A Process of Elimination

article by Shannon Dahlum

If you have a history of struggling to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight, you’ve probably expended a lot of effort managing the quantity and quality of what’s entering your body.  However, if you haven’t experienced the results you think you should have, perhaps you should start focusing on the other end of your digestive system.  The quantity and quality of what’s leaving your body is just as important as what enters it when it comes to maintaining a healthy balance throughout your system. 

One of the first questions I ask a new weight loss or wellness client, along with how much sleep they’re getting, is how often they’re having bowel movements.  It no longer surprises me when I hear that one, even two weeks can typically pass between them.  My jaw used to hit the floor when I heard that response and clients would then typically respond with, “But it’s always been like that.  That’s just normal for me.”  Even if infrequent bowel movements are what someone is used to, this doesn’t meal it’s normal or healthy.  If these clients had been having more frequent bowel movements, maybe they wouldn’t have needed to come to me for help in the first place.  For these constipated clients, priority number one is going number two.  Sorry, I could’t resist. 

When food enters the small intestine, bile from the liver and gallbladder combine with it to emulsify fat soluble ingredients.  The nutrients your body needs, along with the toxic substances it doesn’t, both get absorbed through the intestinal wall and make their way to your liver.  The liver sorts through this material and decides what the body should keep and what needs to be sent out with the garbage.  Healthy nutrients are kept and used to create energy, hormones, neurotransmitters, etc, while toxic material is sent back down to the bowels with bile for elimination. 

In the bowel, these toxic substances latch onto fiber and become part of the stool. However, if there isn’t enough fiber present, up to 94% of that toxically loaded bile will get reabsorbed and head back to the liver again.  What isn’t eliminated gets recirculated.  This recycling process can happen several times, and if the toxic sludge doesn’t find fiber to bind with after several attempts, the liver gives up and sends the material to the fat cells for storage. The fat cells serve not only as storage sites for excess energy, but also for these damaging toxins.  What if the fat cells run out of space and can’t store any more?  No problem, the body just makes more fat cells! 

For optimal elimination, regular bowel movements need to happen anywhere from one to three times daily.  Four to eight inches in length is a healthy stool size (pellets are normal for bunnies, not people) and you shouldn’t have to strain to eliminate it.  A couple of minutes is all you should need to finish doing your business.  If you’re locking the door and staying in there for twenty-eight extra minutes just to find some peace and quiet, well, that’s understandable.  If you’re actually using that entire time to finish going, you have a problem. 

The wall of the intestines and bowels are coated with a mucosal lining.  This not only protects the gut from invaders and assists in maintaining a healthy microbiome, it also assists with easy movement through the bowels. To support this gut lining and encourage more frequent elimination, several things are needed: hydration, protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, and relaxation. 

HYDRATION

Maintaining proper hydration in your body helps to keep that mucosal barrier hydrated, too.  A good rule of thumb is to be sure you’re getting 1/2 to 3/4 of your bodyweight in ounces of clear water daily.  However, not all water hydrates your body equally.  A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine demonstrated that drinking alkaline water improved the hydration status of subjects more effectively than those drinking standard purified water.  Spring water naturally contains a higher mineral content (which makes it more alkaline) than purified tap water, so choose spring water when possible.  Another simple option is to add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime to purified tap water, along with a small pinch of unrefined sea salt, which increases the mineral content and makes that water more easily absorbed by your cells.  However, keep in mind that your stomach environment needs to maintain a very acidic environment for proper digestion, so avoid drinking mineralized or alkaline water with meals.  Ideally, if you drink enough between meals, you won’t need more than a few sips of water while you eat. 

PROTEIN

You may be familiar with serotonin as your feel-good brain chemical.  A lesser known effect of this chemical messenger is the action of peristalsis, or the wave-like contractions of your intestines that push material through.  About 90% of your body’s serotonin is made in your gut from the amino acid tryptophan.  Ensuring an adequate intake of tryptophan rich protein sources in your diet will help support serotonin production, and in turn, healthy movement of in your intestines. 

Glutamine is another amino acid needed for healthy elimination.  It provides the number one energy source for the mucosal lining in your intestines, so without it, you won’t have enough of the building blocks required to support it. 

The richest food sources of both these amino acids are animal proteins, like turkey, chicken, red meat, pork, fish, eggs, and milk.  Other tryptophan and/or glutamine sources include tofu, spinach, cabbage, lentils and beans. 

FIBER 

You already learned why fiber in the diet is so important; if toxic material doesn’t have enough fiber to bind with in the intestines, it recirculates back to the liver and can wind up being stored in the fat cells.  Fiber intake averages about 10-15 grams daily for most adults, but it should be closer to 30 grams.  Plant foods are highest in fiber, so be sure to include plenty of whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. 

FATTY ACIDS 

Lastly, fatty acids assist with lubrication in the intestines.  Include organic extra virgin olive oil, butter (from organic, 100% pasture raised and grass fed cows), fatty wild fish, nuts, seeds, etc.  Omega-3 fats, in particular, are known to ease inflammation (including inflammation in the bowels) and help ease constipation.  Wild fish (not farm raised), avocado, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts are rich in omega-3 fats.  In addition, beef and butter from pasture raised cows contain it, while feed-lot raised versions don’t. 

RELAXATION 

Stress dries out the mucosal lining in your gut and prevents the movement of material within the bowels.  Just like the choice to store toxins in fat cells, turning off the ability to move your bowels during periods of stress is a very smart survival tactic by your body that perhaps saved the lives of your ancestors, but is rather inconvenient in today’s climate of chronic stress. 

Any form of stress management that you can employ into your daily life will positively impact every aspect of your health, including your bathroom habits.  Breathing exercises, meditation, connecting with friends, laughter, warms baths, or anything else that provides a bit of joy or relaxation into your day is a must. 

In short, to ensure that you’re getting the enough of the nutrients needed to support healthy elimination, include a serving of protein at every meal, cover 1/2 to 2/3 of your plate with plant foods, and use healthy fats for cooking or drizzling over your food.  Add in whole fruit, nuts and seeds for snacks, and drink plenty of mineralized water between meals.  Lastly, set aside time every day for some form of fun or relaxation, or at a minimum, focus on some deep breathing. 

Remember, healthy balance inside the body is about both what’s going in and what’s going back out!