Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (11 page)

When the stool is finally well formed, it gets pushed down into the descending colon and then into the rectum. It is held there until there is sufficient volume to have a bowel movement. Two sphincters—rings of muscle—control bowel movements. When enough feces have collected, the internal sphincter relaxes and your mind gets the signal that it’s time to relieve yourself. The external sphincter opens when you command it. Because this is voluntary, you can have the urge to defecate but wait until it’s convenient. If you ignore the urge, water keeps being absorbed back into the body and the stool gets dry and hard. Some people are chronically constipated because they don’t want to take the time to have a bowel movement or don’t like to have bowel movements at work. This book is about listening to your body signals. Take the time when your body calls you, not when it’s convenient or ideal.

Many health problems arise in the colon: appendicitis, constipation, diarrhea, diverticular disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rectal polyps, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, parasites, and hemorrhoids.

We can learn a lot about ourselves from stool. Dennis Burkitt, M.D., father of the fiber theory, found that on average people on Western diets excreted only 5 ounces of
stool daily, whereas Africans eating traditional diets passed 16 ounces. Well-formed stool tells us when it wants to come out; we don’t need to coax it. It looks like a brown banana with a point at one end, is well hydrated, and just slips out easily. Stool that looks like little balls all wadded together has been in the colon too long. The longer waste materials sit in the colon, the more concentrated the bile acids become; concentrated bile acids irritate the lining of the colon. Hormones that have been broken down by the body are also excreted via our feces. If the stools sit in the colon for too long, these hormones are reabsorbed into the bloodstream, increasing the risk for estrogen-dependent cancers. Betaglucuronidase, an enzyme that may activate formation of cancer-causing substances in the colon, can be measured in stool as a marker of hormone reabsorption.

Frequency of bowel movements is a good health indicator. How often do you have a bowel movement? People on good diets generally have one to three bowel movements each day. If you are not having a daily bowel movement, there can be many causes.

TESTING BOWEL TRANSIT TIME

Transit time is how long it takes from the time you eat a food until it comes out the other end. Buy charcoal tablets at a drug or health-food store, and take about 1,000 mg. Depending on the particular product, this can be two to four capsules. Note exactly when you took the charcoal. When you see darkened stool (charcoal will turn the stool black), calculate how many hours since you took the charcoal tablets. That is your transit time. You can also do the test with beets. Eating three or four whole beets will turn stool a deep garnet red.

The Results

Less than 12 hours: This usually indicates that you are not absorbing all the nutrients you should from your food. You may have malabsorption problems.

Twelve to 24 hours is optimal.

More than 24 hours: This indicates that wastes are sitting inside your colon too long. Poor transit time greatly increases the risk of colon disease. Substances that were supposed to be eliminated get absorbed back into the bloodstream, and they can interfere with and irritate your system. Take action now! Increase your fiber intake by eating more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Drink lots of water every day. Get 30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week.

First, take a close look at your diet. You probably aren’t eating enough fiber. If that’s the case, increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. These foods are generally high in magnesium, which helps normalize peristalsis. Make sure that you are drinking enough fluids. Coffee and soft drinks don’t count! And get regular exercise!

Another good indicator of your colon’s health is your bowel transit time—how long it takes food to move from the first swallow until it exits the body. When your system is working well, the average amount of time is 12 to 24 hours. On average, Americans have a transit time that is way too long—48 to 96 hours—because we don’t eat enough high-fiber foods, take in enough magnesium, or drink enough water. You can do a simple home test to determine your transit time, which gives you important information about the way your body works.

Let’s take a look at what foods you are eating and begin the process of cleaning up your diet. Take last week’s food diary. Get out some crayons or markers. You’re going to color! (If you don’t already keep a food diary, you will find instructions on how to do so in
Chapter 12
.)

Circle the following foods red:
Sugar, caffeine, alcohol, junk foods, fried foods, high-fat foods, pastries, donuts, chips, microwave popcorn, highly processed foods, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, diet foods

Circle the following foods blue:
Dairy products: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, frozen yogurt, ice milk

Circle the following foods green:
Fruits and vegetables

Circle the following foods yellow:
Protein foods: fish, poultry, beef, pork, lamb, veal, legumes, soy products

Circle the following foods purple:
Nuts and seeds, oils, butter, margarine