Good
Colon Health Starts with a Healthy Diet
This may come as a surprise, but
your colon is one of the most important organs in your body. Although
you may not think it is more vital than your heart or lungs, a colon
in bad shape is not a good thing. Good colon health is essential
to an all-around healthy body.
The colon is part of the last
section of the digestive tract, which is 30 feet long and in charge
of breaking down nutrients and absorbing them to provide the body
with energy. The colon makes up the upper 4 to 6 feet of the large
intestine and its mission is to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste.
Therefore, maintaining good colon health is imperative to allow
the body to function properly by keeping the nutrients in and the
waste out.
A great way to maintain good
colon health is to have a colon health diet. A colon health diet’s
main ingredient is fiber. Fiber is best known for preventing and
relieving constipation, but fiber is also beneficial because it
can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Whole grains
are rich and high in fiber, as are foods like vegetables, fruits
and nuts. Unfortunately, most of us partake in diets that are filled
with carbohydrates, fats and proteins which are absorbed by the
body. Fiber is basically roughage and flows through the body virtually
unchanged until it reaches the colon. A good fiber diet can bring
about good colon health.
Fiber promotes good colon health
because it lowers the risk of digestive conditions as well as cholesterol
levels; it also keeps your blood sugar levels in check and the healthy
diet helps you lose weight. For ideal colon health, women under
the age of 50 should have at least 25 grams of fiber a day; men
of the same age should have 38 grams. For women over 50, they should
consume 21 grams, while men should ingest 30.
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