TPV Podcast, Episode 161, Constipation

On this episode of The Paleo View, Stacy and Sarah cover the very important health subject of bowel health, specifically constipation and what it is, what causes it, and how to troubleshoot it.

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The Paleo View (TPV), Episode 161, Constipation

• Intro (0:00)
• News and Views (0:56)
  • When Stacy reached out to Sarah to confirm the recording time there was a bit of a funny mix up over the topic
  • We have a lot of questions on constipation and it is an important topic to talk about because it is a common side effect of a lot of conditions, and people commonly experience it when transitioning their diet, but Paleo may not correct the problem either
  • Constipation is a relatively common thing to suffer from, yet experiencing daily healthy bowel movements is an important thing
  • But a bit on life before we get to the topic
  • Sarah turned in a book this last week
  • And Stacy celebrated a birthday, but she can’t talk about general life updates knowing that a poop discussion is about to happen as discussing bodily functions makes her very uncomfortable
• Science with Sarah (9:00)
  • This week Sarah wanted to discuss transit time and what all impacts that
  • What happens when you complete a transit test at a doctor’s office
  • A good speed for food to move through the digestive track is between 18 and 24 hours, and if digestion takes longer than that it points to some deficiencies with digestion
  • Things that impact speed are a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, the type of gut bacteria that is present, and the muscle contractions
  • Hormones are very sensitive to the foods we eat
  • Stool is made up of 80% bacteria so if you have too much bacteria or they are in the wrong part of your digestive track you are either building that bulk too soon up the gastro track or you are building up that bulk in an exaggerated way
  • Bacteria is also very sensitive to the things we eat
  • Fiber is a regulator itself because what it does to hormones, the bacteria, and the gastro track
  • Having sufficient fiber of both soluble and insoluble is very important
  • It is also important to have proper fluid intake
  • Mineral sufficiency is also important as it supports the muscle contractions
  • Stress has a direct effect on bowel health, as does having an active lifestyle and quality and quantity of sleep
  • There are a bunch of other things that feed into digestion regulation as well, like the health of the digestive track organs and how you are chewing your food
  • For people who are battling constipation it is key to think about how you are taking care of your gut bacteria, looking into possibly testing your neurotransmitters, and finally looking at a number of other medical conditions that all impact transit time – like autoimmune conditions
  • It could be something as simple as drinking more water, consuming more fiber, or increasing a micronutrient that you are lacking in
  • But it could also be a lot more complicated and constipation should always be discussed with a medical professional
  • You could also try things like the Squatty Potty or the Step and Go
  • When constipation is caused by something outside of the digestive track it allows for a dysfunctional micro biome to develop, creating a stagnant environment
  • The definition of constipation is a bowel movement every 48 hours if the bowel movement is not a good form on the bristol stool scale, if at 48 hours the form of the stool is still good than that would be defined as normal and not constipation. However, if the form is not good and did not pass with ease than that would be constipation
  • If it is every 72 hours than no matter what the form looks like it is constipation
  • Stool should be a type four on the bristol stool scale
  • Stacy and Sarah briefly discussed etiquette when it comes to stool analysis
  • A bit on laxatives
  • What Stacy defines as a normal stool
  • There are multiple forms of constipation
  • Just because something is common doesn’t mean it is normal
• Questions & Answers (42:40)
  • Philippa – just started the autoimmune protocol, and experiencing improvements in symptoms, but bowel movements have gone from daily to two to three times a week, why?
    • Stacy recommends, if possible, to be mobile in some capacity to help balance hormones and get things moving
    • Hydration is very helpful to Stacy, especially through bone broth
    • Vegetables are also very helpful for Stacy
    • Smoothies might be a great way to get in extra liquid and fiber
    • Sarah shared on some supplements that are AIP friendly and can help with constipation, but to explore these under medical supervision
    • Adding in a little bit of starchy vegetables can also help
    • Also look at stress and sleep
  • Maiysa – what food would be good to add back in to help relieve constipation?
    • Stacy finds fiber to be incredibly important to her healthy bowel movement equation
    • Listen back to the veggie show for some ideas on how Stacy and Sarah consume vegetables
    • Soluble fiber adds bulk to stool which can make it easier to pass, so Sarah recommends looking for Paleo sources of starchy foods
• Final Thoughts (58:03)
  • Both Stacy and Sarah see a great benefit from elevating their feet on a stool
  • A bit on enigmas – look to this show for more on coffee enigmas
  • Truly evaluating what you are eating and how foods may be impacting your bowel health
• A breastfeeding show is in the future
• Thanks everyone for listening, we will be back next week!
• Outro (1:12:26)