A rarely discussed, but important, issue... "Regularity"

I guess you have a clue as to what I am about to discuss...Number two, bowel movements, stools, you know what I am talking about...  It seems to be a topic that most people are uncomfortable talking about... but not dealing with it, can cause people to be "uncomfortable" and potentially a lot more damaging issues. If you are uncomfortable reading about this, I suggest you stop now.

Still reading? ... well .. it all started when I read an article in a local newspaper suggesting that being "regular" was having three bowel movements a day, typically after each meal.  Now, at first this appealed to my sense of efficiency, but for me, I found this completely unattainable.  I guess a big factor would be your diet.  Perhaps vegetarians would be more able to reach this "goal" without the aid of supplements?  I had to dig deeper, know more...

First, what is "regular"?  I read that once a day is not enough, and this was "news" to me, apparently a healthy person should be having three bowel movements a day. Delving into the topic further, there seems to be varying opinions about this... below is a link to a good reference dealing with "normal bowel movements"

What is "normal"?

Those who know me will see the irony here... since one of my motto's is "Why be normal?"

Now, there might be a difference between "normal" and "healthy".  Again, people who know me that I am striving to become healthier... and over the course of the last half year have greatly altered both my diet and my level of physical activity.  by no means am I where I want to be yet, but I have noticed that on average my bowel movements have increased from almost once a day to almost twice a day... I attribute this to a lot more attention to fiber every meal and an attempt to eat less meat (with an emphasis on red meat), and increase my vegetable consumption.  I have been drinking a lot more water lately also.

Of course this naturally leads to the next topic:  What comprises a "healthy" bowel movement?  Do you think you know? Briefly, stools should be soft, the consistency of toothpaste was one definition I found... Should they float? ... or sink? ... what colour should they be? anyone who has had a meal of blueberries or other colourful food will know what I am talking about ;-)

I found this site that goes into more detail if you want to know:

Stools - Healthy or Unhealthy?

Did you know that you can learn a lot about your general health from your stools? They can be an indicator of potential health issues... Here is another good informational site on this topic:

What your bowel movements are telling you about your health

I will leave you with one more site, if you are still interested...  I really liked this one, it has the feel of a medical intake interview... I do not believe in self diagnosis... but being aware of potential issues, and dealing with them early can lead to "better" outcomes.  My mother is a colon cancer survivor, my aunt has Crohn's disease (colitis).  Because of the history of this ailment, I know that I am at greater risk than the general public.  Perhaps more lives could be saved if we were not as squeamish about the topic of bowel movements and more concerned about having healthier bowel movements.

Symptom Checker (generic)

Do you feel your bowel movements could be healthier?

If so, what are you going to do about it?