10 foods that make you poop... # 3 will surprise you

There’s nothing I like writing about more than staying…regular.  That may be a reflection of my age (and my intellect) but suffice it to say, If your bowels are happy, every thing is happy.

With that somewhat ignoble introduction I want to present to you ten things you can consume that will keep the TP flowing off the shelves.

You really need to know one word when it comes to regularity, fiber.  I don’t mean you have to feast on cardboard (although that probably would do the trick), but almost any high fiber food will jump start the process.  For example, leafy green vegetables, celery, beans, broccoli and almonds.  Hey, why not start your day with a broccoli-almond smoothie. Yum-Yum.  

Prunes are the quintessential poop food.  Your great grandmother probably force  fed prunes to your grandfather, who in turn pumped prunes into your mother.  That explains a lot doesn’t it!  The reality is that the little dried plums give you both fiber and bowel stimulants in each delicious mouthful.

Continuing in the fruit vein, oranges can help “move” you. Again, they meet the fiber benchmark but also, like many fruits, contain a substance called naringenin, which sounds like a the name of a small Indian baby, but actually works as a laxative.

Here’s one that may surprise you, water.  All the fiber in the known universe will not help if you’re not drinking enough H2O.  Oh, and it will make you weewee also.  Just remember to drink one 8 oz glass with every prune and you will be home free.

I use flaxseeds to help with some menopausal symptoms in my patients, but they are also little powerhouses of fiber.  Think of them as multipurpose; kind of like the chief multi-tasker of the grain world.

Rice gets a bad rap for it’s glycemic index value (Google it) but why do you think there are so many jokes about Chinese takeout and diarrhea.  It’s not the soy sauce, my friend. Brown rice especially is good for the gut and keeps things flowing.

Popcorn, it turns out, is not just for movie buffs, but for toilet buffs also.  Ever wonder what Orville Redenbacher is doing when he is not making bad TV commercials, he’s in the toilet.

When Popeye wasn’t saving Olive Oil, he was visiting the ship’s head because all that spinach keep him on a tight schedule. Fiber rich and full of magnesium (i.e. Milk of Magnesia) this super food keeps you super regular.

Yogurt is not associated with fiber, but it does contain many natural bacteria that make your gut smile.  A natural probiotic, this stuff has a number of health benefits but avoid the sugar laden fruit flavored types.

And finally, my favorite, coffee.  Okay all you anal retentive types, I know this may not technically be a food, so get over it and go have another latte.  Coffee stimulates muscle contractions in the colon, which then helps you go to the bathroom. (Coffee has many other health benefits, too: it improves circulation, your memory, makes your workouts more effective, and is full of antioxidants…it’s a miracle drug!

Happy pooping!