The Poop on Poop

When I read that Americans spend $775 MILLION dollars a year on laxatives, I thought it was time for an honest to goodness discussion on bowel movements.  Let's face it, who else is going to write a blog about this?  Some people don't even want to discuss this with their doctors!  They'd rather run to Walgreens for laxatives to get the poop out, or to Ace Hardware for a rotor router?  Whatever.  Everyone eats, everyone poops - so let's just admit that much and get started.

More than 4 million Americans have frequent constipation - this accounts for 2.5 million doctor visits a year, according to the stats I read.  2.5 million doctor visits???  Clearly some people really need some basic information - not a doctor and not drugs - to deal with random problems like food jams in the colon.  Let's cut out unnecessary trips to the doctor - who probably should have taught you this stuff in the first place, or was health class in high school?  Who teaches this??  Your Mother?    Somebody needs to talk about pooping,  so I'll be the somebody!

First, let's define constipation.  You might think of constipation when when you aren't eliminating on a daily basis.  According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse constipation is having fewer than three bowel movements per week.  Also, the stools (or poop, my favorite technical medical word) can be hard, dry, small and difficult to eliminate - causing in some cases, straining, bloating and a sensation of full bowels. We've probably all experienced this at one time or another - my technical word for the above is Deer Poops.  They aren't worth the time it takes to get them out, truth be told.   Most constipation is not a serious thing, and only temporary,  so an understanding of its causes and prevention will help. 

Some people eliminate daily and that is their norm, while others "go" several times a day and that is their norm.  There are variations of "normal" with anything. There are things your body needs you to do in order for it to function properly and you know if you aren't cooperating with the needs of your body, your body will let you know!  Think of this as your digestive system just shutting down in a stubborn tantrum.

Common causes of constipation are:

Not enough fiber in the diet - (stop groaning, fiber is your friend. )  You can get fiber from raw, or lightly cooked fruits and veggies, high fiber grains, ground flax seeds (add them to anything), beans, lentils, almonds - try a fun google search for foods high in fiber, print it out, take it shopping, and do your body a favor by eating this stuff.    If you routinely eat processed foods and fast foods, you are not giving your body what it needs so you'll be hitting the drive-up at Walgreens for more poop pills. 
The more a food has been cooked and processed, the less fiber is left in it.  If you eat a lot of pasta, go for the whole grain - rice should be brown rice - read the labels/ingredients.  Most things that are good for you and have fiber don't even HAVE labels - like apples.  Oh wait, they do too.  Get the organic ones for heavens sake.

I might add that if you are not used to eating 30 -35 grams of fiber daily, you might experience gas, (farts) and that will go away once you get used to it.  Actually it's a good sign if you do "hear things" because the food is moving thru your bowels the way it should.  Fiber helps prevents so many things I should do a whole blog on just fiber - I will later - but namely the dreaded colon cancer!  So if you really think about this, what would you rather have - farts or colon cancer? 

Not enough Liquids in the diet -  I'm talking water here.  Several tall glasses of water each day is what your body needs - and hopefully NOT from plastic bottles that you'll get unnecessary toxins from.  Milk, for some, can be terribly constipating - so if you drink it and get constipated, don't drink it.  If you need milk for cereal or whatever, try almond milk, coconut milk or hemp milk - they are non-dairy. If you drink a lot of coffee (or alcohol) you can become dehydrated without adding the several tall glasses of water to the mix.  I'm amazed at the number of people I've talked to that think coffee and tea count for "liquids".  Granted they make you pee, but no, sorry, the body needs WATER - lots of it.  Genuine water - don't mess with it beyond a squirt of lemon, or splash of juice for flavoring.

Lack of Physical Activity - Oh yes here we go again - Exercise.  If you are doing the first two things we've talked about, add this too.  We need exercise regardless of our poop condition, but especially if you tend to have sluggish bowels (you know who you are) then a good daily walk if nothing else is mandatory.  Move it to move it I say!

