How to Prepare for a Great Colonic  

Photo credit: Terri Swallow

So you are curious to try out  colonic irrigation for yourself and you want to maximise the benefits of it?

Did you know that just a little bit of homework in the days prior to your first treatment can really improve the results? Afterall you’ve been storing up all that toxic waste in your colon over the decades and if you are coming along for a course of colonic irrigation, it would feel great to clear out as much of it as possible right?

So before we begin, congratulations on making the wise choice to invest in your health!  There really is nothing else in life worth investing in other than your health and health begins in the gut.  So lets make the most of your investment in colon hydrotherapy and prepare for a good clean out.

Here I am going to share with you the most important do’s and don’ts of how to prepare for a great colonic!

The suggestions below are best followed for at least 3 days prior to your colonic irrigation. If you can’t manage that then do try follow it at least the day before your colonic.

1. DO Drink Water

Water and Lemons by Dorte

Drink 2 litres of water each day or 6 to 8 cups of herbal teas eg. Peppermint, Fennel, Licorice, Camomile or try hot water with crushed lemon / grated ginger / fresh mint leaves / cinnamon sticks.

Making sure you are fully hydated in the days prior to the colonic will really enhance your treatment.

2. DO Eat Vegetables

Photo by Simon Aughton

Do try including green vegetables or salad leaves.
Green vegetables may include:

• courgettes
• asparagus
• peas
• mangetout
• kale
• chard
• rocket
• watercress
• fennel
• celery

• chicory
• cucumber
• lettuce
• bok choi

Vegetables should represent 70% of your meal, If this seems like a hard task at least aim for 50%.

I recommend eating a combination of raw vegetables e.g salad and some lightly cooked e.g steamed.

This will help to ease digestion and prevent bloating if you are not used to eating raw vegetables.

3. DO Chew your food.

“When chopstick meet fork & spoon” by Lohb

Put your fork, spoon or chopsticks down between each mouthful and chew 20-30 times.

This may sound like a lot but that is only because most people are used to shovelling food down the backs of their throats.

Putting your eating utensils down will make you aware of your chewing or lack of chewing.

Chewing your food will prevent undigested food and gas pockets in your colon.

4. DO drink Vegetables Juices

Liver Cleanser by Rae Allen

If you have your own juicer or a juice bar near you then drink 1 litre of fresh vegetable juice.

If you are not used to vegetables juices you may include apples or pears to add a little sweetness.

Avoid orange and tomato juice as they are acid forming in the body. Choose carrots instead, which are a naturally sweet and alkalising vegetable.

Here are some suggestions

• Carrot, Celery, Beetroot, Lemon, Parsley
• Fennel, Celery, Cucumer, Lemon, Lime
• Apple, Pear, Kale, Cucumber, Courgette

5. DON’T Drink Alcohol.

Photo by Paul

Now alcohol might be fun for a party but a hangover, no matter how mild may lead to an ineffective colonic.

That means even a single glass of wine with your meal is best avoided in the day(s) prior to your treatment.

6. DON’T Drink fizzy drinks

Photo by Dick Rochester

Fizzy drinks leach calcium from your bones.

These cans of fizzy gas are turning you into a big balloon as large gas pockets form in your bowel that waste is getting trapped behind.

If you don’t arrive full of gas your colonic irrigation will be a whole lot more comfortable and means that we can focus on clearing out waste and not just gas. So avoid fizzy drinks such as

• Diet Coke,
• Coca Cola / Pepsi
• Red Bull
• Lemonade
• Fanta
• Tonic water

You will be doing your bones a favour as fizzy drinks leach calcium from your bones.

7. DON’T Drink Coffee

Photo by Cliff

Avoid caffeine, particulary Coffee but DO drink Rooibos tea. Coffee might smell great but will only dehydrate you before a colonic.

Rooibis hydratinos (redbush) tea on the other hand makes a great alternative to tea and coffee, is hydrating as well as being naturally caffeine and tannin free and full of antioxidants. Try it with Rice or Goat’s milk. Even Starbucks do Vanilla Rooibos tea – so no excuses for you Starbucks addicts.

8. DON’T Smoke

No smoking by Caroline

Avoid cigarettes.

I’m sure you already know they are bad for your lungs. You probably don’t realise that they are also very dehydrating, so whether or not you plan to stop lighting up for good, if at all possible please try to avoid smoking in the days prior to your colonic.

This includes avoiding cannabis smoking also. Just because it’s illegal doesn’t mean it’s better for you.

9. DON’T Eat Gas forming Foods

Sprouted Beans by Gretchen

Some foods are likely to turn you into a real wind bag. and you’ve probably had a few embarassing moments out in public already.

The good thing is colonic irrigation can help clear out a lot of wind and trapped gas.

The main gas forming culprits are wheat, pulses and brassica vegetables. Here are a few tips on how to keep these gassey foods under control so your colonic hydrotherapy treat ment will be far more effective.

• Reduce your consumption of wheat bread.  If you find this difficult choose flat wholemeal pitta bread instead.

• If you love pasta, try Spelt pasta or eat it in smaller quantities, no more than 30% of your plate.

• Beans and Lentils are best eaten only if you have sprouted them as they are easier to digest and less likely to cause gas.

• Vegetables from the brassica family eg. brocolli, cauliflower, cabbage and leeks, are best eaten in small portions and make sure you chew them thoroughly so that your enzymes break them down.

10. DON’T eat Fast Food

No fast food by Jon Harley

Avoid any microwaved meals, E numbers, sugary foods, artificial sweeteners, white flours, chocolate, sweets, biscuits, cakes and pastries and fast food restaurants.

Processed foods get stuck inside the gut and have no nutritional value.

11. DON’T Take Laxatives

Photo by Daniel C. Griliopoulos

One of the purposes of colonic is to exercise the bowel to restore natural bowel regularity.

Laxatives irritate the digestive system to give you diarrhoea and do nothing to resolve the problem.

This includes avoiding herbal laxatives such as Senna that do not  fix the problem but  instead lead to long term constipation.

If you are coming for a course of treatments we can work to resolve the problem .

Why Bother With the Preparation?

Water Flower by Andrea

So you are probably thinking, why bother with all this preparation? Aren’t colonics meant to clean me out anyway?

Sure they can and do, however to improve the results of your colon hydrotherapy and clear out as much old toxic waste from the colon as possible, it really can make a big difference if you arrive fully hydrated and having eaten sufficient vegetable fibre.

Colonic irrigation is not a quick fix for a poor diet and lifestyle, colonics will help to clean you out and motivate you towards a healthier you.

Doing the preparation will mean you maximise your investment in colonics and your health.

If you want to clean out the junk, cut out the junk now  and let’s make a  fresh start!