Healthy Food for Healthy Poop

We all know what goes in has to come out.  But, it’s actually a lot more complicated than that. What you put into your body can either create a healthy digestive tract and benefit your body in many positive ways, or it can encourage the complete opposite.

Many times we may not even realize something is wrong with our digestive system until the poop speaks!  Blood in the stool, hard stools, and chronic diarrhea can alert people that something is seriously wrong. However, even if you don’t have obvious signs of dysfunction, your poop may not be normal.

So, what does a normal poop look like?

• Medium brown color
• Soft, yet still formed
• Around 12 inches total passed per day
• Easy to pass without pushing or straining

A healthy intestinal tract means your poop must have ALL of the above qualities  — not just one or two.  If your poop doesn’t have all 4 of these qualities, then you’re digestive tract is out of whack!

Certain foods can create an absolute toxic dump inside your digestive system. Your gut will plague you with these possible side-effects from a faulty digestive system filled with toxic sludge from the wrong types of food:

• Gas
• Bloating
• Constipation
• IBS
• Crohn’s Disease
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Systemic Candida
• Depression

Your food is fuel and medicine for your body and your digestive system is a beautiful but delicate system for making sure your food benefit is maximized.

Beyond Just Poop

Interestingly enough, your intestinal tract is responsible for so much more than just processing food and turning it into poop. Your intestinal tract is central to your health, containing 70% of your immune system!  Therefore, the health of your intestinal tract can determine the health of the rest of your body!

Doctors and scientist are also now referring to the intestinal tract as “The second brain!”  Your intestines have their own very intuitive nervous system that is closely connected with your emotions.

• For example, this is why you may have diarrhea when you are nervous.
• You also produce more serotonin (your “feel good” neurotransmitter) in your gut than you do in your brain!  The state of your intestines directly affects your state of mind — and vice versa!

Having healthy poop truly is a reflection of whole health!

Cleaning up Your Dumps

Cleaning up the intestinal tract can be like cleaning up a toxic waste dump.  No need to worry!  You are definitely not alone.  It is unfortunately quite rare to find someone with a healthy, normally functioning digestive system.  I believe the majority of these problems are the result of:

• Processed and fast foods
• Antibiotics
• Prescription drugs
• Lack of cultured and fermented foods
• Lack of adequate fiber in the diet
• Dehydration

Incorporating the right foods into your diet and eliminating unhealthy, processed and fast foods can clean up your dump!  Here are what I believe are the top 3 foods in creating healthy poop, healthy digestion, and therefore a healthy whole body!!

#1 Healthy Food for Healthy Poop: Cha-Cha-Chia!

We have all heard of the infamous Chia pets, but who would have ever guessed that this sprouting seed could be an amazing health food!  Chia seeds are my absolute favorite source of healthy dietary fiber.

Fiber is very important in sweeping the colon walls of toxic debris and undigested particles.  It also provides bulk for your poop to form properly.  Most over-the-counter fibers, like psyllium, contain absolutely no other nutritional benefits. The wonderful thing about chia is that it has many other health benefits beyond just fiber.   The nutritional benefits of chia include:

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Chia is the highest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation, promote brain health, and lower cholesterol!
• Antioxidants: Chia seeds are rich in antioxidants, which fight free radicals in the body.  Free radicals cause everything from premature aging to cancer.
• Minerals: Chia is high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese.  Interestingly, these are all minerals very important for bone formation and they are all naturally occurring in one food item!

Overall, chia seeds supports effective treatment in immediate problems of digestion. With’s its nutrition enhancement, chia encourages proper elimination by reducing digestive transit time and removing toxins as it passes through the digestive tract.

