poop conversation

In this episode of Life's Serious, Not Serious, the hosts discuss the topic of poop and the importance of talking about it. They cover various aspects such as the frequency, appearance, and texture of poop, as well as the role of digestion and the impact of diet on bowel movements. They also mention the benefits of squatting while using the toilet and the potential consequences of not taking the time to properly go to the bathroom. Overall, they emphasize the importance of paying attention to one's poop and listening to the body's cues. Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of Life's Serious, Not Serious. This week, she and I talk poop. I know what you're thinking. Why do I want to listen to this? But trust me, you do. Poop, as it happens. Poop happens. We all do it. But some, more often than others. So how often should it happen? What should it look like? And what does it tell me, if anything, about what's going on with my body? There's so many questions to discuss in this hour. So join us in learning more about our bodily functions. It's time to fill your cup. Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining us on another episode of Life's Serious, Not Serious podcast. We are your hosts, Elizabeth and you. And today, we are talking about the natural process of pooping. So this is a subject that I'm super excited about talking about. I actually am like a little giddy because I've been wanting to talk about poop for a long time. Between Elizabeth and I and our family, actually, we talk about our digestive problems and poop a lot. Like, it's an open conversation, always going, always flowing conversation that we have that we are all very comfortable with. So not everyone may be comfortable with this subject because it is something that is maybe a little personal, right? But we're going to dive deep into what is poop, digestive issues, problems that we might have, and then how, like, what are some things and how we can improve our bowel movements. It really is a subject that we should be talking about because we all look. I mean, you can't help it, right? Like, when you're thin, you have to look and you have to see what it looks like. And anyone who cleans up after children that don't flush, sometimes... Yeah, I see it a lot that I don't, not even myself, I don't have children. I don't even need to see. Sometimes it's pretty astounding, like, the amount or the size of matter that comes out of these little bodies. And the reality is that it should be of a decent size. A lot of their intestinal tract has not yet been caked up, if you will, with things that haven't moved, right? So they have a much larger intestinal tract that has not been blocked, for example. Oh, you're saying kids? Yes. And so sometimes their stools can look really big and you, as an adult, think, oh my gosh, mine is never that big. How did that come out of this body? I have not thought about that. Yeah, very true. So we should be talking about our poop. And yes, it's very personal and can be very embarrassing, but digestion, bowel movements, they are at the core of every health concern that we develop over time. So starting with that, everybody questions what their poop should look like. The brownish color, that is what's considered normal. Any other colors, green, yellow, red, they all have different factors that contribute to that discoloration and they all have different things. And a lot of times, it's due to the foods we eat. If we're eating highly processed, nutrient deficient foods, our poop's going to kind of look like this, kind of be gray and whitish and empty looking, right? No bulk to it, that type of stuff. If your children ate a whole bowl of brightly colored cereal and their poop is bright green, well, you know that comes from the colors of that cereal. So the stool itself, if it should sink to the bottom, could indicate that there is a lot of protein in your stool that has not been digested and distributed and used properly. If it floats, that can indicate that there's a lot of undigested fat in there. It can also indicate a good amount of fiber in there. So again, these are just one factor out of the whole picture, okay? Just things to look for and consider. When you're pooping, you should not have to strain. If you're taking 30 minutes to push this out, it's not a baby, okay? It's a poop. And if you're really having a hard time... And it's painful. Yes. Yes. Definitely something you should pay attention to. You also should not be able to look at your poop and know what you ate for dinner last night. Right. Like that's not... Yes, that should not be happening. So again, if you look in there and you see that slice of pizza, I'd be a little more aware and mindful of chewing and taking my time and actually enjoying what I'm eating. So ideally, your poop should be formed. It should be smooth in texture. People describe it as a log, right? It should be long like that, okay? I read somewhere that it should be the length from your wrist to your elbow. And that seems... That's weird. Yeah. That's weird. I thought that... Yeah, that seems a little like the size of a baby, right? That's how the length of my daughter was when she was born. I remember holding her, okay? So yeah, that seems a little big. But that's what I read, guys, okay? Well, that's also if you are totally relaxed, your body's relaxed, and you're not pinching, right? Right. You're not using the muscle to restrict. Yeah, yeah, uh-huh. But yeah, so length... So yeah, if you're passing little bunny pellets, that's not good. That should not be happening either. If your poop is sticky, it could indicate some inflammation