, when boiling bone broth releases some components: Glycine, Proline, Collagen, Glucosamine and Glutamine that can heal the gut and strengthen the immune system.
- Dark green vegetables: Alkaline veggies help you detoxify the body because of their high amounts of antioxidants and phytonutrients.
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2/Sleep: Another excellent way your body uses to detox:
So you may be wondering: how I cleanse my gut naturally while sleeping? Well, While you’re sleeping, your body detox naturally, it’s something related to your Circadian Rhythms so make sure to help your body in this process by getting enough good quality sleep, (around 10pm to 4pm).
3/Drinking the right amount of Water:
Water helps to balance blood ph levels and also helps flush out toxins, also water helps your intestine to absorbe some nutrients/ vitamins like B vitamins. So make sure to take 2L or so per day and to take more when you exercise, but still this depends on your activity and of course the season.
Learn how Water Can Support a Healthy Digestive System
4/Exercise: Sweating is another way of detoxing:
When you move, you improve your blood circulation that helps with taking “trash” from your cells to your kidneys or sometimes your gut and then out of your body. Exercising helps can increase and improve your metabolism which can make your gut work faster and better, so a better working gut is also better at detoxing itself. Also sweating help get rid of toxins too so exercising in general helps detoxing your body.
5/Avoid stress as possible as you can:
We all know stress and we certainly all have been stressed before so i won’t talk about what stress can do to your body and especially your gut, But all i can say is that stress is th first enemy to your gut, from reducing nutrients absorption to damaging the lining of your intestine etc.. So try your best to avoid stress or at least learn how to manage it like breathing exercises or dancing, also meditation can be very helpful for reducing stress. And always remember “healthy mind healthy gut“.
6/Avoid antibiotics as much as you can:
Antibiotics can be effective in killing bad bacteria but they can kill the good bacteria too which leads to gut problems. You can try this natural antibacterial tea that will help you get rid of the bacteria in your digestif system.
7/Reduce sugar:
The bad bacteria and yeast in your gut feed up on sugar and sweet food, and by feeding them they keep growing and spreading AND they kill your good bacteria! which leads to gut problems obviously. So try to cut your sugar intake to the maximum, no more white or even brown sugar, and try to reduce sweet food (I don’t usually include fruits and dattes in this diet but you can eat them in moderation).
8/Reduce Processed food:
Why? Because it’s Full of bad bacteria and toxins, processed food can be very hard to digest and it can upset your gut and your digestif system in general.
9/Reduce alcohol:
Drinking too much alcohol can reduce your liver ability to detox, so it’s always better to reduce alcohol especially if you’re suffering from digestive problems.
10/Detox belly massage to reduce bloating and cleanse:
Belly massage can be very effective against bloating, it helps the gut to relax and to pass the gas through your colon. So try to massage your stomach at least once a day!
Additional tips:
People with gastrointestinal diseases such as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or people with lactose intolerance should avoid dairy products (I think butter is fine since it has little lactose quantity. Fermented dairy products are also fine) because they can irritate your gut and induce an inflammation over time
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Great list! I try and do most of these after having to repair my gut a few years ago. I had a severe gluten allergy and it was 3 months of consistent healthy eating that helped. Thank tou for this!
Glad to hear so! Healthy eating and reducing stress are the best remedies!
Really appreciated your post. Gut health impacts our overall health. Iām still learning and working on it personally. š
That’s great! Glad it helped. Yes the gut is our second brain so we definitely need to keep it clean and healthy
Some great tips here. Definitely going to add green tea and reduce my sugar intake. Thanks again!
Amazing! Thank you for your comment
I am not a fan of “detox” or “cleanz”. But you have included some healthy habits here, like exercise and eating healthy foods. Some of the foods you mention are super healthy. This is a good post with natural ways to “detox” and “cleanz”.
Yes You’re right, I’m a big believer in the body’s ability to heal and detox itself since it’s a natural process, but sometimes when we’re not practicing good habits and toxins keep accumulating it better is we help our bodies with some healthy food and good habits.
What a helpful article. I have IBS and been on a journey to heal my gut. A couple of food /drink items I am going to give a try, Senna tea and cucumber. Staying away from processed food and sugar definitely made a big difference for me.
Glad it helped! I have IBS too and a lot of these tips helped me personally especially staying away from stress! Senna tea is great just don’t take it more than 6 days because it’s a laxative.
Thank you for taking the time to write down all these mindful tricks for understanding and working with the gut. It is indeed such an important part of our body, and in my opinion still an underexposed subject in general medicine. I have been having trouble with my gut for idk how long – maybe a decade. So I’m mentally crossing off all the items on your list now š I think I am doing well in the departments of diet, hydration, and exercise and have recently started to use a natural oil to help with sleeping. I think the belly massage part is interesting, haven’t tried that one yet and I do feel that whenever I go to a massage therapist or foot reflexology, strange things start to happen in the gut. So thank you for this wonderful recommendation! This list can be my go-to on days when I’m in need. Love, Susanne
Hello Susanne and thank you for your comment! Yes, I feel you, I’ve been suffering from gut issues and still do especially in stressful periods. Belly massage is one of my favorites! it helps me move the intestine and get rid of the excess gas. Foot reflexology sounds interesting I’ll definitely try it! Glad this post could help you and thank you again! Lots of Love.