Things that make you go poop, poop, poop. Anyone growing up in the ‘90s will probably have a certain C+C Music Factory song in their head now, but seriously, let’s talk about poop, baby, let’s talk about you and feces. I, uh, sense I may have gone too far with that last one. Ok, ok, let’s get on topic.
Constipation is bad, mmmkay. If you aren’t having two soft, easy-to-pass bowel movements everyday then you are suffering from constipation which means waste is building up in your system. As you can imagine, this is not good. Constipation is your body basically telling you, “Hey stupid, start eating the right stuff!” As always, I’m here to the rescue to give you some helpful tips to get that digestive system working like a well-oiled machine.
Drink your H2O, yo! Having the standard 8 glasses of filtered water every day will flush out toxins and help with your bowel movements by hydrating your digestive tract and colon.
Raw fruits and veggies are high in fiber to keep your intestines clean. Which in turn will allow waste to run through them a lot easier. Apples, bananas, apricots, cabbage, prunes and spinach are some of the highest fiber foods out there.
Golden flax seed, besides being an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, has a strong mucilaginous fiber content. What does that mean exactly? Well, basically it helps intestinal absorption of nutrients and can steady the passage of food through your intestines. Invest in some ground flax seed and add it to baked goods, use it in smoothies or sprinkle it on salads, oatmeal or non-dairy yogurt.
Chia seeds are one of the most fiber rich foods around. What’s great about chia is it’s high content of insoluble fiber. This type of fiber moves slowly through your system adding mass to your stool that allows the waste to pass through your system more quickly.
Psyllium husk powder is proven to increase the size of your stool and moisten the colon, thereby helping you be more regular. Psyllium also appears to be able to reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, which is a pretty awesome side benefit.
I’m going to get really personal with this one and go into your bathroom and talk to you about how you sit on the toilet. Bear with me here. The standard posture for sitting on the throne is awful for pooping and can cause strain to your colon. When you’re in a proper squatting position the poop comes out naturally and easily. It could be quite difficult (although probably visually entertaining) to try to squat on top of the toilet seat, so that’s where an awesome invention called the Squatty Potty comes in. The Squatty Potty sits underneath the bowl and offers a place to plant your feet to give you the proper positioning to completely relax the colon allowing you to poop quickly and completely.
So now you should be armed with enough knowledge to poop often and more easily – and hopefully those horrible ‘90s songs have finally left your head as well!