Medications -  Some medications can cause constipation - pain meds, antacids that contain aluminum and calcium, blood pressure meds (they are calcium channel blockers) antidepressants, diuretics and iron supplements.  I caution my clients to watch their multi-vitamins because many contain iron and if they are having problems with regularity, sometimes just getting off of those will help.  Unless your doctor has found a major shortage of iron in your blood from a blood test and you are anemic, do not take it!   Iron is a trace element that you will get enough of if you eat a balanced diet.   I had a client who took it every time she felt tired.  It is rare indeed that your iron level is causing fatigue so don't self-medicate with iron for any reason unless you are under a doctor's supervision on this.



Abuse of Laxatives- Laxative use can become habit-forming.  It is the lazy way out - eat processed foods and no fiber, no water, no exercise, but these little pills will help you "go".  Each time you take them you will have to increase the amount you take.  Your body will become used to them.  This is not in any one's best interest.  If you are caught in this trap currently, don't get all worried or depressed.  Follow the suggestions mentioned above and break that cycle of dependency on laxatives.

Ignoring the Urge to Poop - I know there are times when it is not convenient to head to the bathroom, but do not make a habit of suppressing the urge to go.  This can lead to constipation.  You try so hard to ignore the fact that you need to go, then suddenly you don't feel you need to go anymore.  Well aren't you smart!  However, when you WANT to go, your body may have taken your "No, not now" so seriously it just won't cooperate with your change of mind.  Occasionally playing this mind over matter game is ok, but don't make it a daily one.

Food Allergies/Intolerance's - We are all so different there is just no way we should be all lumped together in medical categories.  This topic is worth several blogs actually but - if you body doesn't tolerate that new protein shake you're drinking, you just might have a problem with constipation.  Diary, cheese or too much meat clog up some people (me included).  If you add something to your diet, like say you are working out now and started protein shakes but you are noticing it is slowing down the bowels, then you may have an intolerance to one of the ingredients - or even the excess in protein.  Stop consuming it and look for alternatives. 

This may seem like a no-brainer, yet I worked recently with a gal at my gym who said she'd been constipated for months and she "thinks" it's the protein drink but her trainer insists she drink it.  Some people will continue to do what others tell them to do no matter what.  We found alternative sources of protein that were fiber rich as well.  Everyone is happy now and no poop problems!

It pays to be suspicious really, and listen your body.  If all of a sudden you are "off", then look at what has gone into your mouth (including pills of any kind, even Advil or Excedrin).  Your body won't normally just seize up on it's own and simply refuse to pass the poop out.  There is a reason.

I know there are some folks out there that have the opposite problem of diarrhea rather than constipation.  Let me say briefly, the three main causes of diarrhea are: undesirable microorganisms, food intolerances (like lactose intolerance for instance) or stress.  I had 20 years of this, in and out of hospital, diagnosed with several different things, it seemed endless.  It was stress and food intolerance's which I figured out myself over the years of research and experimenting,  and I have eliminated this issue from my life, thankfully.

I started this blog with saying constipation is so prevalent in our society that it really isn't a medical problem as much as it is a Eat Right, Drink Water, Exercise thing.  I should by all legal schmegal cautions say that there ARE diseases and disorders that constipation is a symptom of - so first do the basics.  Usually 30-35 grams of fiber per day is really going to alleviate (along with water and exercise) most constipation.  If you are doing EVERYthing I mentioned and you still have an issue, then do see your health care provider for tests.

If you cannot wait for my blog on fiber, just google foods with fiber and you'll get lists to use.  If you are taking any of the medications I listed, it will be critical that you eat more fiber, drink more water and get more exercise than you "thought" you needed.  If you have any questions,  send me an email. And of course, please share this blog!  It is a topic a lot of people don't want to talk about so they suffer in silence.  No need - spread this around!  This is Basic Poop 101.