Today I’m totally going there. I am going to be talking poop, more specifically how often or not often you are doing it.
Talk to any nutritionist and we are pretty obsessed with poop talk. Why? Because it is seriously the window to your health and can give us huge ah-ha’s into what’s going on within you.
How often should you be pooping? Ideally we should be making that #2 trip to the loo 1-2 times per day. That’s right per day!
Why is this important? If are body is digesting too slowly we can actually reabsorb waste that our body worked so hard to eliminate like toxins, excess cholesterol or excess hormones. This is why we can often see symptoms like painful PMS, hormone related acne, skin issues, brain fog, low energy (just to name a few) associated with constipation.
Simple steps to get you pooping...
Fibre
With IBS - D (diarrhea) we want to decrease the fibre but with IBS – C (constipation) we want to really increase fibre with foods like; celery, cabbage, broccoli stems, nuts, seeds, lentils and beans (if tolerated).
Gut Triggers & Food Sensitivities
These are the most common cause of intestinal inflammation and super important to determine with absolute certainty when it comes to IBS (diarrhea or constipation). Gluten and dairy are common culprits, but you can explore more in my post on The Surprising Signs of Food Sensitivities.
Magnesium Citrate
This is something many of us are deficient in. Mg Citrate is the relaxation mineral so great for releasing gut tightness and allowing waste to past. Try 400 – 600mg from a quality brand before bed.
Hydration
Water helps move our stool through the digestive tract so dehydration may be backing things up and making it difficult to poop. Drink extra fluids like water and herbal tea (ginger tea is excellent!) if constipation is a common issue you struggle with.
Healthy Fats:
These act like a lubricant in the intestines and nourish the intestinal cells. Include health fats like; avocados, cold pressed coconut oil, grass-fed butter/ghee, cold water fish, cold pressed olive oil with every single snack and meal.