that your body's trying to get rid of. Yeah, but how do you know if it's sticky? Well, like if you poop and you go to flush the toilet and it doesn't go with the water. Yeah. And it's stuck on. That's sticky poop, okay? Yeah, you don't have to touch it or anything. You just look. I mean, you could. If you really want to take a deep look into it, yes, you could. But me, if it's stuck to the wall, I think that's a good indication of sticky poop, okay? Also, if you're having to run to the bathroom after a meal, that should not be happening either, okay? So there's something that's pushing that through. If you've ever had food poisoning, right, what happens? That gets into your gut and it's got to come right back out, right? So that's just your body telling you something that went there should not have gone there, right? And then, of course, the bloating and the gas and the discomfort that you feel. Again, there are times when I eat certain foods that I just notice my fingers are swollen. I notice that I look six months pregnant, right? Because it just didn't agree with me. It's not necessarily an allergy. It could be a sensitivity. It could be the spice. It could be another component that is in the food that I ate that I'm responding to. Yeah, I notice that if I eat too much sodium. Yes, salt. Too much salt. Sodium chloride. Too much salt. Yes. Sodium is actually a natural nutrient that we need. Sodium keeps us flexible. It's called a youth element. So it's actually necessary. But salt, sodium chloride, like table salt, can have that effect where it makes us hold on to water, right? Retain water. So that can cause the inflammation for sure. Our poop is so important. And just to have these little tidbits on what to look for or what things could mean can give you an idea of what might be happening in your bodies, right? So how often should we be pooping? When I was looking just for some updated information, I read everything from two to three times a day to two to three times a week. Now guys, that is a really big range. So just ask yourself, if you don't poop for a few days in a row, how do you feel? I have to poop at least twice a day. And if I don't, I feel the heaviness in my belly. I feel tired. I feel a lack of energy to want to do anything. That's just what I know for my body. So I know for me, I have to be pooping at least two to three times a day. For me, it's at least once a day. But obviously, like you said, it is depending on the person and how they feel throughout the day if they don't poop. If I go a day without pooping because it was a really stressful day or because I was on vacation and was eating foods that I don't normally eat, it's really noticeably uncomfortable for me. I am bloated and I can feel the tightness around my waist because my pants that I wear every day feels a little different. So I think even though there's this really big range of what should be happening, listen to your body. If you feel like a couple days is just way too long to not be having a bowel movement, it might be something you want to look at. I honestly feel like if we're eating two to three meals a day, our bowels should be moving two to three times a day. That's kind of how my body has worked things out for myself. So always go with what you feel and what makes things flow and move. You're also really aware of what you eat as well. I think a lot of people don't really think about how food affects their bowel movements as much, especially when they're younger. It's not until you're older where it's harder and harder to digest food properly where you're like, okay, maybe I need to eat some prunes or something. I think that our fast-paced lives makes it really difficult to allow for the natural digestive processes to take place. Because digestion doesn't start when we start eating. Digestion starts before then, right? So when we think about food because we're hungry or we smell foods because we're hungry, our body's system, we have a natural automatic nervous system in our gut that starts producing digestive enzymes and digestive fluids to prepare our bodies to break down what we're about to take in. But because we live in this fast-paced world, we don't even take that time to think about eating. It's like, I'm hungry, lunchtime is now, and I grab whatever is in front of me and I down that as fast as I can. And that bypasses that whole preparing the body to digest our foods, right? So that already complicates the process. Yeah, you said it does start before you even start eating. And I did read something about even when you're chewing your food, your mouth creates saliva to help break down your food. And a lot of people who don't chew as much as you should, which I'm probably one of those people where I don't chew my food as much as I should, that's the time when your body's creating that saliva for your food to be able to go down your throat to digest it correctly. But a lot of people don't do that, and it does create people to have bloating, when I thought, wow, that's interesting because I do get bloated a lot. And so now I'm like, oh, great. And I have to chew my food like 50 times before I swallow it. It's funny because we work together, and I eat lunch. And it seems like I'm eating all day. And I get it, I'm a big girl, okay? But I'm not eating all day. It's the same bowl of food, but I put a bite in my mouth, and then I'm chewing while I'm doing other things, and chewing, chewing. And it takes me all day to eat my bowl of food because that's what I'm doing. First, I don't have any time to sit down and just eat. So I gotta eat while I'm working. Also, I'm not just swallowing my food because I know I have