As bodybuilders we put a lot of strain on our bodies; our muscles, our ligaments, and joints all cope with enormous amounts of stress. Furthermore, the dietary requirements of a bodybuilder, during both bulking phases and dieting phases, create unusual demands of the digestive system. This brings me to the point of this article, the colon. Yes, I said the colon! Not a pretty topic, I will certainly agree. However, please bear with me and you will see why I am concerned about colon care and colon health.

The Basics

Obviously digestion is a very long process that begins in the mouth when saliva begins to break down the starches in your food, continues in your stomach where acids "rip" apart the food, then comes to an end in your intestines where further absorption and digestion occurs. Lastly, digestion terminates with the expulsion of waste.   It is the last five feet of this digestion process that requires the colon. After the digestion of all proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and the absorption of water and other nutrients in the small intestine, the colon receives approximately one pint of liquid stool together with the undigested fiber. Now, in a healthy person, the colon slowly removes excess water and forms a shaped stool, which under the force of pressure waves passes towards the rectum.
For the colon to function properly two conditions must be right; adequate water for absorption, and adequate lubrication of the colon lining. Water intake should be high, which we already know as bodybuilders. Normal people require 8-10 (8 or 10 ounce) large glasses of water daily. Water can be any liquid, whether it is tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices, soft drinks, or other beverages that does not contain caffeine. Milk products may cause excess gas because the lactose (milk sugar) is fermented in the colon.
The second necessary condition is that the colon manufactures sufficient lubrication to help pass the stool from the body. If the colon is not sufficient lubricated, due to too little mucous or too little water intake, the stool will be too dry and hard making it cling to the colon wall.

The Problem

Normal dietary intake of fiber is supposed to be 25-30 grams (depending on what sources one considers) although there is no official recommended daily allowance. 25-30 grams of fiber is a lot, you would have to eat a wicker basket or two! Well, maybe not a wicker basket but a lot of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and unprocessed grains. As bodybuilders, we tend to focus on protein intake and many of us limit our carbohydrate intake year round. A high protein diet with relatively low carbohydrate intake is going to be deficient in fiber. Furthermore, the rigors of digesting and assimilating a lot of food during a bulking cycle places stress on the processing of waste unless fiber intake is increased. Honestly, I imagine that very few bodybuilders carefully monitor their fiber intake. This lack of regard for fiber and the colon should change!
In people who eat too little dietary fiber, stool becomes hard, dry, and small in comparison to the healthy stool that is soft and bulky. This hard dry stool, unlike that resulting from high fiber intake, cannot be moved easily by the pressure waves. Some of the stool sticks to the dry wall of the colon and requires the colon to increase the pressure exerted. As time passes, the colon becomes unable to keep up the demands of producing these high-pressure waves and so the body must recruit abdominal muscles to assist with creating force; this process is called "straining". "Straining" produces pressure all along the abdominal and can lead to the development of hernias, varicose veins (caused by pressure on the long veins of the legs), hiatus hernia (upward pressure forcing the stomach into the chest), diverticulitis and diverticulosis (weakening and infection of the colon wall), hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fistulae. Colorectal cancers also appear more frequently in patients with inadequate intake of dietary fiber. This increased cancer rate is usually attributed to the concentrated exposure of carcinogens to the colonic surface because waste is unable to be quickly and easily passed from the body.

The Solution

It should now be clear that the key to avoiding all these colon ills is proper intake of dietary fiber. There are two routes available, increase the intake of foods naturally rich in fiber or use fiber supplements. Both routes are feasible and, for the bodybuilder, comes down to whether the added calories of whole foods are acceptable. Those who are following a reduced calorie diet should investigate sugar free fiber supplements.
For those of you who want to increase your fiber intake using whole foods here are a list of the foods considered the best sources of fiber [1].

1. Dried beans, peas, and other legumes
This includes baked beans, kidney beans, split peas, dried limas, garbanzos, pinto beans and black beans.
2. Bran cereals
Topping this list are Bran Buds and All-Bran, but 100% Bran, Raisin Bran, Most and Cracklin' Bran are also excellent sources.
3. Fresh or frozen lima beans, both Fordhook and baby limas
4. Fresh or frozen green peas
5. Dried fruit, topped by figs, apricots and dates
6. Raspberries, blackberries and strawberries
7. Sweet corn, whether on the cob or cut off in kernels
8. Whole-wheat and other whole-grain cereal products.
Rye, oats, buckwheat and stone-ground cornmeal are all high in fiber. Bread, pastas, pizzas, pancakes and muffins made with whole-grain flours.
9. Broccoli-very high in fiber!
10. Baked potato with the skin
(The skin when crisp is the best part for fiber.) Mashed and boiled potatoes are good, too-but not french fries, which contain a high percentage of fat.
11. Green snap beans, pole beans, and broad beans
(These are packaged frozen as Italian beans, in Europe they are known as haricot or french beans.)
12. Plums, pears, and apples
The skin is edible, and are all high in pectin.
13. Raisins and prunes
Not as high on the list as other dried fruits (see #5) but very valuable.
14. Greens
Including spinach, beet greens, kale, collards, swiss chard and turnip greens.
15. Nuts
Especially almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, and walnuts (Consume these sparingly, because of their high fat content.).
16. Cherries
17. Bananas
18. Carrots
19. Coconut
(dried or fresh-but both are high in fat content).
20. Brussels sprouts

For those of you what want to use dietary supplements there are many products available including Metamucil, Hydrocil, Konsyl, etc. or other products such as Citrucel (methylcellulose). All of these products are excellent sources of fiber, usually providing 15grams per serving or half of the daily requirement. These supplements are generally taken at night following dinner. Be sure to drink plenty of water with these supplements as most of them work as bulking agents. Bulking agents absorb water and increase in size, creating sufficient volume in the colon. I personally love the Metamucil fiber wafer.
A word of warning is necessary. Since most of these fiber supplements are designed to be very palatable, the manufacturers have added lots of sugar. This may not a be a concern for some, but for a bodybuilder on a strict low carbohydrate diet the sugar in this fiber will be troublesome. Not only are there sugar-free supplements but there are also carbohydrate free supplements (generally meaning carbohydrates that are not useable by the body and hence are not counted) on the market. Many of them have unfortunate names such as Colon Cleanse and Colon Blow but they excellent products without added sugar. As an added bonus, dieters will find that fiber intake helps them with feelings of fullness. I have also noticed less water retention when my fiber intake is dead on.
Welcome to the wonderful world of colon care. Until next week, Grendel out.

[1] List of top 20 foods taken from: http://www.slrhc.org/healthinfo/dietaryfiber/