What Your Poop Says About You (For Serious) Page 2

Stool too loose?

If you find that your stool is soft, mushy, or liquidy or too frequent, there are several things you could do. First, I would talk to your doctor to see what he/she says and do some testing like a comprehensive stool analysis. In the meantime, to firm up your stool, consume more foods on the BRAT diet. This stands for

• Bananas
• Rice
• Apples/apple sauce
•  Tea

 These foods have qualities like tannins that can actually help firm up stool for better bowel movements. You can also consume a teaspoon or two of food-grade bentonite clay. This helps to bind and absorb toxins, and will often firm up loose stool. You also would want to take some good probiotics and eliminate irritants like gluten, wheat or too many grains, nuts or seeds until your gut is healed.

Stool too hard?

If you find your stool is too hard or infrequent, you can also talk to your doctor about testing. Consider doing a full thyroid panel. Also, adding a little magnesium support to your diet can help tremendously. I like Ancient Minerals magnesium spray orNatural Calm magnesium. You can also add in some good probiotics, I like Prescript Assist soil-based ones. Cod liver oil and healthy fats can also keep things moving, and so can soaked chia seeds or other nuts and seeds. Pears are also wonderful – two a day will keep things moving.

Yoga and abdominal massage are great tools. Other people have success using a castor oil pack on their abdomen a few times a week. Another trick you can try is to drop 1 drop of Peppermint essential oil into your toilet and sit down. It will stimulate your bowels and often result in a movement.

Best Bowel Movements #3. Color

Okay, we’ve talked about form, now let’s talk about color. Believe it or not, color matters! We want our stools to be a nice medium- to dark-brown color. Think milk chocolate. If your stool is black, it could be a sign of blood in your upper GI tract. If your stool is yellow or green, could be from fat malabsorption or liver or gallbladder stress. Drink beet kvass, Swedish bitters, or take HCL/Pepsin or other digestive enzymes to help you break down fat. Keep in mind if you eat beets, a lot of leafy greens, or food dyes, your stool color may change, and this is perfectly normal.

To Float or Not to Float?

One final thing… as I know this will come up in the comments, should your poop float? This is the million dollar question and I’ve seen mixed opinions from a whole host of health care professionals. Some say floating is better and indicates enough fiber in the diet. Others say it indicates fat malabsorption. Overall, the consensus seems to be that sinkers are better. The key is to notice which type YOU feel best on. 
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