to be chewing the food. So when I'm taking the time to chew, and it just takes me a long time to eat lunch, right? Yeah, well, I'm the opposite. I only have, like, two minutes, so I'm just gonna, like, scarf this food down. Yeah, well, I have time. Yeah. But you're absolutely right. Like, the chewing process creates saliva. And in that saliva are digestive enzymes that help to break down these foods. So that by the time it gets to our stomach, right, because then the enzymes and the acid in our stomach are designed to digest specific kinds of foods. So those enzymes in our saliva is there to break down certain kinds of foods. So the amylase that we create in the saliva breaks down carbohydrates. The acid in our stomach breaks down things like protein, right? So they have specific jobs to do. So if we bypass these steps, it really makes it difficult for these other areas of our bodies to do their job. It slows that process down. It seems trivial, right? But it really is a huge part. I know it's a lot. Like, when you sit down and think about all these little things, it can get very overwhelming. But a little bit at a time, doing what you can to start being aware of this is huge. And so taking it one step at a time is what I really recommend for anybody who feels like their poop could be better. And that process could be a little bit longer. I feel like everyone is probably thinking their poop could be better. Because who is like, oh yeah, my poop is at the top of their game right now. Like, I don't think anybody would say that. Well, I'm a poop rating scale. Yeah, so yes. I mean, this definitely applies to everyone. Yeah. I've heard people who say, okay, so I don't understand the having something to read in the bathroom. Like, I get it that that's a thing, but I don't understand it. Because I go in, I'm out, and I'm done. Yeah. Sometimes you go and there's like magazines in there, and I talk to some people about this because I'm curious. And it's because they sit there and they read while they're pooping. And I'm thinking, why? And then sometimes they tell me, well, they sit there so long, their lungs go numb. I'm like, why? Stop sitting there. Like, if you can't go, get up and walk around and move. There's a reason why it's not coming up. You've got to get up and move. Don't sit there. Well, it's become just normal now for us to take long poop sessions. I think it's multiple things that kind of cater to why we take so long in the bathroom. Obviously, what's readily available as far as food, processed foods and things like that. But I was also reading that here in the States, a lot of other countries besides us, well, a lot of other countries have toilets that are in the ground, right? Where you have to squat over. And for us, I've never seen a toilet like that here in the States. We're spoiled. Yeah, we are totally spoiled. So spoiled. An invention that was specifically made for us as a luxury, as like, you know, something that's like, you know, that is not necessary. A toilet that you sit on top of, I mean, it is definitely more comfortable for sure. But like you said, we're not supposed to be pooping for 30 minutes, right? It's like, you're in and you're out. Like, that's why they have the toilets that are in the ground. You're squatting and you're not squatting for 30 minutes. I mean, imagine if you had to squat for 30 minutes, right? Like, some people might be holding. Like, no. In those countries, when they have to go, they go and do their business and it's like a couple minutes, right? As uncomfortable as it may be. It's uncomfortable for us because we don't do it. The truth is, that squatting position is very beneficial to move our bowels. Much more natural shape for your intestines, right? Exactly, yes. And in our everyday, we just don't do that. We just don't squat. We squat for exercise to lift our glutes, okay? But we don't squat to poop. To poop! I know! It's not as sexy, okay, as squatting for the glutes. Yes. But in reality, that's kind of the basis for the squatting. The squatting helps. That's a squatty potty, right? Yes, I have one of those. Now that they have made one, so that we can squat while we're on our Our toilet thrones. Our toilet thrones, exactly. Yes, I do have one of those and I have found that it's really nice. It's really beneficial. They used to be just like plastic. Like a plastic stool, but now I've found a really cute one. Oh my gosh! It's made out of bamboo. Wow! It doesn't clash with the style of your bathroom. Oh my gosh! And it folds. That's the most important part! Yeah, exactly. We have chairs and toilets, so yes, it is important for us. And it also folds, so you can easily hide it and pull it out. You don't have to let the world know that everyone else is using it. It's not very constipating. That you have issues. I have used one, actually, when I was pregnant. That was the worst. Oh yeah, I could see that. Yeah, that was my worst experience with constipation. It was with each of my pregnancies, especially early on. And I think that was just, you know, a lot of things are changing in your body. So your body's having to adjust and get used to what's happening. And my bowels just stopped working. Sometimes when I'm not pregnant, if I ever have that, you know, you do. You do the squatting, you do the twisting, you drink more water, and things like that. And bowels move, and it's not a big deal. The thing that I normally do wasn't helping. So my midwife says to me, you know, there's this thing called a Squatty Potty. And on one of my visits to her, I used it. And it was. It was pretty helpful. And I think a lot of that had to do with the posture of that