After last week of talking about what poop is and is not, people starting talking to me about their poop problems. Now I am by no means an expert in poopology (is that even a word), but I have learned a bit about achieving the perfect poop.

These are the two most common complaints that I have heard

Constipation

A friend I know called me up to ask what to do about constipation. Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement fewer than three times per week.  According to WebMD Constipation, it is a common problem  can give some very uncomfortable symptoms, such as stools are usually hard, dry, small in size, and difficult to eliminate.  My friend was having about one a week, which is not good. He was looking for a Doctor who could prescribe him a ongoing laxative to help him poop. I was shocked, why would anyone want to talk medication when they haven’t tried a common sense approach is beyond me. But some people believe in better living through chemicals.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea describes bowel movements (stools) that are loose and watery. It is very common and many people will have diarrhea once or twice each year. The most common cause of diarrhea is a virus that infects the digestive system. The infection usually lasts for two days and is sometimes called “intestinal flu” or “stomach flu.”  Others have diarrhea often as once a week, and is usually related to the diet.  Fat, carbohydrate or sugar malabsorption is the most common reason for loose or watery poops.

The magic word is fiber

The most common cause of all stomach problems is not enough fiber and water.  Much of our processed food removes the fiber, leaving it with just sugars, carbohydrates and fats. Our colon is a muscle that needs to be worked just like any other muscle: arms, legs or even our brain.  The colon works with a peristaltic action - like the way a worm moves. If we aren’t using this muscle to its fullest potential it will  becomes slack. By adding bulk the colon is able to grip on to the poop and process it better and faster. Fiber and water helps to bulk up the stool, collecting excess waste, hormones, bile and cholesterol and eliminate it efficiently, and ideally, regularly.

Now how can fiber help diarrhea. Eating fiber-rich foods helps regulate the stools so that it’s not too hard or too loose. Fiber in the body works by either pulling more water from the colon to loosen stools (for constipation) or by absorbing water into the colon to firm up stools (for diarrhea). Basically all around it’s a good thing

How do we integrate Fiber in our diet?

• Eat more whole grains (if not possible switch your breakfast to oatmeal or a high fiber cereal)
• Eat 5 fruits or vegetables (see my post of what is a serving of vegetables)
• Eat less fat (it fills you up and exacerbates bowel problem)
• Dried fruit

Two other thing that can help poop!

Drinking enough water: staying hydrated helps our digestive track work more effectively and routinely

Exercise: helps your body work the food through your body, plus its moves the blood around collecting toxins for waste disposal

According to the mayo clinic

“While there is little scientific evidence to support or refute the benefits of colon cleansing, critics say it’s generally unnecessary and at times may even be harmful. Although doctors prescribe colon cleansing as preparation for medical procedures such as colonoscopy, most don’t recommend it for detoxification. Their reasoning is simple: The digestive system and bowel naturally eliminate waste material and bacteria — your body doesn’t need enemas or special diets or pills to do this.”

In other words, if you want to solve your problems on the flip side examine what you or eating on the top side.