The Scoop On Poop

"So, how was your bowel movement today?" (if I may so boldly ask) And yes, I’m really going there.

Throughout centuries and still, even today, discussing one’s “poo” issue is rarely ever considered appropriate, even though we do it every day … well, some of us.

Essentially, the degree of one’s constipation is likely a huge indicator of one’s current health status. Constipation is mainly due to poor diet, lack of water, and the presence of fungi or bacteria due to emotional imbalance.

Healthy Bowel Movements Are Essential to a Healthy Body

Like a sewage system, our “internal pipes” need to be cleansed daily to avoid backup. If backup occurs, bowel toxins (aka poop juice) enter the bloodstream and cause harm to the body. This is a process known as auto-intoxication and can be blamed for a long list of familiar health problems, including psychological distress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, sexual dysfunction (Tan et al., 2003), and serious skin problems.

The logic is very simple, in goes food and out comes waste.  And yet, in today’s hurried and hectic lifestyle, the performance of this necessary and vital act of elimination is much too often overlooked and tossed onto the back burner.

In our busy and hectic lifestyle, some ignore the urge to eliminate and then, well the feeling subsides and we carry on with our daily tasks and chores. Have you ever been guilty of that?  Add to it, the consumption of fiber-less C.R.A.P. (Coffee, Refined sugars and starch, Alcohol, Processed food), and it’s no wonder we have a nation of constipation!

7 Simple and Effective Ways to Get Your Bowels Moving

Treating constipation is not as hard as you may think and can be greatly improved with a few changes in diet and routine. Consider a laxative purge (you know, the ones that keep you house-bound) and opt for these simple solutions:

1. Create a Routine

Routine could drastically enhance constipation. To encourage a healthy bowel movement, your morning might include 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar in warm water, followed by a smoothie with fibre-like chia seeds.

2. Add Spices and Herbs to Your Meals      

Did you know that certain spices and herbs nourish digestive organs such as the spleen, stomach, liver, and kidneys? Natural herbs enhance the breakdown of food while dislodging the waste build-up that clings to the intestinal walls.  Add them to your meals, teas, smoothies, salads, and slow-cooked dishes daily. Some good examples of herbs and spices are ginger, oregano, turmeric, cayenne, rosemary, black pepper, cumin, cloves, and coriander seeds.

3. Yin Yoga

This works by enhancing body organs, connective tissue, joints, bones, fascia, etc. If you have been holding on to pain and misery and are not capable of letting things go (or go on in life), helping these organs could really alter this current realism.

4. Express Yourself

Holding on to negative emotions or memories can result in anxiety as well as amplified pressure. During stressful moments it is very common to hold onto your poo too, right? Our incapacity to let go is directly related to an inefficient colon (the garbage collector). Thus, your bowel movement becomes sluggish and you keep and recycle your waste, collecting toxins, which can lead to bad breath and all kinds of funky conditions.

5 Increase the Intake of Fibre

Ever heard the term “eat the colour of the rainbow”? This rings so true. Fibre plays a vital role in digestion and assimilation and should therefore be included in each meal. Fruits and veggies such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, chia seeds, broccoli, berries, ground flax seeds as well as avocado, are all rich in fibre goodness. Think of fibre as a broom in your large intestine sweeping and cleaning out all the gunk from your system. Gut bacteria also love fibre.  In fact, they thrive on it. They feed on prebiotics (the insoluble fibre) and keep your gut healthy, happy, and content.

6. Consider Foods with Prebiotics and Probiotics

You can think of prebiotics as multivitamins for the probiotics if that makes sense.  They stimulate the development of healthy gut flora and promote healthy bowel movements. Foods rich in prebiotics apart from the ones mentioned above are asparagus, green (raw) banana, artichokes as well as brown rice.  Ideal sources of probiotics are anything that is properly fermented, such as kombucha, fermented vegetables such as tempeh, kimchi, and sauerkraut as well as apple cider vinegar. Slowly introduce and incorporate these veggies into your diet and let the gut do the fine-tuning. If you are not a fan of fermentation, start small with 1 teaspoon per meal, increasing to one tablespoon, to eating to your heart’s content.

7. Purified Water Helps Keep Away the Issue

This may sound like common sense but is worth re-iterating – WATER CAN FLUSH OUT WASTE. The amount of water to consume depends on the activity level of the person. However, as a general rule of thumb, aim for half your body weight in ounces. Eg. If you weigh 160 lbs, divide that number by 2 which gives you 80 oz, which equals 10 cups of water per day.

Become a Poo Detective

But wait, there’s more. Once you are on track and making regular deposits upon execution of my tips above, you can now kick it up a notch and learn how to better understand the body-poo connection.

It’s no mystery, there’s so much your poo can reveal about the health and condition of your body that I’m sure you’ll become a CPO (Chief Poo-Observer) of your w/c in no time.  Here are a few quick and interesting tips for figuring out whether you’ve unleashed that perfect poop!

5 Signs of Good Elimination

1. Stool Color

Generally, the stool should be walnut brown.  Temporary discoloration may be experienced if you eat certain foods like beets or dark green veggies, so not to worry.

2. Frequency

At a minimum, you should have one good satisfactory euphoric bowel movement per day, but 2-3 is ideal for optimum health.

3. Gas and Odor

Gas is a normal result of the digestive process, but excessive amounts or strong odors are not typical. A sharp, sour, or intense smell from stool suggests improper digestion.

When food ferments or decays and there is a significant amount of harmful bacteria in the stool, it can lead to unusual odors and a sticky consistency.

4. Consistency and Length

Your stool should ideally be similar in consistency to toothpaste and roughly the length of a banana in a torpedo shape. If your bowel movements are small, hard, and resemble rabbit droppings, this could signal an unhealthy condition, potentially pointing to a stressed or sluggish liver.

5. Sinker or Floater

Healthy stools should pass effortlessly from the body, gently sinking into the water. A diet lacking adequate fiber (30-40 grams daily) can result in stools that sink quickly.

Stools that float often suggest the presence of undigested fats, indicating improper fat digestion. If your stool consistently floats, consulting a functional medicine practitioner/health coach might be advisable.

So now that you’re in the loop of what constitutes a great poop, don’t be afraid to see what’s lurking in your toilet bowl.

And if you’re ever in need of a good little bathroom read, please check out What’s Your Poo Telling You? – by Josh Richman and Anish Sheth, M.D.

This quirky, fun, and informative little poo book will surely acquaint you with offerings like The Rambo Poo, Ring of Fire, Monster Poo, Soft Serve, and The Honeymoon’s-Over Poo, to name a few.

One last thing, should you have any other books on the topic of poo, please feel free to share as I’m always on the lookout for other great Poo books!

Love, peace & light