positioning. Because the growing of the belly and all of that kind of pulls your body into different posture. As it needs to for your growing belly, right? So the Squatty Potty kind of helped me get into that pottying position where it could flow through. Kind of like the squatting naturally does. So I thought that was really interesting how easily and how helpful just having that little device was. Yeah, and I, you know, there's some toilets that are really tall. Where I'm really short. So, yeah, if I sit there for too long, like my leg does go numb. Not because I sit there too long, but the toilet is so tall. You can't reach the ground. Yeah, my legs are just dangling. Really? I mean, that's a whole other issue, right? So it's even nice to have just the Squatty Potty just for a tall toilet. Yeah. It's all around, you should have one regardless. Wow, we have such different problems. Yeah, I know. That's what we're talking about. People and all their different problems. Yes, yes. And poop is just, it's just so important. It is, yeah. Like you said, if I, and I do have, I don't have constant chronic constipation. But I do have constipation frequently. So, yeah, that is something that I'm always looking to relieve. Because it does, like if I don't poop for like a couple days, I feel horrible. Like I feel heavy. Like my gut feels heavy. I get like tension headaches. Because it's like so tight. You know, I don't have enough moisture in my body. Which I just learned that constipation, like if it, when your poop is just sitting there. And it can't move. Like you're already eating stuff that doesn't have enough fiber, right. It's not really healthy food. Like maybe too much fried foods, too much carbs, right. So, it's going to stay in your intestines longer. And the longer it stays, and if you don't drink enough water. Which is one of my problems, because I just don't understand. That's why I don't drink a lot of water. Because we're made up of water. Yeah. It's not like religious, where I'm like, oh, I am so good. So, that's one of my issues. For sure, I just don't drink enough water. But the longer that your poop sits in your intestines, the more your body has time to absorb that water from your poop. So, then your poop is just sitting there getting harder and harder and harder. Because you're not drinking water. Because you're not eating more fiber. Because you're not moving it out. And it's like, oh my gosh, I was reading about that. And I was like, wow. I now understand the process more clearly. Now if I can do something about it, yeah, that would be great. Look at how empowered you are. You can do something about it. I know. It's all you. I have all the information here. Right now, it's going pretty well. But I thought that was really interesting. I didn't know that the body is extracting water from your poop. And that's what causes constipation. And then diarrhea, on the opposite side of that, is when your body is putting water because of bacteria or infection into your intestines. To flush it out. Because there's infection. Because there's inflammation. Because something else is going on. Your body is pretty amazing in letting you know what needs to happen. It's a very sophisticated process. Very evolved. But the other thing is, I know you and I have talked about this before, too. Actually taking the time to use the bathroom. I know that we don't do that. We don't do that because we're busy. We don't do that because we don't have time. Because it's inconvenient for us to go to the bathroom. I'm not a good time right now. It's not. But it's your body telling you, you've got to go. And we just don't listen. And I found that when we had our second business. And normally, it's my husband and I working. So if one of us has to go, then okay. We have someone to cover, right? But at this point, because we had two, we were kind of split up between the two locations. So I was that one by myself. And I remember, you don't go to the bathroom all day. Because you can't. You can't. If you go and that phone rings, or you go and someone walks in. What are you going to do? You can't go. So I did. I just didn't go. And I would find a whole day, even though I'm a good water drinker. And I'm pretty aware of my food. That I just didn't go to the bathroom. The entire day. Like Monday through Friday, I just wouldn't go. And then I would save it all until I got home. And I would just feel awful. Because I waited all day to let all this stuff go. In the meantime, I was still drinking water throughout the day. And I was still eating my meals throughout the day. I was just holding on to it all until I got home. So that, over a period of time, conditioned my body to do that. So even though I was at home, where I was a little more relaxed. Where I wasn't so constrained. My body still did that. And it really made me a little nervous. Because I was only pooping maybe once a day. Because sometimes when you hold on to it for too long. It just doesn't want to leave. And that's a bad sign. And that becomes uncomfortable. So part of the digestive and healthy pooping system is actually taking the time to go when you have to go. And that, I think, for a lot of people is kind of hard to grasp. Because, well, I'm at work. The child is in class. My kids, they don't ask to go. If they gotta go, they say, I gotta go to the bathroom. And they go. And it took me a moment to get okay with that. Because then there was a part of me that was like, No, you don't have to go. You just went an hour ago. You don't have to go. But they have little bodies. They're eating all the time. Drinking all the time. So for them to have to go makes sense to me. Now, should