Cleansing and nourishing are two equally important factors in maintaining good health. After intake of three glasses of natural detoxification agent – water- and practice of Yoga asanas, the first thing to be eaten in the morning in the empty stomach is a sweet fruit, say the doctors. At a recently concluded three- day workshop on Yoga organised by Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust in which over 100 persons from across the country participated, the simple ways of body cleansing were discussed with scientific inputs.
The colon, or large intestine, is one of the body’s major organs of waste removal. Keeping one’s colon clean keeps tissues clean and allows the body cells to rebuild. A colon-cleansing diet both nourishes the body and paves the way to good health, the doctors claim.
Dr Tarun K Garg, master trainer of National Skill Development Corporation, said, “One must eat sweet fruit in the morning in empty stomach. Sub-acid fruits like apple, pineapple, pear, peach have approximate digestion time of 30 to 40 minutes and sweet fruits like banana and papaya take 40 to 60 minutes. They all act as chemicals scrubbing the intestinal tract.”
When asked about the quantity, he said, “Just one fruit and preferred quantity is one fourth of it should be taken in empty stomach.”
“Eating fruits at the right time helps keep the sensitivity of the body intact. Intestine may be considered as a pipeline in our body's waste management system, which is easily affected by the food we intake. The small villi, finger-like projections made up of cells that line the entire length of small intestine, decide the immunity system of our bodies. If the intestinal villi become defunct or insensitive one will become malnourished, regardless of how much quantity of food is taken, because the body simply will not be able to absorb and make use of that food. To keep the sensitivity of these body sensors intact, one must drink three glasses of water in the empty stomach and any of the sweet or sub-acid fruits in the morning,” said Tarun.
Besides, stress and lack of exercise lead to an unhealthy colon. Eating foods high in fibre which sweep debris from the colon is recommended and some muscle toning yoga poses like forward bend pose tones up the abdominal muscles and facilitates bowel movements removing constipation, added the trainer who has 12 years of experience in alternative medicine. Fibre exercises the intestinal tract by stimulating peristalsis, the wave-like muscular contractions of the bowel, that decrease bowel transit time. Fibre also holds moisture in the colon, softening the stool, he said.
Pectin content in apples can absorb the water present in the intestines, softening the stool and help the body eliminate heavy metals and toxins. Fruits have digestive enzymes that help to clean out the left over from the food eaten a night before. Pineapple and papaya are great fat burners which scrub and cleanse through the intestinal tract, he said.
