It was only a matter of time before Hollywood made an animated film about those adorable tiny emojis. And who better to voice the quintessential Poop emoji than Sir Patrick Stewart himself. Yes, you may think of poop as a crude, rude dude, but he’s apparently a cultivated Englishman.
So, I don’t think the Universe can provide us with a classier way to bring up this dirty, little health subject: human waste.
No one likes to talk about it, but our immunity starts with our gut health. If you pay attention to your elimination, you can better understand where you are in terms of overall health. You can learn how your body is absorbing and processing nutrients. Or whether you’re dehydrated. Or which foods should be off the menu.
So, get your doodie jokes out of the way now because we’re going to take a deep dive into two common digestive issues and how to keep your GI tract fueling your body with all the right vitamins and nutrients.
Whenever people have digestive trouble, it’s almost always diet or stress related. If we keep those two factors under control, we’re usually golden. But because we’re not perfect, sometimes our diet and exercise aren’t either. We fall off the wagon and straight into the junk food pile. We stay up too late and drink too much. We choose coffee over hot water with lemon every single time. You get where I’m going with this…
When self-care is off track, most people experience constipation or diarrhea.
Yep, I said the words!
Let’s start with constipation. Constipation most often means that you’re dehydrated. Your body is also probably not getting enough soluble fiber, which helps process fats and sugars at a more sustained rate. (Insoluble is what adds bulk to your stool.) And since you’re already not drinking enough water, things begin to jam up in your body. You may feel sluggish and fatigued, not too mention uncomfortable. Your skin may even start to break out.
So, the first step to fighting constipation is to drink more water daily. I recommend half your weight in ounces, but ideally, you want to reach 3 liters a day (about 100oz). If you’ve been reading my blog on the regular, you’ve heard me champion staying hydrated a lot. It really is the oil that keeps all the parts of this kickass machine (your body) moving smoothly.
Secondly, up your intake of soluble fiber. Dig into some Brussels sprouts, turnips, sweet potatoes and asparagus. Most seeds and nuts don’t contain much soluble fiber, but flaxseeds are the exception. So, sprinkle some on your morning oats. Fiber has other health benefits beyond digestion too, like lowering your cholesterol, blood pressure and inflammation. Score!
If you feel like you really need some over-the-counter assistance, there are some natural laxatives you can look into. Magnesium is one. Look for high quality magnesium supplements like Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate. According to the National Institutes of Health, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (or UL) for magnesium is 350mg for adults. You can also try a gentle, herbal laxative like Swiss Kriss Herbal Laxative.
Now, if you’re instead experiencing diarrhea, you’ve probably put something into your body that doesn’t agree with it. This could be the result of food sensitivities, food-born bacteria or even too much of a supplement, like Vitamin C or magnesium. It’s also possible that diarrhea is a result of a virus or a physical GI tract issue.
This is a good time to pump up your healthy gut bacteria! Do you take quality probiotics and eat probiotic rich foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir? If you don’t, I encourage you to do this on a regular basis. Your gut will love you for it.
The best course of action is to pay attention to what you’re consuming and how your body is reacting afterwards. You also need to learn what normal looks like for you. This includes an idea of what a healthy poop looks like versus an unhealthy one.
I’ve gotten super comfortable looking at my elimination as a Certified Holistic Health Coach, but also as a person concerned about my health. So don’t be so scared to take a peek. It’s important to stay in-tune with your body, so consider it like a National Geographic research safari and YOU are the subject!
Frequency, color, shape and size are all important to note. You should be having multiple bowel movements a day (2-3), and the shape of a cigar, smooth and soft, is the average normal range. Be aware that black stools are common if you’re taking certain medications or supplements like iron. Green stools may be the result of certain dark green, leafy vegetables. If you spot blood in your stool, get checked out by your doctor because like I said earlier, our immunity starts with our gut health.
This is why it’s important to pay attention to what’s normal for you and check your elimination regularly.
Waste is the end result of how our bodies are absorbing nutrients, so when our elimination is abnormal, it’s a sure sign that our digestive tract isn’t ridding itself of toxicity efficiently.
I know it’s sorta gross to talk about, but paying attention to how you eliminate provides you with the biggest insight into your gastrointestinal health. It’s too important to ignore just because it seems embarrassing. So I encourage to you to bust through the initial awkwardness and be an advocate for your own health!
And that’s the scoop on poop. 🙂
What are you biggest GI tract questions? Have you tried any natural remedies for digestive trouble? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment below!
LOVE + perfect poops,
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