they be gone for 30 minutes at a time? No, that's a different issue. Because they're on their phones. Yes, exactly. Or something. But it took me a moment to step back and be like, Maybe they do have to go. Because they have been eating. Because they have been drinking. Because they are so active. So it took me a while to be like, Okay, just go when you gotta go. Instead of being like, No, you can hold it for a little bit. When we were on vacation, And we were in line at a ride at Disney World. This mom was yelling at her son. Who probably was not much older than my son. So he was probably like 10. And yelling at this little boy about, You just went to the bathroom. You don't have to go again. And I'm looking at this little boy. And he's holding himself and jumping up and down. And he's drinking a soda pop. So the sugar is probably moving through the system. But in his mom's mind, Because he just went. And she said to him, You need to learn how to hold it. But they didn't want to lose their spot in line. Which I get. Because sometimes you wait many, many, many minutes. To get on these rides. And so I get it. But he was literally jumping and holding. And because in her mind, You just went. You have to learn how to hold it. I was just like, That could cause some problems. For this little boy. By the time you get off this ride. Right? For kids, They don't think about that. They can't control their bodies. As well as we can. They're also much better at listening to their bodies. Than we are. Because they haven't yet been conditioned. To not listen to their body. So it's like, When you gotta go, When they have to go, They have to go. I just remember that, Thinking, oh no. And that's what we do to ourselves, As adults. I do that all the time. When I'm working, I'm like, let's see how long I can hold this. No challenge. But I do notice that, Today, if I'm home, And my body is relaxed, And I eat and I drink, As I normally do, I use the bathroom all the time. All the time. Way more than I ever want to. I'm the type of person who, I don't want to stop to go pee. I don't want to stop. I know, it's a waste of your time. It's a waste of time. It's like stopping for gas. I hate stopping for gas. And yet, you won't get very far. I know. I know I need to, But gosh, it's a waste of time. We need adult diapers. I know. I don't consider it. Anyhow, yes. The listening to the body, Meeting it where it needs to be met, That is a thing, for sure. Recently, There's been all this great interest, In, I mean, they don't say poop, But in bowels, right? In digestion. You hear a lot about probiotics. You need that for digestion. Yeah. It's been huge. Yes, and now everybody has a probiotic line. Yogurt! Yogurt's great! Eat yogurt, right? Yes, that's true. Everything is, Has some kind of, Probiotic ingredient. Whether it's yogurt, Or drinks, Like kombucha, Yes, they're all packaged with probiotics. Yes. And marketed that way now, Because it's a big interest for people. Even skincare lines, Have lines that have, Probiotics in them, right? So probiotics, Are really helpful for a number of different things. Not just digestion, right? They work to help us absorb the good stuff, That we get from our food. So we need that friendly bacteria in there, To do that. And it's also a factor in regulating blood sugar. It helps build the immune system. And it's really helpful in cardiovascular, And in heart health. So, The microorganisms in our gut, Also help with production of different, Vitamins and minerals. Things like vitamin K, And our B vitamins, Need the bacteria in our gut to be balanced. There are lots of different strains, Of gut bacteria. So when we eat good food, So when we eat good foods, That help our good bacteria, Things that help with digestion, And all of our bodily functions, Multiply, They also keep the not so good ones, At bay. So the bacteria that's going to make us sick, And disrupt our bodily functions, The good bacteria, Will help to kind of keep those bad bacteria, At bay. So how do we, Improve our poop? How do we get that brownish color? Right? How do we get that, Um, We eat brown things. Like, Hot chocolate? Yeah! Exactly. Chocolate. All kinds of chocolate. All kinds. Yes. No, just kidding. So yeah, so we talk a lot about, The foods that we eat. The processed versus whole foods, And things like that. But fermented foods, Are probably the simplest, Way to go. Because, you know, We're all familiar with sauerkraut, And kimchi, and kombucha. It pretty much is an everyday thing now, For the mainstream. That's all ferments right there. Um, And you can add that to your, Meals. You can put it down to a bowl of kimchi, Or a bowl of sauerkraut. You eat a little bit, To start that digestive process, To put in a little bit of good, As you eat your meal. It's not a meal of, um, Sauerkraut. Yeah, that's not the only thing you're eating. The sauerkraut is complementary to your meal. So that's some things you can do, To, Make better poop. Again, going back to the taking your time, Chewing your food, Drinking your water. I know, how important. It is! Because, you know, If we don't drink enough water, Our skin is dry, our hair is dry, Our mouth is dry. Everything is just dry. So then your poop will also be dry. And then, you know, That's a whole straining, And all that other uncomfortable things, That we talked about before. Dehydration, you want to make sure you get good fats. Yeah. Again, lubricating the intestinal walls, Keeping your stools, Um, well, To move. Um, your hair, your skin, All that stuff needs to get fats. Your brain is made up of fat. Feed your brain. Feed your gut. That's what, um, The fat is needed for. So, lots