I thought it was time for a bit of toilet chat.

 

Some of you may be wishing and hoping that I don’t go there, but sorry I totally am.

 

You see I actually LOVE  good bit of toilet chat. I come from a family where it was a pretty regular conversation topic at the dinner table and just the other week I was getting the bowel updates from my brothers and dad.

 

Also I spent years working in hospitals, working with the elderly or supporting those with disabilities so I have seen every bowel condition, movement  or poo that is under the sun. Prolapses – seen it. C-DIFF diarrhea – smelt it. A three year old who only poo’s once a week – handled it.

 

You see I am a bit of a poo expert. Perhaps it is because of my own journey of desperately trying to have normal and happy bowels. You see for years I had chronic diarrhea, everyday, to the point where I sometimes was just incontinent – as a grown woman . Not pleasant and very humiliating. But thankfully something in me decided that incontinence was not part of my future and it was a big part of my reason for embarking on a journey and life of natural health and healing. (Read my story here)

 

So whatever your toilet habits – please don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. I know how you feel, you are not alone and whatever you are dealing with, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, constipation or anything in between can be completely overcome by natural and healthy means.

 

So today I am going to look at the big topic of Constipation.
‘But you just said you had trouble with diarrhea Kezia?’ I hear you cry! Well yes, this is true but believe me when it comes to bowel problems I have experience them all. Due to my lifestyle choice and healthy natural eating diarrhea is no longer a regular occurrence, but since going on the GAPS gut healing diet at the start of the year I found myself a bit stuffed up, so all my recommendations are tried and tested by your truly and although my body is still on the journey of healing itself, it is so much better. I often praise the lord every day when I go to the toilet – such is the joy of having normal bowels after years of painful/embarrassing toilet (or lack of) experiences.

 

Constipation – What is it?

 

Basically, our bodies are designed to digest food and get all the good stuff like nutrients, minerals, vitamins,  fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from it and then eliminate anything that our bodies do not absorb – like fibre. Along with other stuff the body is wanting to get rid of, these are things like toxins that our liver and kidney work hard at removing from the body as if they are not removed they become harmful to us.

 

On average our bodies are meant empty the bowels 2-3 times a day. You may be surprised by this, but if you are having a poo less than once a day then you are constipated and toxic waste is just sitting in your gut and potentially getting reabsorbed into your blood stream. Nice.

 

Our large intestine/colon is basically the last stage of digestion so by the time the ‘food’, or chyme as it known in science, reaches the end of the colon  most of the good stuff has been taken from it and what remains is toxic or unnecessary. Also bear in mind that our intestines are massive porous tubes designed to absorb nutrient easily straight into the blood stream. If we have toxic poo sitting in there for long periods of time (a day or two) then we are re-absorbing all the junk our bodies are trying to get rid of. Making our kidney, liver and immune system work doubly hard.
Feel tired when you constipated? Well I am not surprised!

 

What a healthy poo should look like:

• It should come out easily – no straining required otherwise you say hello to hemorrhoids.
• Not too muscusy and leaving massive skid marks and requiring a whole roll of tissues to clean up after.
• Should be a one whole thing, not millions of tiny rabbit pellets.

 

6 Natural Ways to Treat Constipation.

1.Diet. 

If you are eating packaged food all the time and lots of white refined carbohydrate (white bread, rice,  cakes , pasta etc) then you need to stop. Sorry to break it too you but white bread especially is a great way to block yourself up.
When I was doing half marathons years ago the advice I was given was to eat white toast prior to ‘racing’ ( racing is a strong word – my aim was to finish) as it meant I wouldn’t need to have a ‘poo break’ in the middle of the run. Avoid all white foods and choose wholemeal pasta, bread, rice and flours. If you suspect you may be intolerant to wheat or gluten then avoid them as this won’t be helping your constipation as your body will be constantly in a toxic state.

 

2.Eat Sauerkraut.

It is fibrous and full of probiotics and I show you how to make it here. Lack of probiotics are now seen as one of the key reasons for constipation, so flooding you gut with probiotics is a must for anyone suffering from constipation (find out more here). Make

Make kefir and or my onion chutney and think about including a ‘probiotic’ food with every meal  (note that this does not include shop bought sugary probiotic drinks as the amount of sugar in them reduces the effectiveness of the good bacteria, plus they are super expensive) .Which leads to my next point…

 

3.Probiotic supplements. 

Now you can’t supplement your way to health but to overcome health problems they can be great boosts in the right direction. A healthy gut is full of bacteria that lines the gut which helps to move the ‘chyme’ down the intestine and they also help break down remaining food – they sort of act like gut lubricant!  I use the one recommended at the bottom of  the page.

Get it here

4.Exercise. 

Every runner knows that about 20 min into a run you really wish you had a toilet stop nearby. When I was training for my half marathon I planned my route via parks with toilets in them. Getting your body moving gets you bowels moving. Do something to get your heart rate up and you will find yourself feeling very relieved by the end of it all!

 

5.Magnesium. 

Magnesium is a brilliant mineral that most of us tend to be deficient in due to modern farming methods and chemicals found in water. It help to relax muscles – brilliant for allowing the intestine to relax and let chyme pass through. It also attracts water to the gut which is needed to help flush everything out. See here for the study done to show the relationship between constipation and low magnesium intake.

(Get some here)

 

6.Be hydrated. 

Water in important is elimination because if you imagine your gut like  a water slide and are about to go down it and edge yourself off, if you didn’t have a stream of water flowing underneath you it would be a rather sticky, bumpy and sore experience would it not? That is what a dehydrated gut is like if not given enough water.
Interestingly though this does not mean you should guzzle tons of water (although you should be having at least 8 -10 glasses daily) as this study shows that constipation is linked to a lack of fluid intake from food not drinks. Foods that are high in water content = VEGETABLES. Salad veg, fruit, cucumber, tomatoes – think fruit and vegetable. Try to eat meals that are made up of 50% vegetables and get into the habit of eating a salad before your evening meal.

 

So there you are, some simple natural ways to treat your constipation, so you can start to say goodbye to those chemical laxatives. Follow these steps and let me know how to get on – hopefully you will all be smiling as you sit on your toilet!

 

And if you really struggling then I have worked with lots of clients to get things healed and moving in no time just click here to book you free initial consultation to see if I am the right fit for you!

 

Living a healthy happy life can be a choice you make every day through the food you eat and small lifestyle choices you make. So why not choose some natural and healthy today – your body will thank you!