How often should you be having bowel movements?
Most people don't go to the bathroom enough. MOST people.
Optimal health includes having 2-3 normal bowel movements per day. If we eat 3 full meals a day and only eliminate once a day, once every other day, or twice a week, think about all the festering un-eliminated waste matter inside you that you are reabsorbing.
Do we need 100 grams of fiber/day to acheive this?! How long should a meal take to pass through your intestines? And what foods slow down bowel movements?
Everybody is different. Bowel transit time depends on what types of food you eat, how much you drink, medications you are on, etc. What is clear is that transit time longer than 72 hours is definitely NOT healthy. The longer it takes you to eliminate, the longer the waste materials putrefy in your colon and the more toxins you end up reabsorbing… See More into your bloodstream. YUCK!
The main point here is that healthy bowel habits come from healthy diet. Generally, people who eat a higher proportion of vegetables and fruits and less animal proteins and starches (i.e. “meat and potatoes” diets) have transit times of about 10-12 hours. If you can get 30-50 g of dietary fibre, your colon should be zipping along. Any more than that should be under the supervision of a qualified health provider.
Oh, and regular use of laxatives (natural or otherwise) are NOT healthy.
I DEFECATE ONCE IN A DAY. BUT I HAVE ONE FULL MEAL EACH DAY (AND FOUR TIMES I TAKE SNACKS) AM I NOT HEALTHY? HOW COMES THAT I FEEL HEALTHY STRONG AND FIT? MY FRIENDS TELL ME THAT I HAVE GOOD SYSTEM. SOMETIMES I HAVE NO BM’S THROUGHOUT THE DAY (FOR ONE DAY) IF MY LUNCH IS NOT PROPER. I ALSO EVACUATE VERY EASILY AND EFFORTLESSLY. I TAKE PLENTY FIBRES, WATER AND EXERCISE AND I HAVE 5-6 BM’S WEEKLY. I AM ALSO 33 YEARS OLD.
My blog and website are not intended to give direct medical advice or opinions. For that, you would need to come to the clinic and have a proper assessment.
What I will say is that one bowel movement per day is the BARE MINIMUM. If you want to see how long it takes for food to pass through your system, then eat some beets and wait till they appear in your stools (you will see the red pieces). If it takes longer than 48 hours, that’s definitely a problem.
For a more complete discussion on this topic, I would refer you to Dr. Bernard Jensen’s book “Guide To Better Bowel Care”.