of different things That you can start to incorporate Into your meals, To help for better poop. Yep. Staying active, right? Sitting or standing for too long. Sleeping! Sleeping is huge! Because when we go to bed, And everything is slowed, Our body goes to work. It breaks things. That's the digestive process. It gives our body time to do this work. If we don't sleep, Or we don't have quality sleep, Everything again is affected. Everything again is slowed. And, um, That, over time, Can lead to some digestive concerns, For sure. So, another thing to consider, When it comes to sleep, Is that the quality of our sleep Really impacts The quality of, Or the ability of our systems To digest our foods. So, if we're able to digest our foods Efficiently, Our quality of sleep is actually much better. You know, like when you go to bed On a full stomach, right? Yeah. It's really uncomfortable. It is, right? And sleep-wise, you're not really Getting good quality sleep Because your body is having to work So hard to get all that broken down And digested and distributed So, going to sleep on a full stomach Is not the best idea For good quality sleep. And, um, something else to consider Is that when you are sleeping, Your body goes into this Cleansing mode and Rebalancing mode, resetting mode, And hormone regulation Takes place at that time. So, if your body Is busy trying to digest This huge meal while you're sleeping, It's very stressful. And when we experience stress We produce hormones like cortisol And so the cortisol Is a stress hormone And when that happens The digestive process Doesn't happen efficiently And so then what can happen Is foods Can leak into The bloodstream And that leads to things like leaky gut Right? And that makes it difficult for The blood to be clean and circulated So it just leads to a host of other Different complications as well. We have got to talk about Stress. Because It doesn't matter how healthy You are eating It doesn't matter that you are A yogic and meditative It doesn't matter If you're physically strong And healthy and can do And go, go, go, go Because the underlying is If you are stressed Your body will respond to those Really super good foods In a very different manner So even though you're eating These incredibly fresh Local, sustainable Foods If you are stress eating That message To start the digestive Process, to produce those Fluids, to get those enzymes Flowing is not even happening So you're eating all this Good stuff but you're not even Getting the good stuff out of it And this is something that I have to Really be aware of For myself too Is really taking the time To sit And to enjoy Food. My husband and I Are families We work in the world of food Wherever we go My husband and I, we don't bring back Souvenirs We don't have little trinkets No, we come back 10 pounds heavier So I have 15 pounds heavier Because That's what we do We go and we eat We try out foods that we normally don't get Where we are All these little hole in the wall Places These really fine, beautiful Restaurants When we're on vacation It's very interesting How when we eat In that environment How our body responds to those foods Because like I was saying before When we're on vacation And I eat foods that I don't normally eat It really does Go right through me Even if it's super healthy But there's something else in it That makes it a little Different And when we're home And I'm eating my normal foods In my everyday I'm stressed because I'm eating while I'm working So it's actually a good thing That I take that time to really Chew my foods Because if I didn't do at least that It really would Just go right through me And I would get nothing good from those foods So stress Is such a huge component When it comes to how our body Responds and reacts to the things that we're doing And I think that setting Time and sitting And really chewing And enjoying our meals Is just so important In this whole process That it's where it all starts essentially That we really need to take that time To do that And I think that people Again, this is part of the taking time for ourselves To meet our own needs So that we can help Serve the people that we are working With, working for Supporting And we can only do that if we do this for ourselves Stress can go both ways Honestly Some people react to stress With their bodily functions As in like They're getting cramps And they have diarrhea It can go either way For sure, yes You know I often hear people say go with your gut Listen to your gut because your gut knows And that's because There is a part of our Digestive system, of our intestinal tract Called the enteric nervous system And that Consists of all these different nerve cells That start from our esophagus To our rectum That basically sends Messages to our brain To start producing Digestive enzymes So where we get to Incorporate our emotions And our thoughts In with our foods And with our whole digestive process So when we say things like Butterfly in our stomach When we say things like Go with your gut It is that emotional, mental, emotional part Of our digestive system And you feel it, if you're nervous You feel those butterflies in your stomach Yeah, I do Sometimes it seems much more Primary than Our brain brain It's so huge It's more than just pooping It's more than Just moving things Through our systems It's a whole getting the good stuff in Getting the good stuff out Using the good stuff Getting it to where it needs to go And then getting rid of what we can't use Or what we don't need To be harmful to our bodies Something that you said about The timing of poop And how we should listen to our bodies So I was listening to