In the Loo...

Our Eggstraordinary R.N. Nutritionist
-Hatch into Health with Patrice McArthy, RN, BSN

Hi Peeps, Patrice here. How's everyone doing on eating clean? Did you know you can get a clue if your diet is deficient by looking in the "loo"? The loo is a water closet, a toilet in Britain. So go on then, you can do it - just have a look at your poo in the loo.

No one likes to talk about this topic do they? If you only knew how often I deal with poo in my daily life as a bedside nurse! Our patients giggle and turn red when we ask them about their bowel habits and I seriously don't enjoy embarrassing them. We even get excited when a constipated patient finally goes! And indeed we are in serious trouble if we are lax in our assessments and don't know when our sickest patients have last moved their bowels. Constipation can lead to serious problems. Many of my clients have improved their health and their symptoms dramatically just by getting a handle on this problem.

So we all know we need more fiber in our diets to get things moving. We should be eating 25-50 grams a day of fiber and most Americans are lucky to get 5-10 grams! Our Paleolithic ancestors ate up to 100 grams of fiber a day! I'm sure most of you can tell when you've had a healthy intake of what my grandparents called "ruffage" - you have a healthy BM and you feel better. Grandmothers are so right on so many levels, and they were right about "keeping regular".

Increasing your fiber can increase your energy level as well because it helps blunt the sugar response of foods we eat. When your blood sugar is out of control then so is your energy! Fiber slows the digestion of carbohydrates and helps even out the insulin spikes and the ups and downs of our blood sugar. This is why fiber helps with weight loss and weight maintenance. It keeps us full longer. Studies show people on high fiber diets control their weight better. Being fuller longer means we are less likely to overeat.

Fiber also aids in the control of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It can prevent cancer of the gut by preventing the formation of "polyps" which are precancerous growths in the colon. Increasing your fiber intake is one of the most easy and important lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health!

There are different types of fiber - soluble and insoluble. Both are important for different reasons but I won't go into that here. We need a mixture of both and they can be found in non-starchy vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains. Fiber supplements are another easy way to increase your fiber. Amy and I both drink a fiber supplement from Designs for Health called Paleofiber. It is highly recommended by physicians and touted by many as the absolute best out there. If you want more info on this email me or Amy.

Okay - back to the loo. Poo should have certain characteristics and I'm just going to put them out there.

So here goes - we hope what you view in the loo is:
formed, not loose
firm, not too soft
brown, not black or clay colored
tubular shaped, not balls or pellets
S-shaped = yay! (the shape of your colon)
With an odor yes - so bad you choke and blame the dog, no!
No undigested food particles
Not a mucousy appearance

There more than once a dayAnd an important word of caution - if you increase your fiber intake without ALSO increasing your water intake you may become more constipated. Read that again so you won't be suffering and mad with me! :) Keep up the 8-10 glasses of water daily!Oh, and you should be visiting the loo more than once a day. If only once you don't need to worry, just know that going more often is a good thing!

Remember that our poo is just a byproduct of our bodies detoxification system, our body's waste removal system. Clues in our poo can be a great way to know what is happening on the inside.One last reminder - our intestines really act like a second brain. Most of the seratonin (our happy mood neurotransmitter) in our bodies is manufactured in the gut. So, it makes sense that emotional conditions like stress, anxiety and depression would be sensitive to change in our guts. So improving our gut health can help with our mood and our body's response to stress.

Any questions or concerns? Just ask! patrice@thehatchedegg.com

I'm so glad I got that out of my system!

Smiles,

Patrice

Quote of the Day

"Most people don't know what a deficient diet looks like, but you can tell from their poop. This is like having a vet in your yard." - Darek Farmer