Hi, I'm Lisa, a Registered Dietitian with Eating Well,
and today I'll be answering all of your questions
about poop, and you had a lot of them so let's get started.
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How many times a day should you poop?
So what's considered normal,
and everyone has their own version of normal,
is between three times a day and three times a week.
What's important to remember
is that it's not just about frequency,
it's about what you feel like.
Do you constantly feel bloated and distended?
Do you feel like you have to go and then you can't?
These could be just minor symptoms
that lifestyle changes like drinking more water
and adding more fiber into your diet can help with,
but if you're continually experiencing trouble
and difficulties, then you're gonna wanna talk
to your doctor 'cause there could be something underlying,
some underlying health condition going on.
What foods will help you poop?
There's sort of a trifecta of lifestyle changes and foods
that will help you poop.
So you have to make sure you're staying hydrated.
Drink lots of water, that's gonna help.
Make sure your moving your body, so exercise,
from walking to yoga, just get your body moving,
and then of course, food is super important here
and fiber is key.
Only about 5% of us are getting the recommended amount
of fiber in our diet and that's 25 grams a day for women
and 38 grams for men, so that's a lot.
Choose fruits and vegetables, leave the skin on when you can
and don't juice them, right, you wanna choose
the whole food more often 'cause that's where the fiber is.
Whole grains, such a good choice.
And then, don't forget about
beans, which have protein and fiber,
and then nuts and seeds are another really great choice
to add more fiber to your day.
And just remember, don't go from zero to 60,
that is not going to lead to good places,
so slowly add fiber-rich foods back into your diet
and make sure you're drinking plenty of water
when you do it.
What are the worst foods to eat if you need to poop?
I'm looking at you super low carb keto dieters.
So it's not that there's terrible foods to eat
if you have to poop, but there are foods that are gonna help
like those high fiber foods, and then foods
that don't really help get things moving at all.
Meat and fish don't have any fiber,
cheese and dairy don't have any fiber,
so try to eat those, choose those less often,
especially if you need to go,
or pair them with some of those high fiber foods
to help get things moving.
Why does coffee make you poop?
It's not in your head, there's actually research that shows
that caffeine stimulates hormones in your gut
that gets things moving,
but women are more likely to report this than men
and it actually does just help wake your whole body up.
Thanks coffee!
How can you stay regular when you're traveling?
So traveling can sort of be this triple threat
of not moving a ton, not drinking enough water
and getting dehydrated, and then having a diet
that looks very different than your normal diet at home.
Make sure you stay hydrated,
so on the day you travel, bring a water bottle.
Consciously think to yourself, I'm gonna drink water today.
Get some movement in,
so whether that looks like laps around the airport
or extra stretch breaks from your car,
or just doing some stretches in the hotel room
or taking a walk at your family member's house,
move your body.
And then consciously choose high fiber food.
You can also pack some high fiber snacks from home
and then if you're finding those things less available
wherever you are, you've already packed some with you.
What foods can help kids poop?
Depending on how old your kiddos are,
their fiber needs are gonna vary.
One thing to remember is it's important to try
to get them five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
You know, we can do berries, we can have mango,
choose a high fiber cereal to offer as a snack,
and again, things like beans and peas,
try to find appealing ways to serve them to your kiddos.
Maybe tuck into a quesadilla
or peas stirred into some macaroni and cheese
just to up the fiber content a little bit.
And then if they're still having trouble going
or just refusing a lot of those foods,
you may need to talk to your doctor or a dietitian.
All right, those are all your questions about poop
and going number two.
This should be something
that doesn't cause you a lot of stress
and isn't something that's always on your mind,
so if you're having some issues
you may wanna talk to your doctor,
but hopefully with just some simple lifestyle changes
like adding more fiber, drinking more water,
and moving your body, you're gonna be good to go.
We've got lots of ideas to add fiber to your diet
at eatingwell.com, so be sure to check out our recipes
and tips and subscribe to our YouTube channel
for more information.
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