an audiobook About the gut Something that I found Really interesting was about Stinkers And I mentioned this to you the other day But we have two Stinkers in our body Which I had no idea But we have an interior One and an exterior One So the interior one Is the one that's like The supervisor, the manager Of your bodily functions He's the guy that's like Alright, you have stuff that needs to come out Let's open Let's open the hatch and let it out And then the exterior one Is the one that is More related to What's going on Are you working? Are you busy? Are you relaxed? It's the one that communicates to your brain Like okay, I don't have time right now That one for me is really strong I don't have time right now, let's not Let's not do it So then in between those two stinkers There's like a little area Where it's like Let's say like a test The test area This is how I Understand it So the interior one lets out Like a little test subject A little test poop To be like alright Or gas And then they kind of talk to each other And the outside one will be like Is it poop? Is it diarrhea? Is it gas? Alright, let's let it out If it's gas, I can do that If it's poop, I don't have time for that So they talk to each other And that's how It works If it's time, let's poop The interior one will be like alright Let's go They just both work in unison And what you're saying If you don't take the time when you listen to your body Those two stinkers Actually become disconnected You can ruin The communication The natural communication process Where all of a sudden When your body is relaxed And you're not under stress Your body is still like Nope, you're not pooping It's not time Because that's what it used to They're not communicating correctly anymore But you can also Retrain that So the next time you listen to your body And you do it Again and again and again You can retrain those two stinkers To talk to each other Isn't that amazing? It is Again So be involved So sophisticated I wish society was like that It could be If we would all just poop If we would all Just let things go It really could be That's probably actually A huge solution To the problems we have Today Constipation And bowel issues Are huge We hear things like indigestion Acid reflux IBS Yes Those are all What's going on in this system And emotionally Our bowels Are supposed to move things It's supposed to break things down The good stuff and the not good stuff We let go of So when we talk about it in that sense That speaks to our emotions You take what you need From what you're learning That's why everybody is a teacher Everybody can learn something from someone All the time You take what makes sense to you And everything else that doesn't You let go of And that's kind of what our bowels do And the next time If you refuse to poop Because it's inconvenient for you Pay attention to your emotions What are you holding on to That you don't want to share Because I have to poop I don't have time I'm pissed off And how does being pissed off Affect your immune system Because that's where the Pissing happens Pay attention To what's going on with you Why is this natural process Inconvenient for you What is it messing up What is it that you don't want to let go Why are you not flowing And listening to your needs It would be very interesting To kind of see if you can make Those connections And once you do You can make those changes I am huge on All of these things being my responsibility And what I can control Solely because if I say It's the outside world Or it's someone else That's keeping me from this Then I have no control Over what other people Are doing And to me that is very Not empowering Because if I can't change What's happening outside of me Then that means I'm just not going to be able to poop That's so uncomfortable for me So I'd rather say What this is What am I doing What am I holding on to That my bowels are communicating to me And once I can make that connection And let it go Then things can flow For me that's how I choose To perceive what's going on With my body So I think it would be interesting If everybody kind of started to see You know Like when you feel a constipation What are you holding on to? Right? Yeah that's interesting What are you holding on to? I have a poop journal now Right? That's great Write down What your poop is like today How many times What you're feeling What you ate That would be interesting Being in the food industry I have so many allergies And allergens And you know We've been at this 30 years And I remember in the beginning It was maybe peanuts Right? That you have to kind of watch out for And that people would come and say Oh I have an allergy to peanuts And then it became shellfish And now it's everything From chicken To soy All kinds of nuts Very very specific And I think that It's interesting how The more sensitive We've become to our food The more digestive Issues people Seem to have Because now IBS is a pretty Normal conversation Pretty normal Condition that people Are treated for When you look at things like Even eczema and psoriasis Or even ADHD If you do your research You can go back and find How it's connected to digestion And the ability Or inability to really Break down and use the good stuff From our food So it's this whole cycle Of what we put into our body Our body's ability to use it And get rid of what it can't use It is This huge Part of our everyday lives And it's just Really Needed to be Talked about, needed to be looked into Because it's actually really Simple to resolve some of these Things if we really did just Take the time to chew our foods And if we really did just chose Better foods to eat And