Top 5 Things to Know About Protecting Your Colon Health 

It is easy to pay attention to your health when something feels wrong. 

Doing the same when you feel completely fine takes a little more effort.  

Colon health is a good example. 

There may be nothing bothering you today, but that does not make prevention something to think about only when problems appear. 

Some of the most useful things you can do happen long before that point. Know your risks, look after your general health, and keep up with the checks that matter.  

Below are the top five things you can do to protect your colon health: 

1. Prioritize Fiber 

Most people know roughly what a high-fiber diet looks like. 

The problem is actually eating one. 

Start with the most obvious issues. If your breakfast is mostly refined carbs, add fruit or choose whole grains. If dinner rarely includes vegetables, fix that. If legumes never appear anywhere, find a meal where they work. 

You don’t need to be perfect. You just want your main source of fiber to be something more substantial than the lettuce hiding underneath your burger. 

2. Your Walk Around The Block Counts 

Not everybody wants a gym membership, especially older people, and thankfully your colon does not require one. 

Regular movement is all that matters. 

Walk your pooch, spend Saturday morning working in the garden, swim, or whatever physical activity you can do because you have been sitting at a desk since 8 am. 

It does not have to look like somebody else’s idea of exercise. 

Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. 

Find something you are happy to keep doing and do enough of it that exercise stops being reserved for the occasional burst of enthusiasm. 

3. Who Does Your Colonoscopy Matters 

Getting a colonoscopy is one thing. Getting a good one is another. 

When the time comes for screening, pay attention to who is performing it rather than treating every provider as interchangeable. 

The importance of high-quality colonoscopies comes down partly to how well precancerous polyps are detected and removed. 

Ask about your gastroenterologist’s experience and follow the preparation instructions properly. 

Nobody particularly looks forward to a colonoscopy, so if you are going through the trouble of having one, you want it done properly. 

4. Find Out What You Can 

Family medical history can be frustratingly vague. 

You may hear that an uncle had “something with his bowel” twenty years ago and nobody remembers much else. 

Find out what you reasonably can, particularly about colorectal cancer and polyps among close relatives. Names of conditions and ages at diagnosis are useful if available. 

Your doctor will find that information useful, because family history can influence your own risk and when you should start screening. 

5. Put Something Else On The Grill 

If every barbeque begins with sausages and ends with steak, your protein choices could probably use a little more variety. 

Higher consumption of red and processed meat is associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. 

There is no need to declare steak permanently off-limits. Just pay attention to how much red and processed meat you are eating from week to week. 

To End 

Colon health is not something that needs your attention every waking minute. 

It does deserve a place among the other things you do to look after yourself. Make sensible choices most of the time, know what puts you at risk, and do not put off recommended screening. 

Prevention works best, but only when you actually remember to do it.