What you can do to help have healthier bowel movements:
- Stay adequately hydrated. Drink a minimum of 1/2 your body weight in ounces of clean, filtered water daily. Add minerals to your water to increase absorption & hydration.
- Chew your food (at least 10 chews per bite) & be mindful when you eat (no distractions).
- Eat a nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory diet & avoid foods that are common to cause inflammation & constipation, like gluten & dairy.
- Consume plenty of fibre, more specifically insoluble fibre. Sources of insoluble fibre are organic fruits & vegetables, sprouted nuts & seeds.
- Consider eating more resistant starch, which provides benefits of both soluble & insoluble fibre to your diet. Sources of resistant starch are green bananas, plantains, cooked & cooled potatoes & rice.
- Use bitters or digestive enzymes when eating your meals.
- Take a spore-based probiotic or eat foods rich in probiotics like sauerkraut & kimchi.
- Try magnesium like magnesium citrate or oxide that can help pull water into the intestines so you can go to the bathroom more often & with more ease.
- Get a comprehensive stool test done through a practitioner. If you really want to know what is going on, a comprehensive stool test like the GI-MAP can give much information on your gut health. It can reveal bacterial, fungal, & parasitic overgrowths, beneficial bacteria levels, & important intestinal health markers, giving you a good look at your gut microbiome.
The GI-MAP test is one of the core tests we do at Vagus Clinic. This allows us to create personalized treatment protocols to address your current gut dysfunction. Book a complimentary discovery call with one of our Health Coaches for more information!
