Proper gut function is critical for all the systems in our bodies, from our skin to our brains. This article shares many ways to improve and support normal bowel movement.  There are many signs and symptoms of abnormal digestion including bloating, sluggishness, constipation, undigested food in stools, gas, and abdominal discomfort. 

Tips to improve digestion and bowel health:

1. Consume 30g+ of fiber per day - Fiber is essential to keep stools soft and promoting regular bowl movement. Introduce fiber slowly over time to prevent bloating and gut upset. Here are two ways you can add fiber: 
   • Eat high-fiber foods which include avocado, Asian pears, berries, coconut, figs, artichoke, peas, cruciferous veggies, okra, acorn squash, soaked/sprouted beans and lentils, quinoa and sprouted nuts or seeds. *Choose organic whenever possible.
   • Add 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds daily for half your daily fiber requirements (soak in water, then add to yogurts, chia seed puddings, salads, or blend in smoothie or protein shake). For more ideas for how to consume more chia seeds, check out these recipes.
     
     
2. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to your tea, coffee, or organic hot chocolate each morning. You can also add it to smoothies or a warm breakfast like oatmeal.
   
   
3. Take extra magnesium - 80% of us are deficient in magnesium, which leads to a host of issues including constipation, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, fatigue, tight muscles, cramps and spasms.
   • Magnesium-rich foods include: cooked spinach and chard, dark leafy greens, dark chocolate, sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, sprouted almonds, chia and flaxseed, avocado, buckwheat, amaranth, soaked black beans, quinoa, spirulina, grass-fed yogurt/kefir, soaked mung beans, or bananas. Choose organic whenever possible.
   • Magnesium can be taken as a supplement.
   • Soak in hot Epsom salt bath–Use fragrance free Epsom salts and soak for 20-30 minutes as magnesium is best absorbed through the skin. It will also aid in muscle and intestinal relaxation. 
     
     
4. Consume healthy probiotic bacteria - Probiotic supplements, fermented veggies (sauerkraut/kim chi/pickles/olives), grass-fed kefir, organic miso, sprouted seeds and nuts all add healthy probiotic bacteria to your gut. 16oz of sauerkraut is equivalent to 8 bottles of probiotics! Consume a minimum of 2 tablespoons of your choice with each meal.  This encourages your gut to move food through at a normal, even pace. 
   
   
5. Switch to healthy fats - Every cell in our body contains fat. We need fat for proper brain functioning, hormones, cell functioning, energy, weight loss, and more.  The healthiest options include unrefined cold-expeller pressed coconut oil, organic olives, organic extra virgin olive oil, avocados/unrefined avocado oil, sprouted nuts and seeds, wild-caught fatty fish, grass-fed butter and ghee. 
   
   
6. Use a squatty potty for proper posture and elimination. Studies show bringing the knees up or being in a squatting position, while having a bowel movement, reduces strain and constipation.  This allows the bowels to empty completely and more efficiently compared to sitting on the toilet. This is especially important for children as their feet rarely reach the ground, which puts more strain and pressure on them.
   
   
7. Movement and exercise - get 30 minutes of brisk movement to help promote bowel movement. Rebounding or bouncing movements are more effective to encourage gut movement than sedate or minimal movement.
   
   
8. Practice mindful eating - Do not eat in a stressed state, as this slows digestion and prevents proper breakdown and absorption of foods and nutrients. Being in a calm state for meals will help you eat less, digest better, and experience less digestive upset.
   • Take a couple of calming deep breaths while looking at what you are about to consume.
   • Some questions to ask yourself include the following:
     • Where did this food come from?
     • What colors do you notice?
     • How these foods are going to nourish your mind and body.
     • What texture, smells and flavors are present
     • Chew each bite thoroughly (roughly 30 times) before swallowing. 
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10. Practice Intermittent Fasting - fast for 14-16 hours and eat all of your meals within 8-10 hours. This gives your digestion a break from constantly having to work and digest. It is also great for energy and weight loss. 
    