#2 Healthy Food for Healthy Poop: Gelatin

Surprisingly, gelatin is a wonderful health food for the digestive system. Unfortunately, combining gelatin with sugar to make artificially colored Jello, doesn’t count.  Pure gelatin comes from the connective tissue of beef and is packed full of collagen, protein, and amino acids. It is very soothing and restorative to the digestive tract and is great for those suffering with inflammatory bowel diseases or leaky gut syndrome.  It also binds with water in the intestinal tract helping to move your poop through the colon. I am a big fan of foods that serve more than one healthy purpose and gelatin, like chia, has many other wonderful qualities.  Gelatin serves to benefit the body in many ways.

• Promotes Bone and Joint Health: It’s high levels of amino acids and collagen prevent degeneration of the joints.
• Improves Skin: Our skin is made up of collagen, which naturally decreases as we age.  Collagen contained naturally in gelatin increases elasticity of the skin and prevents wrinkles.
• Promotes Better Sleep: High levels of the amino acid glycine is found gelatin.  In clinical studies, glycine has been shown to promote better sleep and less daytime drowsiness.
• Increases Weight Loss: Gelatin promotes the production of the human growth hormone (HGH), which naturally increases the metabolism and promotes satiety.

You can consume healthy gelatin by making your own bone broths or by using regular unsweetened gelatin.  You can stir powdered gelatin into most foods including your morning coffee.  A fun snack for kids is to combine it with natural fruit juice, making your own healthy version of jello.

The most quality source I have found of pure, naturally sourced gelatin is Great Lakes.  Gelatin is a great source of protein and can be substituted for your protein powder in delicious shakes.  You can purchase it HERE.

#3 Healthy Food for Healthy Poop: Sauerkraut

I believe sauerkraut to be one of the most overlooked health foods on the market.  It isn’t difficult to find and is found on the shelves of nearly every grocery store.  However, most people have no idea how absolutely fabulous sauerkraut is for your health!

True sauerkraut is a fermented food.  You will want to be sure and read the label.  If it contains vinegar, then it is not fermented and not true sauerkraut.  However, sauerkraut made the old fashioned way is fermented and contains billions of healthy bacteria per jar!   These healthy probiotic bacteria restore the microbial balance of the gut by preventing the overgrowth of toxic bacteria.  It also is a great source of fiber which, as I mentioned before, helps to sweep the colon and keep your feces moving on out of the body.

Sauerkraut also contains:

• Vitamins B6, C, and folic acid
• Compounds called isothiocyanates, which have been shown in studies to prevent the growth of cancer!
• Antioxidants, which fight free radicals in the body

I recommend raw sauerkraut as a booster food to most of my clients and have had fantastic response from them with regards to not only improved elimination but also regarding the enjoyment of a new food in their regular routines.

Recipe: Gut Restoring Smoothies

I love any health food that is quick and easy to not only make, but consume.  Being a working mom with 3 children, leaves little time for food prep in my life.  However, smoothies are an all-in-one easy to make meal or snack that is packed with healthy foods.

This smoothie recipe substitutes your typical protein powder with gelatin.  Gelatin is a great not only a fantastic source of protein, but it also soothes, protects, and restores the intestinal tract to health.  I also include other gut health ingredients like fiber rich fruits, chia seeds, and probiotic rich yogurt.

If you want healthy poop and a healthy digestive tract, just drink one of these each morning and watch your bowels change for the better!

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup of unflavored yogurt
• ½ cup coconut or almond milk (unsweetened)
• ½ cup frozen organic berries
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• 3 tbsp gelatin powder

Directions:

Blend the above ingredients in a blender until smooth.  The gelatin can thicken over time, so don’t wait to drink it!

Feel free to change it up and experiment with different flavors.  Let your kids design their own flavors and they’ll be much more likely to drink their creation.  Making smoothies can be a fun and healthy experience for the whole family!

Remember, what you put in your body can make or break your digestive system and therefore the health of your entire body!  If you take the time to eliminate unhealthy foods and start incorporating the three gut health foods I recommended, you will be surprised how your health will begin to take a turn for the best!

Make healthy poop a priority and begin your journey to digestive wellness today!

Help! Can’t poop! What do you eat to poop?