Can You Change Your Diet for a Squeaky Clean Colon? (2025)

You may be interested in doing a colon cleanse if you feel bloated or have a constipated feeling. While a colon cleanse may help alleviate your symptoms, there's no scientific evidence supporting its use. However, there are some simple dietary changes you can make to improve your bowel health.

You can safely clean out your bowels (also known as cleaning out your colon, or large intestine) at home by drinking more water and adding certain foods to your diet, such as whole grains and more fruits and veggies.

How to Clean Your Colon Naturally

If you like the idea of "cleansing" your colon and want to do it safely, look no further than the produce and bulk food aisles of your local grocery store.

Drinking More Water

Water, plain and simple, will make everything in your body function better. It can help your body eliminate waste and toxins by encouraging healthy digestion.

Don't worry about the old advice that you should drink eight, 8-ounce glasses a day. Instead, use the color of your urine as a guide. If it's pale yellow or straw-colored, you're getting enough water. If it's any darker than this, you likely need to drink more.

Increasing Fiber Intake

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can't digest but that influences the rate of digestion, the absorption of nutrients, and the movement of waste through the colon (by helping to soften the stool).

Fiber can be found in a variety of foods, including fruits and veggies, oats, lentils, peas, and almonds. Increasing your intake of fiber will help to regulate your bowels and maintain overall colon health.

Taking Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that you eat and that have health benefits, primarily when it comes to digestion. Researchers think that they help to replace "good" bacteria and balance "good" and "bad" bacteria in your body, which keeps digestion running smoothly.

Yogurt and other fermented foods such as kimchi and pickles are good sources of probiotics. You can also buy them as supplements.

Juice and Smoothies

Adding more fruits to your diet in any form, including juice and smoothies, is a good way to stay hydrated, as well as add fiber and other nutrients to your diet that improve gut health. Some fruits, such as bananas and apples, are a good source of probiotics. You can also add yogurt to a smoothie for an extra probiotic boost.

Taken together, these elements can help improve the gut microbiome and regulate your bowel movements.

Are Colon Cleanses Helpful?

A colon cleanse, also known as a colonic, is a procedure that involves flushing out the large intestine with liquid to clean it out. Proponents of natural colon cleanses say that they offer a host of benefits, such as:

• Removing toxins from the body
• Improving the immune system
• Aiding with weight loss
• Easing bloat
• Reducing the risk of colon cancer

Is it Safe to Clean Out Your Colon?

Cleaning out your colon naturally with a healthy diet is considered to be safe for most people.

However, it's best to speak to a healthcare provider if you are thinking of drastically changing your eating patterns or trying new supplements or treatments (including a colon cleanse)—especially if you have an underlying condition.

That said, colon cleansing may come with some risks, such as:

• Dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Nausea
• Cramping

Doing an occasional, short colon cleanse may not result in side effects, but the chances of side effects increase the longer or more often you do cleanses. It's best to consult a healthcare provider if you experience any symptoms.

How to Improve Colon Health

The best way to improve colon health is by drinking enough water and eating foods that promote a healthy digestive system. Some strategies include:

• Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, even making them the foundation of your diet
• Making all your grains whole grains, which offer fiber and more nutrients generally
• Eating more ground flaxseed, which improves digestion and elimination by helping move stool out of your system

Summary

Colon cleanses may be a popular health trend, but there isn't much scientific evidence to support their purported benefits. While safe for most people, the practice does come with side effects, such as nausea or dehydration.

If you're looking for natural ways to ease constipation or other digestive issues, you can safely clean out your colon by making changes to your diet. Drinking more water and increasing your consumption of fruits and veggies, whole grains, probiotics, and ground flaxseed are all science-backed ways of aiding digestive health.

By Suzanne Dixon, MPH, RD
Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RDN, is an award-winning registered dietitian and epidemiologist, as well as an expert in cancer prevention and management.