    
11. Do not eat before bed - Stop eating 3 hours before bed to ensure proper digestion and support deep restorative sleep, which is important for reducing stress and supporting optimal circadian rhythm and bowel function.
    
    
12. Stay hydrated - When your body is dehydrated, it makes your stools harder. Consume half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Start your day with 20oz of clean filtered water. You can add hot lemon or ginger into your routine to promote gut movement. Other things that support both hydration and gut health include Aloe Vera juice, grass-fed collagen, and grass-fed bone broth.
    
    
13. Practice breathing techniques and exercises to normalize abdominal muscle activation and tension and recue stress.
    
    
14. Massage your stomach to relieve constipation and to facilitate movement. Start in the lower right side of your stomach with upward motion, across just under your ribs, and downward on the left side of the body.  This follows the movement of the large intestine and encourages it to move more normally. 
    
    
15. Avoid inflammatory triggers - Some foods and many processed food ingredients can all contribute to a leaky and inflamed gut.  Things such as preservatives, colorings, and flavorings are known to commonly irritate the gut or trigger allergic reactions.  Non-organic foods have higher pesticide residues, fewer antioxidants and less nutritional value than organic foods because of the way they are farmed. It is important to always wash your produce thoroughly to remove pesticide contamination, parasite larva or eggs, and other pathogenic bacteria that may be present.  Here are a list of common inflammatory foods:  
    • Factory-farmed meats and seafood - Always buy grass-fed/pasture-raised meats and wild-caught seafood. This ensures the animal's food does not contain glyphosate, and consequently, the meat you purchase doesn't have it either.  It also means no antibiotics and growth hormones have been used as well as having fewer stress hormones and toxins.
    • Avoid unhealthy fats - Oils that are very high in omega-6 fats, increase inflammation in the gut and brain, leading to metabolic and neurological diseases.  These oils include canola oil (rapeseed), soybean oil, cottonseed oil, hydrogenated oils, trans fats (margarine, synthetic butters), rancid or inflammatory oils (corn oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil). Avoid low-fat options as they are over-processed and have added sugar.
    • Fluoride - a neurotoxin that gets stored in the brain and damages the thyroid, hormonal communications, and metabolism. Avoid drinking tap water and using fluoride toothpaste.
    • Glyphosate - This is a toxic pesticide used in GMO’s and round-up ready crops, and is heavily sprayed on wheat before harvesting. Glyphosate and GMO’s contribute to leaky-gut and auto-immune disease, behavioral issues, and a weakened immune system.  It does this by killing off the good-probiotic bacteria living in our gut, increasing inflammation in the intestines, and overburdens the liver and kidneys trying to get rid of it. 
    • MSG, aspartame, and artificial sweeteners - These excitotoxins stimulate brain cells so much it shortens the life span of these cells. It is found in many gums, mints, prepackaged foods or seasonings. It leads to systemic inflammation, migraines, sensitivities, and is addictive.
    • Mycotoxins - Coming from mold spores that travel through ventilation, especially in places with even mild water damage, mycotoxins cause illness and disease. Symptoms include depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, weakness, sinus issues, coughing, skin rashes, pain, watery/itchy eyes, and more.
    • Dairy - Dairy products that are grain fed and factory farmed, contain A1 beta casein proteins, which is very inflammatory. Instead choose products that have more A2 beta casein proteins.  These come from ancient breeds, 100% grass-fed cows, and Jersey cows and is typically not inflammatory for most people including people with a dairy sensitivity.
    • Gluten - American wheat is genetically modified, sprayed with glyphosate, or is processed with toxic chemicals.  Options that have less gluten are organic European wheat or organic sprouted sourdough bread as the fermentation process reduces the amount of gluten. An alternative is to try gluten-free products, especially if they contain gluten-free organic ancient grains such as quinoa, amaranth, millet, teff, buckwheat, sorghum, oats, brown and wild rice. Just be mindful and read the ingredients to ensure it is actually a healthy option.  
      
