Did you know our bodies can hold 5 – 25lbs of poop!
Having had a history of digestion issues myself, I’ve become diligent in ensuring I consume certain things on a daily or weekly basis in order to keep my digestive health functioning optimally and hence preventing weight gain. A large part of my conversations with people are centred around health and weight loss. During the conversation I learn of their infrequent bowel movements. While this can occur on occasion, waste has to be expunged from the body daily and naturally in order to avoid weight gain and many other health issues. If you or someone you know struggles with this topic, please take this information to heart. Below are a list of must do’s in order to achieve proper digestive health.
1) Healthy fats – Chia seeds are my top recommendation as they are high in Omega 3’s which helps to decrease inflammation. As well they can absorb a lot of water (fibrous) while in your gut which essentially helps to clear your bowels out and eliminate toxins. That being said, increase your water intake to allow the chia seeds and the toxins that it has mopped up, be cleared out.
Avocado’s are also high in healthy fat and fibre. Another reason the fats are required is if you eat a very clean diet, there is no lubricant for your bowel.
2) Water – Rule of thumb for adults – 1.5-2L minimum per day. Food digestion requires water, breathing requires water, organ function requires water, temperature regulation requires water. Your body will use the water for first priority functions such as breathing and organ function, hence if you don’t intake enough water, the digestive system gets dried up and stagnant.
3) Reduce stress with deep breaths. 2 reasons: Our breathing muscle – diaphragm sits right on top of the large intestine. Taking deep breaths means the diaphragm flexes and pushes on the large intestine during a deep breath in. This interaction squishes the large intestine which initiates contraction. Secondly, when we are stressed or anxious we tend to take shallow breaths. Breathing relaxes the nerves and muscles that innervate the colon. The large intestine is made of up nerves and muscles. When these muscles are “uptight” the body is in fight or flight which means minimal to no bowel movement.
4) Probiotics. After yogurt goes through pasteurization, there are very minimal probiotic properties remaining. if you do have digestive issues or take prescription medication/birth control/OTC medication, doing a few rounds of probiotics can greatly help your gut health. Probiotics can also be found in fermented foods which are GREAT options. Fermented foods are also cheaper AND the stomach acid benefits as well by creating a more acidic environment . Maintaining healthy bacteria delivers oxygen to repair the digestive tract for absorption of nutrients which eliminates toxins.
5) Fibrous foods – think of juicing vegetables in a juicer. At the end you have to clean out the leftover pulp and fibrous bits from the juicer. These fibrous bits are rough and indigestible, but they are what pull the junk out of your digestive tract. Vegetables help to create roughage which creates contractions of the intestines and colon. Healthy bowel movements should take place daily and shouldn’t be painful, uncomfortable, or require stool softeners or laxatives. As these will leave you with a lazy bowel and your body will become reliant on these.
Letting toxins sit in your digestive tract for a prolonged period leads to toxic build up, weight gain, mal absorption of nutrients (due to hardening waste coating the walls of the intestines), lack of energy, bloating, and inflammation which leads to weight gain. What about exercise? Ofcourse! move your body for 45 minutes a day at least 3 times a week to improve circulation and blood flow to avoid any stagnation
Doing these things may show you results in a couple days to a couple of weeks depending on what your current situation is. If these don’t work for you, you will most likely benefit from doing a cleanse avoiding caffeine, alcohol, meat, and dairy. We’d be happy to consult with you further as digestive issues are connected to many factors. Feel free to drop us a line.
We hope this helps you!
Asma Kassam, BHK, CSNA
Kinesiologist, Personal Trainer, and Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor
Burnaby and Vancouver