Diet plays a very important role in the health of the body, especially the digestive system.

These days our food is highly processed and saturated with genetically modified wheat and refined sugar. Wheat and red meat are some of the colon's worst enemies and often block up the colon causing a black, rubbery, toxic build up around the colon walls. With the use of Pure Herbal Remedies and a diet full of soft fiber from wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, the digestive system can be kept at optimum function.

Fiber has been proved to be one of the most important things for the digestive system and in supplement form are often known as bulk laxatives.

A high fiber diet is known to decrease intestinal transit time and also your risk of getting most of the degenerative diseases of `Western' society.

The best source of dietary fiber is from whole foods (unprocessed grains), fruit and vegetables although specific types of fibers have their use in the treatment of specific diseases. There is no substitute for a healthy diet composed of foods as close to their original form as possible. Wheat fiber (bran) is the most well known fiber but is not very good for someone who is sensitive to wheat. Excess fiber in supplement form can also be detrimental to colon conditions, especially constipation. Being a bulking agent it fills up a colon that is already overfull so if you already have constipation, it is not the supplement for you. It is however something that is very important in the everyday diet to prevent constipation and other illnesses.

Here are a few tips:

•  Avoid all refined wheat products

•  Drink at least 8 glasses of pure mineral or distilled water every day.

•  Drink freshly pressed vegetables juices like carrot, celery, beetroot and apple daily.

•  Eat a lot of fiber rich foods (not wheat). All wholegrains can be found at health shops.

•  Follow a diet rich in fruit, lightly cooked vegetables (3 green and 2 orange veggies every  day), wholegrains, nuts (not peanuts), dried fruit, seeds, and soy products.

•  Eat lots of fresh salads with lemon and olive oil dressing.

•  Do exercise with a lot of movement to aid the lymphatic system. Trampoline, walking and skipping are all very good.

•  Eliminate heated oils and deep-fried foods from the diet.

•  Learn to differentiate between good and bad fats. Cook only with olive oil (extra virgin in a dark glass bottle) and supplement daily with cold pressed flax or hemp seed oil.

•  Avoid all processed foods and foods containing unnatural preservatives, colourants and flavourings. These foods are poison to the body and put unnecessary stress on the lymphatic system, colon, kidneys, and liver.

•  Limit all sweets, salt, drugs, alcohol, red meat and pork.

•  Limit all dairy, wheat and sugar products, as they form mucous in the body.

Detox diet

Anything from three days to 2 weeks is a good detox. It just depends how strong your body is and how well you need to detox. Do not attempt to detox if you are sick or still weak from illness.

The main organs and systems that need to be detoxified are the liver, colon, kidneys, lymph and blood. The toxins are stored in the liver and colon and the blood, kidneys and lymph are responsible for moving them out. If the system gets saturated with toxins symptoms like acne, skin problems, sinus, headaches and bad body odor occur because the body cannot get rid of them fast enough.

Foods to avoid during a detox

• All heated oils and deep-fried foods
• Margarine
• Animal fats
• All dairy products including goat and soy milk
• All wheat products – bread, muffins, pastries, pasta, etc
• All products containing refined sugar
• All processed foods and foods containing unnatural preservatives, colourants and flavourings.
• Salt
• Alcohol
• All meat products including and especially pork
• Shellfish
• Pickles, vinegar and mushrooms
• Caffeine
• All drugs and medication you can manage without

Food you can eat

• Vegetables: as much of any type you want. Slightly steamed is best.
• Wholegrains: brown rice, oats, barley, sorghum, amaranth, millet, rye, spelt, quinoa, and buckwheat are all good.
• Pulses, beans and nuts (not peanuts)
• Fish (not shellfish)
• A bit of olive oil (extra virgin in a dark glass bottle) for cooking is fine.
• You can use fructose, stevia or xylitol as sweeteners.
• Rice milk or almond milk are good substitutes for dairy.
• All gluten free products are OK if made from pure wholegrains.
• Pure fish with no coating. Fresh lemon can be used for flavor.
• Supplement with flax or hemp seed oil.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of pure mineral or distilled water every day.
• Drink freshly pressed vegetables juices daily
• Eat lots of fresh salads with lemon and olive oil dressing