      
16. Anti-inflammatory diet - An anti-inflammatory diet gives your system a break from triggers and can help identify which specific triggers your body is reacting to. The general process is to eliminate all triggers for the first 21 days. Then slowly incorporate foods back into your diet starting with one food group at a time. If symptoms arise, the food you just re-introduced may be inflammatory to you.
    
    
17. Work with a health coach - For best results, we recommend working with a health coach or other medical professional to help tailor recommendations specifically for you.
    
    

Supplements for optimal gut health and elimination:

• Advanced TUDCA - TUDCA (Tauroursodeoxycholic acid) is a water-soluble bile acid and liver helper. It's present in small amounts in your bile, which is produced by your liver. TUDCA helps stimulate the release of bile into your gut and detox a whole range of potentially harmful substances, including those generated during metabolic processes and contaminants from your food and the environment.
• Biogest - Biogest provides enzymes and bile acid for proper breakdown and digestion of foods, which helps prevent gas, bloating, and stomach pains.
  
  
• Bowel Mover - Bowel Mover is specifically designed to help promote digestive and detox support while executing its primary function of supporting proper bowel function. This product is beneficial for those that struggle with constipation by providing natural, gentle bowel relief.

• Collagen Plus - Collagen is a primary building block of the gut, connective tissues, bones, and ligaments, helping to provide structure, elasticity, and strength. Promote glowing skin, healthy hair, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles from the inside out!
  
  
• Entegro Health Flourish Probiotics - Great liquid probiotic option for kids.

• EnteroMend - EnteroMend helps maintain a healthy inflammatory response in the GI tract, soothes the GI tract's mucus membranes, and supports colonic permeability and bowel regularity.

• FiberMend - An amazing prebiotic and fiber powder that blends well into smoothies! Prebiotic fiber is essential to nourish and grow good healthy bacteria in the gut. Soluble prebiotic fiber helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, promotes regularity, and supports optimal digestive function.
  
  
• L-Glutamine Powder - L-glutamine is an amino acid that supports a healthy intestinal lining, immune function, and assists in healing after injury or surgery and in muscle cell repair.
  
  
• Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder - Great option for kids! Highly absorbable form of magnesium that tastes great, can mix into water, organic juice, or smoothies.
  
  
• Magnesium Capsule - This very important mineral helps relax cramps and spasms in the walls of the intestines. 80% of us are deficient in magnesium, which is required for 300 functions and gene signaling in the body.
  
  
• Megasporebiotic Probiotic - A probiotic blend of 5 Bacillus spores that clinically improve healthy gut barrier function and overall immunity. Bacillus spores remain dormant in harsh environments until they reach more favorable environments like the human gastrointestinal tract. Once inside the large intestine, these dormant spores can change into their active, vegetative forms and begin colonizing in the gut. This unique probiotic aims to recondition the gut instead of reseeding with probiotic strains that cannot survive digestion or colonize the gut.
  
  
• Meriva - Meriva 500-SFis a form of curcumin that helps maintain a healthy inflammatory response throughout the body by increasing beneficial bacteria in the gut by 69%. It is the most clinically studied curcumin on the market with 29x greater absorption than ordinary curcumin.  
  
  
• Probiotic Yeast – Saccharomyces boulardii - Enhancing the immune function in the gut, this yeast species also supports the growth of beneficial intestinal flora, and it can be helpful for mitigating occasional diarrhea.
  
  
• Super EPA - These omega 3's help to reduce inflammation within the gut lining and can improve digestion and reduce the symptoms of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It also supports healthy brain function, cognition, and mood.
  
  
• Traditional Medicinal Smooth Move Tea - Senna herb promotes natural bowel movement within 6-12hrs of consumption. Consume ample amounts of water during the day before consuming this tea. You can purchase it from a health food store or Amazon.