Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Colon Cleansing Final Conclusion and Summary

Following a comment from a reader asking about my progress (I didn't realise anyone was reading this!), I have decided to post a summary of how the colon cleanse went.
I stopped blogging this after 65 days, as I had finished everything apart from the fibre, the tea and the probiotics. Progress pretty much halted, and I set out to do 2 months anyway.

I certainly would recommend the Dr Natura program to anyone who had similar problems to me. I got in the habit of taking fibre every day, taking multivitamin every day, opened the door to herbal tea, taking probiotics every day, and I think that the anti-parasite tablets helped too.

Fibre
Most people are chronically deficient in fibre, I didn't realise, but fibre is incredibly important for a healthy digestive system (google it), so I continued taking the fibre supplement for a few months following the end of the program, and then gradually ensured that my diet included more and more fibre until I felt I no longer needed to supplement with it.

Vitamins
A similar thing happened with the multi-vitamin. I have gradually incorporated more and more fruits and vegetables into my diet so that now I don't feel I need to supplement with vitamins. I still take vitamin C, but no multi-vitamin.

Herbal tea
The herbal tea in the program was mostly a way of encouraging bowel movements I think. I never really tried anything other than plain old tea with milk before this herbal tea, and I really enjoyed it. I now have herbal teas and green tea and prefer these to traditional tea now.

Finally
If I am ever faced with the abundance of symptoms I described at the start of this blog again, I will certainly give the program another go. I felt the program was beneficial to me, and not only cleaned my insides out, but gave me a nudge in the right direction with my diet. It was both a short term tool, and a long term guide.

My current diet is as follows:
  • I follow the hay diet of food combining still (more energy, efficient digestion)
  • Approximately 50-70% raw food
  • Sun Warrior Raw Rice Protein is my staple food (digests completely and quickly)
  • I supplement with MSM (helps keep my skin clear and aids in muscle repair and maintenance)
  • I take vitamin C tablets occasionally
  • I have green tea and/or herbal tea on a daily basis
  • I have about 1.5 pints of fresh fruit juice (made from whole, fresh fruits with a juicer) 4 times a week
  • I make raw soup with a Vitamix blender using 4 or 5 whole vegetables (heated by the blades - friction heat, to only slightly warm) 5-7 times a week
  • I make raw flapjacks using raw rice protein, raw oats, raw chocolate, and local honey (blended in the vitamix). The flapjack is currently a bit runny as I do not dehydrate it, I just leave it to semi-set in the fridge. This is to replace the protein bars I used to eat
  • The only cooked food I eat generally is chicken with vegetables, fried in coconut oil, about 4 times a week
  • Occasionally a starchy food such as pizza, rice or bread - This is pretty occasionally (once or twice a week), and I know it's not very good for me. I don't eat red meat, as I don't like it and can't digest it properly.

Given sufficient spare time, I will go into the above in some detail with reasoning behind my decisions. I feel fit and healthy on this diet, and in combination with my exercise, I am shedding body fat and looking lean and toned. I don't have digestive problems any more, and my skin condition is good.

My current exercise regime is as follows:

  • Swimming training: 1 hour, 3 times a week
  • Interval (run) training: 20 mins, 2 times a week
  • Resistance (weight) training: 1 hour, 2 times a week
  • Pilates (stretch and core) training: 1 hour, 2 times a week

Leave a comment if you want me to expand on anything and I will post about it as soon as I can.

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