How to Tone Your Colon to Prevent Colon Cancer

Your colon is a major player in how you feel and how well you fight off disease. The colon handles everything you consume and is designed to flush out toxins and other useless, dangerous compounds. Unfortunately, our Western diet can debilitate the colon. Considering this, it is not a surprise that colon cancer is the #2 cause of death in the US.

Toning your colon sounds a bit tongue-in-cheek. However, you can tone your colon and reduce your risk of colon cancer by providing specific nutrients that help repair the lining of the organ, balance the bacterial content and allow it to function optimally.

The colon is somewhat like a well managed sewage plant. A multitude of bacteria, both good and bad, exist in the colon in order to allow it to break down and process whatever the small intestine delivers. The colon extracts useful water, salt, vitamins, nutrients and processes indigestible food (fiber) as it creates the waste product. Like a sewage treatment plant, there is a very delicate balance of bacteria and microorganisms that facilitate this process. If you are consuming foods that disrupt this balance, digestive ailments and/or disease is sure to follow.

The Western diet is loaded with additives, preservatives, refined sugar and a lot of strange chemicals. Even the air we breathe delivers unwanted chemicals into our system. The body works very hard to rid itself of these toxins. As part of the natural detoxifying effort, the body flushes everything through the colon. Depending on how "toned" your colon is, determines if these harmful byproducts get expelled or absorbed. If the colon is not functioning well, the toxins get released into the blood stream and re-circulated into your body. This process is known as auto-intoxication, a harmful condition that can ultimately lead to colon cancer among other complications.

Tone your colon with dietary fiber. Fiber is a great digestive aid helps eliminate constipation, you already know this. However, you may not know that the  bacteria in the colon work on the fiber and extract specific nutrients to repair and maintain the cell lining in the colon. Uncooked fruits, vegetables and grains are the best fiber resources. However, you can get the fiber through supplements such as Metamucil.

Tone your colon with enzymes. Raw foods contain an abundance of enzymes which work extremely hard to assist in the digestive process and overall metabolic functioning of the body. Enzymes occur naturally within the body to repair cells and fight off disease among other tasks. If you provide your body with enzymes through good diet choices, the naturally occurring enzymes will not get distracted from their critical work to deal with digestion.

Tone your colon with good bacteria. Live yogurt, bananas, onions and garlic contain healthy bacteria that the intestines utilize to improve digestion, absorb vitamins and inhibit growth of harmful bacteria. There is said to be a ratio of 75% good bacteria and 25% bad bacteria in your colon. Keep the balance in check by adding these foods to your diet each week.

Tone your colon with colonic irrigation. If you have suffered from constipation over the years, the chances are great that you have some impacted feces in your colon that is perpetuating the issue. A colonic irrigation can flush these "little rocks" out of your colon and provide a major step toward repairing and improving that state of your digestive system. Get serious about this organ, your health and longevity are intimately tied to it.

Lastly, tone your colon with a fast. Eating everyday certainly feels natural, but the rest of nature challenges that notion. Nearly all animals on this planet go a day or more without food. Sure, they likely don't have the choice, however, our systems are made to thrive within that cycle. You vacation, sleep and chill out when necessary, but your digestive system never enjoys a break. A 48 hour fast will provide your body with uninterrupted time to detox, repair and rejuvenate. Your colon will benefit immensely from a fast.