Let’s talk poop! Question: Ideally, how many times a day should we poop? Any ideas?
Answer: 1-3 times. That’s how many times one should be passing stools everyday. If you are, that’s great. If you’re not, you really need to start taking measures to make sure you get to that 1-3 times a day goal.
When speaking of constipation, if that’s something you’re struggling with, look at your diet first. Refined foods, processed flours and dairy products are often the first offenders, along with not drinking enough quality water everyday. You need at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily, preferably with a pinch of salt, or as herbal tea and even coconut water. If you’re not eating enough leafy green vegetables this could mean you’re lacking in magnesium, that would be another cause. Exercising regularly also helps keep our bowel movements moving and stress will negatively impact your bowels.
So what do you do? Drink more water everyday, cut down on processed foods and foods like brown rice, apples and bananas which can be constipating, eat a small portion of fermented foods daily, eat more fruit and veggies, especially those leafy greens everyday, eat healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, etc. Get your exercise in, quality sleep, de-stress, add vitamin C to your routine, slowly increase your fiber intake, and take digestive enzymes and digestive bitters before your meals. You can also look into taking herbal laxative teas but do not rely on these as you want your body to do the work.
