Because Everyone Poops: 5 Foods to Make Going Easier
Nothing glamorous here: everyone poops. And how well you poop is a great indication of your digestive and, hence, overall health. Your colon is the garbage disposal of your body.
If you eat well, are hydrated and carry on a relatively active lifestyle, you will poop regularly and properly. If you don’t poop enough or consistently, waste compounds in your colon and can lead to a host of health problems. Here are 5 foods that help you poop.
While everyone poops, there are many different reasons that can lead to constipation from one person to the next. From antibiotics to stress levels to too much diary, it may be virtually impossible to track down the single reason you are having trouble going. The best way to approach constipation is to look at the obvious, potentially unnatural factors. Are you taking a supplement or a pill? Are you not getting enough fat? Are you eating too much dairy, peanuts, soy, or dense and dry foods? Are you always on the run? Stressed?
To give your poop an extra run for its money, eat the following foods:
1. Brown, Spotty Bananas
You may assume brown spotty bananas have gone bad. Au contraire! Peel them and you’ll see that they are, in fact, yellow on the inside. When bananas have reached this point, their sugars have fully developed. They taste sweeter and go through your system much easier. Because grocery stores usually sell pretty bananas that are slightly green or yellow and firm, you will have to let bananas sit out for up to a week before they are edible for digestive purposes. I like to make raw vegan ice cream with spotty bananas, especially when I have a lot on hand that I don’t know what to do with before they go bad.
2. Cold-Pressed Oils
Many of us fear fat, but we shouldn’t! Fat is a lubricant for your body and it helps food to slide through your system seamlessly. Cold-pressed oils help in keeping your digestive tract lubricated and fit for proper elimination. Use cold-pressed oils such as flax, coconut and olive oils in salads, smoothies, and soups.
3. Dried Figs
A half-cup serving of dried figs provides 7.3 grams of fiber, some 19 percent of the RDA of fiber for men and 28 percent for women. The same serving also offers 11 percent of the RDA of potassium and more than 10 percent of the RDA of vitamin K. These features make dried figs great for overall health as well as digestion. I choose to add dried figs to this list, because they are mobile and easy to carry around as a go-snack with things back up.
4. Green Smoothies
They are more than a chlorophyll powerhouse. Green smoothies are jam-packed with plant fiber, which help to push food through your system and essentially clean you from the inside out.
5. Beans
“Beans, Beans, they’re good for your heart. The more you eat ’em, the more you fart!” The light-spirited children’s chant speaks truths! Beans contain abut 10 grams of fiber in one cup. They hold a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber, which help to shepherd waste through your colon. Enjoy cooked beans in a casserole, mashed with spices to make a dip, mixed into a vegetable soup, or added to a salad for extra bulk.
Related on Organic Authority
The Straight Scoop on Composting Human Poop
30 Days of Paleo: Let’s Talk About Poop Baby
The Toilet Stool: Better Elimination and Improved Health
Image Credit: thegiantvermin
