What can your poop teach you? - Welcome to Conscious Nutrition by Heather Fleming.

Hope you are having a safe and nourishing summer. One thing we can do for our loved ones, community, planet and social change is to understand how we can be health and wellness warriors from our own personal emotional and physical well-being. So let’s start with what everyone on the planet does. Poops!

Your poops are an excellent indicator of your total health. Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the amazing Vagus Nerve, which I LOVE to talk about. If you are feeling depression, experiencing mood swings and all digestive issues, your communicates between the brain and gut are not getting along and this disruption is the beginning of many symptoms and diseases.

Simple tricks to help your Vagus Nerve upgrade the communication between your gut and brain so you have stellar poops!

Pause until you feel hunger in your stomach before you eat. If you feel like your mind is hungry but your stomach isn’t, this is a disconnect in the gut/brain communication. You can practice this EVERY meal and every day, it isn’t a one and done thing. Once you feel the hunger in your stomach your stress and digestive hormones, such as insulin, leptin and cortisol are working better together.
Chew your food better: The slower we eat and better we chew, our food has a better chance to get broken down in the stomach and absorbed in the small intestine.
Drink liquids separate from meals: Sip a bit while eating, but try to not drink large amounts of liquids while eating meals, this can help the stomach acid break down those foods.
Hydrate first in the morning: Caffeine is a diuretic and your poo contains mostly water. Too much caffeine can throw off your poops.
Lay on your left side after heavy meals to assist your stomach to digest your meal better.

Now after you eat it is time to remove the waste! Here are some tips for the pooping process!

Don’t continuously hold it: It will dry out and weaken your muscles in your rectum.
Squat: This position helps you completely evacuate the colon. Check out the squatty potty or when out in nature, try it!
Lean over and rise up on your toes: My personal favorite! I had digestive issues as a child and leaning over helped me feel like I could navigate my poos better!
Relax & Breathe: If pooping has been a life long stress for you, then just when you think about pooping, your nervous system is under attack. We need to reframe the toilet as your friend not your foe. Try some deep inhales through your nose, find an app that you like, do gentle pelvic floor exercise and make your toilet time your zen time.

How often should you poop? The Journal of American Medicine says it is normal to have bowel movements at intervals ranging from 3 times a day to once every 3 days. That is a pretty general statement. With working with heaps of clients, reading books and being curious, I see people have a healthier and vibrant life pooping every day. There may be a day here and there that causes you to skip, especially women when they are ovulating. I highly suggest to review your relationship with your poop and you may see some symptoms you have had your whole life lessen.
What is a good poop?

#1: Smooth, brown, formed, sinks, 6-8 inches long and solid is the GOLD standard!
#2: Formed, soft nuggets that float: Add more fiber from veggies, and magnesium, my favorite brand is Calm.
#3: Thin pencils: STRESS. Try to reduce inflammatory foods such as sugar, processed wheat, processed dairy, sugar substitutes and processed deli meats.
#4: Hard rocks: Fiber & hydration. I recommend to add veggies, especially veggie soups, as your primary source of fiber versus over the counter supplements. Some of those can cause more irritation.
#5: Hard logs that tear: Constipation, water, minerals and absorption issues. Try adding in veggie broths and baked pears or apples, topped with cinnamon and organic, local, raw honey.
#6: Liquid: Gut health is under attack. Try adding in my Pumpkin Smoothie recipe, get it FREE here. Also, please see a qualified health care practitioner.
#7: Hemorrhoids: Too much straining can cause these ruptures. Soak in an epsom salt bath and see your health care practitioner.
If you are having poops that are green, yellow or gray, it could be some liver, gallbladder or pancreas issues. Please consult and Integrative Doctor who feels confident at looking at your entire body’s systems to heal.

Post Poo:

The goal is you can wipe in one stroke. If you have to use a lot of TP, there can be extra stress going on in your gut and life. Try some of the above
Check out your poo first, then flush with the TOILET SEAT CLOSED!! I know some of us may flush in mid poo. I get it, but the bacteria can fly up into your open areas:)
I love Poopouri, you spray prior to the activity and it totally works.
And then there is the good ole match, works wonders.
If you are rushing out the door in the morning you may be missing your sweet spot. Your poop is essential for well-being. I repeat!

Back by poopular (ha ha) demand, I created a self-paced Master Class to help you dive deeper with your relationship with food and your body.

The main difference between this Master Class and “following other diets” is YOU are the program. Instead of trying to force your mind and body to do it ‘right’, you choose what is best for you in the moment.

I guide you every other day to help you CLICK with the program. The bummer about other programs is you have to “follow it”, and if you feel like you fell off, what are your options? Instead with mine, I guide us to be sailors in training, and we learn how to work with our OWN body, REALITY and adjust to what will help you sail to your destination with ease! The FLOW & Schedule.

My favorite thing I hear about my programs is, how can I keep doing this? I AM HERE to help you make this realistic for you, so you don’t feel like you are “off or on” a program, instead this is how you eat for your body and lifetime.

Click here to join us and sign up!

You have access to this $147 course for ONE YEAR!!! Plus, head over to my private, complementary facebook group for extra support.

Love from your nourishment leader,