Day Eighty-Three: Pretty Poo

We can tell a lot about our body by what is coming out of it. According to about.com, ideal bowel movements are:

• Frequent - twice daily to once every other day
• Easy to pass
• The color of cardboard
• Have the consistency of toothpaste
• Require no straining or discomfort, are not accompanied by bleeding
• 4-8 inches long
• Fall - should not remain on the surface of the water
• Have little odor

While you whip out your ruler and take a good look, here are some of the "why's" behind the above. Eating insoluble fiber as a regular part of the diet, drinking lots of water...not fluid, but water...and exercising regularly makes bowel movements easy to pass and frequent. Foul smell is often caused by too much dairy in the diet. Reducing dairy and using other sources of calcium and fat may correct this.

Infrequent movements can be one symptom of other problems or conditions, or it may just be that there's not enough fiber and water in the diet. Pain medication and iron supplements can also cause constipation, so this is something to pay attention to.

I challenge you to gauge what your body is asking for by what's coming out of it.