Let’s talk about poop.
Yes, I know poop is an uncomfortable topic for most of us to talk about, but as a mother, dietitian, AND runner, I have lost all filters when it comes to discussions about gut issues. So for those of you who really want to know, but will never ask, here is your unfiltered discussion on gut health and bathroom habits.
Why are regular bowel movements important?
We eliminate toxins out of the body through our poop. If we are not digesting our food well, the transit time it takes for food to be eliminated slows down, which leads to constipation and high levels of toxins sitting in our bodies. We need to be eliminating these regularly to avoid build up in our bodies that can cause inflammation and further issues.
Our bodies also process out estrogen through our poop, so if gut motility slows down, and estrogen cannot be removed, it gets recycled back into our bodies from our liver, leading to higher estrogen levels and further inflammation. If you are suffering from severe PMS every month or other symptoms of high estrogen and you’re not pooping regularly, you may want to check your gut.
Regular bowel movements are also a sign of gut and microbiome health, diet quality, hydration status, and stress levels
If you’re not going every day, or if you are but your stools are either hard or loose, you may want to take a look at your diet, water intake, stress levels, and activity status.
Not sure what an optimal poop should look like? The Bristol Stool Chart is a good place to reference. I love to see clients with a type 3 or 4 (4 is the dream) poop.
What are the signs and symptoms of gut issues?
If you’re going regularly (at least once a day) and you’re regularly have a level 4 poop, your gut is probably in good shape.
However, if you have a number of the following symptoms, it might be time to reach out to a health professional:
- food sensitivities, particularly to dairy, gluten, or proteins
- heartburn, reflux, gas, or bloating
- autoimmune conditions
- poor immune function or allergies
- nutrient deficiencies, particularly B12 deficiency
- floating poop or fatty stool
- skin rashes or unexplained skin issues (hives, itchy skin, etc)
- bad breath
- stomach pain that comes and goes
- fatigue or brain fog
- dark stools
- anemia
- anxiety, depression, and mood imbalances
- hormone imbalances, especially estrogen dominance
- thyroid problems
What can you do to improve gut health?
1. Add more fiber to your diet. Fiber adds bulk to the digestive tract and helps push things through. Fiber also is fuel for the good bacteria in our gut, which we need as a line of defense against all the bad bacteria and toxins we unintentionally come into contact with in our every day. Without adequate fiber, bad bacteria and pathogens can easily build up and take over, making it harder for the good bacteria to do their job, affecting our overall microbiome makeup.
2. Practice vagal nerve stimulation. Stimulating the vagus nerve helps your body get into a parasympathetic state (the “rest and digest” state) so that your body is primed to focus on digestion. This also helps your gut contract to move food and waste through your colon, You can stimulate your vagus nerve by taking 5 deep belly breaths before eating, or by gargling, humming, singing, or massaging the lymph nodes behind your ears.
3. Increase stomach acid production. Stomach acid is important to denature and digest proteins. It also works to prevent overgrowth of bad bacteria and helps to trigger the release of bile from the gallbladder. Stomach acid is important in the absorption of B12, so if you have a history of low or deficient B12, stomach acid could be a likely culprit. You can increase stomach acid by taking digestive bitters before meals, drinking lemon water or a shot of apple cider vinegar in water before a meal, or even by eating your protein foods first, since protein digestion stimulates a high amount of stomach acid production.
4. Chew your food thoroughly. We need to slow down and savor our meals. It should ideally take you 20-30 minutes to eat a meal. Not 5 or 10. The more thoroughly you chew your food, the less work the digestive system has to do to break it down and the more nutrients it can extract from your food. Not sure how thorough you need to chew? A good rule of thumb is chewing to applesauce consistency before swallowing. Being mindful of this also means eating meals without distractions. Eating is a time to take a break from work, set down the phone, turn off the tv, and enjoy the environment around the meal. Sometimes we cannot avoid eating on the go, but by slowing down and thinking about carving out time to eat will also go a long way toward building overall stress resiliency as well. Which in turn will further help gut health.
5. Brush, floss, and tongue scrape twice a day. Your gut health starts with your oral health. Everything you swallow ends up in your gut, so prioritizing your oral microbiome will also benefit your gut.
Have you already tried all of these and still seeing symptoms?
You may want to consider getting a stool test. There are a variety of different ones, and they all vary in their sensitivity of what they pick up on. In my practice, I utilize the GI MAP because it is usually reliable and consistent, and it is very easy to complete at home and send in for analysis.
Wait, a stool test? Yup, this involves getting up close and personal with your bodily waste. But I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds!
A GI MAP can test for pathogens, parasites, worms, and bacteria (good and bad). It can show us if there are high levels of H. Pylori or candida. It can give us insight into your immune function, digestive capacity, overall microbe diversity, as well as estrogen and liver status.
Analyzing GI MAP results can usually help us pinpoint the source of your symptoms and help us narrow down the stressor origin. THIS is where we can finally start to address what is going on and not just mask symptoms or eliminate pathogens, but then also work proactively to prevent them from coming back.
Does this sound like you? Interested in learning more about GI MAP testing? Let’s chat!