if we really did just Slept more quality Restful sleeps It actually is really Simple and it is At the end of the day It really is a choice So I just Think that as a society Instead of Really championing How much we do How much we're involved in How much Where are we on that Or on that ladder And really start saying Step back What's really important here Because you can be at the top of that ladder But I'm sorry If I have to take anxiety medications And I can't sleep at night And I've got These aches and pains And headaches I don't know if I really want to be up there It sounds stressful And exhausting But frankly for me it sounds awful I don't know if I want to be up there Well yeah I mean you're talking about Medication and there's A lot of medications Even over the counter Like pain relievers like ibuprofen Or noreproxen that Make you constipated Blood pressure medicines Antidepressants Iron supplements There's medications Out there that are That have their side effects Are constipation That can be If you take it every day Or however many days in your life That could be definitely a factor In your digestive system Yeah I like to keep it simple I don't want to say simple minded Because that's not right Simple Simple for me makes sense Is what it is Yeah It just makes sense To listen to What you need And go in that direction Listen to what you really want Versus what you think You should have Because this is the status This is what everybody wants Because I think at the end of the day No one really wants that No one really wants to be at the top And have to rely on some Substance to keep them calm To keep their mind clear So that they can sleep at night To be able to effectively communicate I don't think anybody truly at their core Wants that But maybe once you get there It's like survival mode And that's what you have to do to survive Right? I don't know what it is now So I just have to take care of it Whatever way that I can Because I work so hard to get there I literally Clawed my way up to here So I understand and I see The Why people would do that But for me when I look at it From that perspective I'm not so sure that's where I want to be If I have to think about Like What the best poop That I ever had You know What's the best poop you ever had The best poop I ever had I would have to say It was when I was backpacking Right? And it was a time where I didn't Have to worry about working Right? It was actually like right after quarantine I wasn't working So it was like let's go And let's enjoy Let's go out in nature Because we were all locked in for a long time And it was beautiful It was spring I mean it was like My body was active I was moving the entire time we were walking You know hiking Like 5, 8 miles a day Right? So we're also eating like fibrous food Like nuts And like oat bars And You know things that I wouldn't normally I didn't eat a lot of meat And It was just So calming And stress free And then you also get to go and poop In like Something that's so amazing The views were amazing And you were squatting And I was squatting Yes All of that combined These poops were magical It was like No clean up Hardly at all I mean that's what you want Every time That was a time Where I was eating right I was totally hydrated Because I had to be I was active I was in a good squatting position I was stress free In an environment that was like So beautiful All of that together Optimal So if we're going to create that Every day in our lives That would be awesome You should just hold on to that visual In your mind And every time you have to poop Picture that in your head That's true I'm going to try it Get my poopy visual on And let it go Yeah and you don't have The distractions of like Your phone or Other stuff that you have to deal with You just don't need that time It sounds like a lot To do and it sounds like a huge list Of things to consider But Step back And think To simplify your meals Eat As fresh as you can As local as you can Because that's what your body is used to And that That in itself would be huge Adding water And I hear people say If you drink water all day You're going to be peeing all day And that's not true I drink water all day long And I'm not peeing all day Because your body is going to use that water The reason you pee all day Is because you're getting water in And your body is like oh good Let's clean this up Let's put it here That's why you're peeing so much In the beginning But once your body realizes that you get water On a regular basis It can start to regulate it So you just got to give it time So drink water Chew your foods Eat good foods Start there Yeah and start one thing at a time You know see how it affects you And then add something else And then add something else Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode Here are the takeaways Number one Digestion is a whole body process That affects all bodily functions Such as heart health Sugar regulation Sleep quality and mental emotional well-being Number two Digestion starts before we eat And what we eat really matters Number three Stress disrupts proper digestion Number four Healthy poop is brownish in color Other colors can indicate other factors Such as the food we ate Or other health imbalances Number five Pooping one to three times a day Or even one to three times a week Is considered normal Number six Probiotics are the microorganisms That live in our gut Join us again at another episode Of Life Serious Not Serious Podcast Remember to follow us on Facebook Share, like and subscribe We will see you back here next week For another episode of Life Serious Not Serious Until then, be well you you you you you you