The digestive system is made up of a digestive tract comprising the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon, and anus. When food passes through, it is by linings in the organs called mucosa, and is moved along by a series of smooth muscles until it is fully broken down and excreted through the anus.

The colon’s role in this process is storage of waste products from food that has already been broken down and utilized by the body, and parts of these are undigested portions of food that are also known as fiber or roughage. It is not a pleasant thought to think of, but the colon does contain quite a lot in weight of fecal matter. Healthy colons have been known to weigh at least a pound’s worth of waste material.

A proper functioning colon needs about six to eighteen hours for full digestion and expulsion of waste from the body. In a day’s time, it is recommended to have one bowel movement a day and a maximum of only three. There are times when defecation happens involuntarily due to something we may eat and speeds up movement of food down the tract.

It is therefore essential that we keep our colon healthy by providing the body with a high fiber diet with low red meat content and a lot of liquid intake. Coupled with a daily exercise regimen, this will ensure the proper functioning of our digestive system as well as keeping it away from probable diseases.

Did you know that colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the world? This often goes unnoticed by most people because we are probably more informed about lung and breast cancer. There should really be more information drives about this disease because it is really easy to prevent its development by just watching what you ingest and having a healthy lifestyle.

Where can we get dietary fiber and how does it help the colon? Dietary fibers can be found in vegetables and fruits and are the indigestible parts of carbohydrates that cannot be absorbed by the body. They have two main classifications, namely insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water, and absorbs it instead. This helps the colon by adding bulk to the stool and making it easier for the muscles to contract. This also aids the process by forming brush-like bristles that wipes the passageway as it moves the waste material down the line. Soluble fiber also helps by creating a gel-like material when dissolved in water, binding cholesterol with the stool and helping it move along the way. Good sources of bacteria such as beans, peas, oats, berries, bananas, and apples help keep the colon healthy.

So, by having healthy and regular movements of stool, we would hasten the process of absorption of nutrients and digestion in the body, thereby having less stored fecal matter that results in weight loss. This process also makes the body more efficient and difficult to gain weight, ending up with you having a healthier lifestyle and body.