Come Clean for Spring

March 5, 2013
Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS

Award-winning nutritionist and New York Times bestselling author.

Spring Cleanse for constipationSimple tricks to eliminate constipation.

Spring is in the air and you’re ready, like Mother Nature, to whisk away the old and usher in the new. It’s time for a Spring Cleanse! And why not? Many health practitioners, including the renowned detox expert, Norman Walker believed that 80% of all disease begins in the colon…I would agree.

Shocking colon health stats to keep in mind:

The United States is Number One when it comes to laxative use throughout the world. Widespread constipation is probably the surest sign that America’s colons are malfunctioning. Today, two out of three people over age 65 use laxatives. We spend over a billion dollars a year on laxatives. Can you imagine?

The trouble is, constipation goes beyond being uncomfortable: it can spell danger. Your bowel movements don’t just relieve you of harmless waste, they rid your body of potentially harmful toxins too.

If you have fewer than two or three bowel movements a day, you may be constipated. In today’s world many factors interfere with normal digestion and cause constipation.

Consider the following:

*Laxatives, tobacco, and caffeine—especially from coffee—irritate the colon and over time leave the muscles unresponsive and weak. Caffeine, a kind of stimulant laxative, eventually leads to the atrophy of the colon’s muscles and nerves. (To read more about caffeine’s negative effects, see my blog Is This Drug Your Secret Addiction?)

*Nearly 50 percent of chronic constipation is caused or made worse by medications. The most common offenders are anti-depressants, pain meds, and iron supplements.

*A sedentary lifestyle contributes to flaccid colon contractions. Couch potatoes have recalcitrant colons.

*Stress impairs digestion, creating nervous system responses that inhibit reflexes that facilitate bowel movements.

*Low stomach acid interrupts digestion and allows masses of food to linger in the gut.

*Lack of fiber inhibits colonic contractions.

*Food intolerances to gluten and dairy products irritate the intestines and interfere with colon function.

My Keys To A Spring Cleanse

To remedy the situation, amp up your fiber to between 25 and 30 grams per day (I like several tablespoons of fiber-rich chia or flax seeds in my daily smoothies). Drink at least one half of your body weight in ounces of water or enjoy 64 ounces of cran-water which has a gentle laxative effect due to the presence of organic acids like benzoic, malic, quinic, citric and ellagic acids. These organic acids, which are unique to the cran, help to balance pH and appear to function as natural digestive enzymes. Load up on lots of high pectin Fat Flushing fruits and veggies like apples, carrots, cabbage, and okra.

Take at least two tablespoons of essential fatty acid oils per day (like fish oil or flaxseed oil) to lubricate the intestines, and get moving. Physical activity—of any kind—can turbo-charge the movement of wastes through the GI tract. We are talking about a 20 minute walk daily here, at the very least.

If you are still backed up, you might want to get things moving with a targeted GI formula—like Super-GI Cleanse or something very similar to it.

Super-GI Cleanse contains soluble and insoluble fiber from psyllium seed husk, flax seed, apple pectin, oat bran and rice bran, plus, natural colon cleansers including buckthorn bark, cranberry, butternut bark, alfafa herb, licorice root, fennel seed, peppermint leaf, anise seed, and Irish moss. It also contains a plant enzyme blend to aid digestion and an intestinal flora blend for a probiotic boost.

For special spring cleaning to prepare the GI tract for deep but gentle detox, I have been using Super-GI twice a day (3 in the AM upon arising and 3 before bed) during March 21 – June 21. After June, I go back to just three before bed.

These Success Stories Tell It All:

“Before using Super-GI Cleanse I did not have regular bowel movements, which caused constipation. Since starting the product I know I can count on a daily movement. I feel so much better and I know I’m cleansed. I feel healthy!”
Catherine O.

Super-GI Cleanse has changed my life! I love this product. I now have daily eliminations and no more bloated stomach or constipation. I feel healthier knowing this product is removing toxins on a daily basis, plus it helps to keep my cholesterol and blood sugar levels balanced”Bonnie C.

Related Articles and Podcasts

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS, is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books including The Fat Flush Plan series and her latest book, Radical Metabolism. She’s been rewriting the rules of nutrition for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of diet, detox and women’s health issues. 

For a FREE daily dose of tips and strategies for maintaining healthy weight, conquering insomnia, and much more…check out my Radical Health Tips.

I’d like to meet and greet you on my Facebook groups, so won’t you check us out at the Radical Metabolism RevolutionFat Flush Nation, or my Inner Circle!

9 Comments

  1. Sarah

    How do you make the cran-water? Isn’t it half water and half cranberry juice? I know how to make cranberry juice with fresh cranberries but what brand do you use now that cranberries are out of season? Since a bottled juice is pasturized, doesn’t that take away some of the nutrition?

    Reply
    • Sierra

      Sarah, due to copyright laws we cannot post the cran-water recipe, but I can tell you that it is not 1/2 and 1/2. Check out http://www.smoothieshakedown.com for more information about making the cran-water 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kate More

    You mentioned about Super GI-cleanse, question is what if I take a one week break in between treatments, can I still take the super GI-cleanse or should I stop it as well and also I’ve seen some posts of people drinking hot water with lemon? Is that for colon cleansing also? Thanks

    Reply
    • Sierra

      Hi Kate, You can continue with the Super GI Cleanse, or use it symptomatically- your choice. And yes, the hot lemon water helps thin the bile and cleanse the liver, but also can help tone and cleanse the colon.

      Reply
  3. khadijah Morrow

    I have had colon surgery- remove cancer. I am caner free but boy constipation is with me big time.

    I think there is supplement which can relax the colon for ease of bm.
    I have your book “the Gut Flush Plan”.

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      The Super GI Cleanse from UNI KEY, as well as their Flora-Key will be most helpful for you.

      Reply
  4. Eva

    I’ve been diagnosed as backed up as seen on my xrays nd have been given the golytely to take. Drank the liquids this morning and still feeling very backed up. Do you think the Super GI Cleanse can benefit to remove the rest of the blocked stool? I am a very healthy woman and eat a lot of fresh fruits, make smoothies, eat lots of vegetables and take flax seed oil. I think the back up started because I did not take any electrolytes when I go out mountain biking so I may have dried up from it.
    It is severe constipation at the moment. I need help and want to do it naturally. I am hoping today more BM’s will happen from the liquids I took. They are a laxative for colonoscopy patients given to me in the emergency room last night.
    Thank you.
    Eva 32 from Canada

    Reply
    • Team ALG

      If you have not gotten relief yet, Eva, please consider 400-1200 mg of magnesium. Adding Super GI Cleanse to your daily routine can prevent this from happening in the future!

      Reply
  5. britney

    Detoxing sometimes does not work by clearing toxins already absorbed by the body, it only works as a laxative i.e. clearing them before they are absorbed. And it is a bad idea to use laxatives frequently. The best detox I have found is the Dr. Max Powers 15 Day Cleanse. I dont do it for 15 days, I only take it for 5 days and that is enough.

    I would recommend using the Dr Max Powers 15 Day Cleanse for constipation and perhaps occasionally when you have eaten and drunk too many bad things.

    Reply

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