Touchy subject, I know. But I'm happy to talk about how to poop easier because who doesn't want an easier time on the john?
Constipation is SO common that a lot of people don't even realize that they are constipated. It includes everything from straining to poop, dropping little nuggets or turds, sometimes going a day without pooping, or having diarrhea.
In 2019, in the United States, Constipation accounted for more than 3 million walk in visits and 800,000 emergency room visits. Depending on how you define constipation, up to 80% of the population may be suffering. -Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, Nutritionfacts.org
Constipation is associated with high risk of heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer, Parkinson's disease, Diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, IBS, ulcerative colitis, and more.
On a less life threatening note, it can cause incredible discomfort at a moments notice. For example, the most common cause of gas and bloating is constipation.
It has it's own little vicious cycle- methane gas slows gut motility, causing constipation. Then, constipation increases the amount of gas we produce from our food. In other words, gas causes constipation, which causes more gas. -Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI, Fiber Fueled
Additionally, the amount of straining that is done on the toilet is often the trigger of many chronic disease and sometimes life threatening events such as heart attacks and aneurysms. In fact, that's how Elvis died! He was chronically constipated and had a cardiac event on the toilet.
Did you know that laxatives are one of the most commonly used drugs? They also are one of the most common causes of adverse drug reactions. So instead of resorting to them, let's look at what else we can do.
7 Ways To Poop Easier:
1. Eat a Variety of Fruits, Vegetables & Whole Grains
Fill up with fiber! Eat more plants! Fiber is what keeps everything moving through your body. It’s such an important nutrient yet gets little attention. In fact, most Americans get less than half the amount of daily fiber that we need. Fiber is ONLY found in plants.
Check out these quick videos from Michael Greger, MD, FACLM of Nutritionfacts.org
to learn the importance of eating more fiber rich plant foods:
2. Drink More Water
Hydration is another major key to pooping with ease! Drinking water not only helps with blood flow but it also softens your business & makes it easier to flush it out of your body. Making an effort to drink more water throughout the day on a daily basis can make it much easier to poop.
3. Move Your Body
As little as 30 minutes of physical activity a day helps to increase blood flow to your digestive system in order to both prevent and help manage constipation. It doesn't have to be anything extreme or strenuous, you don't even have to be out of breath, just get that body moving!
Some of my favorite ways to get moving are going on a walk, putting on some music & dancing, yoga, dynamic stretching, playing with my dog, or deep cleaning my apartment.
4. Be Present With Your Breath
This may seem counter intuitive, especially if you like to be distracted while you're doing your business. But try to refrain from being distracted by your phone or a book. Relax as much as possible, take deep breaths with longer exhales & push as you exhale. Be sure to relax in between pushes and take a break if you find yourself straining.
Having a fan on or playing a relaxing or white noise loud sound from phone can be helpful as well.
5. Eat Less or No Meat, Dairy & other Animal Products
Aside from Meat, Dairy & other animal based products being generally toxic to the human body, they also have zero fiber. Centering our diets around them is often the underlying cause of our health issues. As I said before, often times we don't even know that we are constipated.
An example of this is can be found in our "fecal transit time". In other words, how long it takes for your food to go from one end to the other. People who eat a plant based diet tend to have a transit time of a day or two. Women who eat a conventional diet tend to have a transit time of 4 days and for Men it can be as long as 5 days or more!
The elimination of all dairy products was found to cure constipation in up to 100% of kids tested, leading to a resolution of rectal inflammation and complications such as anal fissures. -Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, Nutritionfacts.org
Check out this quick video from Michael Greger, MD, FACLM of Nutritionfacts.org
to learn the importance eating less or no animals & animal products:
6. Assume "The Thinker" position
I'll spare you the shitty details but the way your insides are shaped, squatting is the most ideal way to poop. Sitting up straight on the toilet, actually obstructs our exit ramp. So the next best position aside from squatting is gently leaning forward. Putting ur feet up using a stool, side of tub, top of trash can, or squatty potty can also open your exit ramp, just not as much as the thinker position.
Check out this quick video from Michael Greger, MD, FACLM of Nutritionfacts.org
to learn the detailed benefits of these pooping positions:
7. Drink Chia Seeds
Have you ever heard of an “internal shower”? This is where you drink chia seeds mixed with water to give yourself a larger bowel movement. The reason this works is because gelatinous chia seeds are a great source of both fiber and water. This will not "clean you out" but it will help you get a generous poop!
Here's how you do it: 2 scoops of chia seeds in 1 glass of water. Let sit for 5 mins before drinking, just drink one in the morning and expect a nice bowel movement by the next morning. Only do this up to 2 times per week.
Check out this quick video from Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI
to learn about the benefits of drinking chia seeds:
Want some more info?
Check out these detailed and incredibly informative videos regarding pooping and constipation from Michael Greger, MD, FACLM of Nutritionfacts.org:
I hope this helps!
Bookmark this page to come back to it whenever you need some bowel movement ideas
& send to a friend who may want to know about this :)