Everybody’s bowel movements occur at different frequencies, and there is no scientific ideal for what the frequency should be other than “regularly.” Once a day is healthy, twice a day is healthy, and every other day is healthy. One of the most popular guidelines is that if your frequency is probably healthy if you poop anywhere between three times a day and once every three days.
Factors That Contribute To How Often You Poop:
• Types and amounts of bacteria in the gut
• What and how much you eat
• How much fiber you eat
• How much junk food you eat
• How much water you drink
• Whether or not you take probiotics
• Whether or not you take antibiotics
• How much dairy you consume
• Whether or not you take certain medications, including but not limited to iron supplements, narcotic pain medicines, and antidepressants
While pooping less than once a day may be healthy for some people, it is sometimes a sign of constipation. Many people don’t know that they’re constipated; it can occur slowly over time and is easily dismissed by people who assume they don’t have a problem like that.
Bowel movements should be easy and smooth; it isn’t healthy to have to push or strain, and doing so can actually cause tears in the lower GI tract. Constipation itself can cause tears in the intestines, as it essentially means that you’re backed up with poop, which puts pressure on the organs around it. It’s also not good to have toxins and waste trapped in the body for longer than is necessary. Usually, food takes about three days to turn into waste and be excreted. With constipation, waste sits in the GI tract for longer, and that is not good for proper gastrointestinal health.
Signs Of Constipation Include:
• Pooping less often than once every day or two
• Feeling bloated most of the time
• Being excessively gassy
• Having to push or strain to poop
• Being unable to eliminate completely
• Having very hard poop
• Having occasional but regular bouts of diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
4 Natural Steps to Cure Constipation:
1) Eat plenty of fiber foods every day, this will help to increase fiber intake to keep your bowel regular. Below is some of the high fiber foods that can help constipation.
Prunes (Fiber 7 grams per 100 grams) – Contains natural laxative too
Lentils (Fiber 8 grams per 100 grams)
Black beans (Fiber 16 grams per 100 grams)
Raspberries (Fiber 6 grams per 100 grams)
Artichoke (Fiber 5 grams per 100 grams) – One of the highest fiber foods among other vegetables.
Flax seeds (Fiber 27 grams per 100 grams)
2) Exercise in general can also help you stay regular. Here are some recommended workouts and exercises for constipation –
a) 3 quarter squats: The squat position aligns more of the intestinal tract downward and this will help facilitate bowel movement. To do a 3 quarter squats, simply bend down half as far as you would bend to sit in a chair.
b) Lunges: Lunges work because they help exercise your thigh muscles. They also help to move the intestines back and forth. Do at least 5 lunges every day for the best results.
c) Other exercises like brisk walking, jumping rope, swimming, also helps to improve blood flow in your body and can help constipation.
3) Put a footstool a few inches in front of the toilet. It helps you elevate your knees so that you’re sitting closer to a 35-degree angle. This is similar to the squatting angle that helps to move the bowel.
The 90-degree angle that toilets cause you to sit at is not conducive to elimination. Simply putting your feet up on a stool and leaning forward will help.
4) Take probiotics daily.
A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who take probiotics tend to poop more frequently and have softer stools than those who do not. The strain of bacteria called Bifidobacterium lactis particularly improved constipation symptoms.
This study took into account the experiences of over a thousand patients, and there are dozens of similar studies that prove the effectiveness of probiotics against constipation. As a side note, probiotics are universally considered healthy and effective against quite a few other health issues. Probiotics significantly improve gut health and can also benefit the immune system.
I highly recommend ProbioShield because of the number of strains in the probiotics and there are more than 25 billion CFUs of probiotics. Watch the video in the link below –
If you think that you even might be constipated, then it is worth looking into. Constipation often gets worse over time, and it can cause serious problems if left untreated. There is no need for medications when treating mild to moderate constipation; you simply need to eat more fiber, drink plenty of water, and maybe take probiotics or exercise more often. A study published by physicians in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found that around 63 million Americans meet the criteria for constipation.
It often goes along with poor diet, so people who have been eating a lot of junk food for a long time may have been constipated for years and have just never realized it. It’s important to maintain the best gastrointestinal health that you can; gut health is a major factor in many diseases, and poor gut health can influence your every day life.
Pick out a few foods that you enjoy on the high-fiber list above and add them to your next grocery list. Thankfully, constipation is easily treated and most people can become regular again within just a few days.
If you are constantly having unhealthy stool, you might want to take good care of your gut and digestive system. Go to the next page and watch the 3 tips for better gut and digestive presentation.
About the Author:
Emma Deangela is the best selling author of The Alkaline Diet Program and 80/20 Fat Loss. She has helped over tens of thousands of men and women to lose weight and transform their health with sound nutrition advice.
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