What To Do If You’re Not Having Daily Bowel Movements?

First off, I want to remind you that it’s important to have a daily (or near daily) bowel movement for adequate toxin elimination! Our feces are made up of toxins, undigested food (mostly fiber), and old cells and tissues that our body no longer needs.

If feces sit in your colon for too long, the toxins will start to be reabsorbed into your body. The bowels are also the final stretch for the majority of toxin elimination so when backed up, all toxin elimination is stalled. In this case, you may breakout as your body desperately attempts to dispose of toxins through the skin.

So it’s important to make sure that you’re regularly having full eliminations. For the majority of people that means at least 1 bowel movement a day.

So how can you make that happen if you’re not currently?

1) Keep Your Fiber Intake Low!

If you thought the answer was to eat more fiber, think again! Fiber adds bulk to your stools. Why would adding more bulk help, when your body is struggling to eliminate what you already have? Does adding more cars to a traffic jam help get things moving on the road faster?

I can tell you from experience as an ex-vegan/vegetarian (who ate a very high fiber diet for 10+ years!) that it doesn’t work! For the vast majority of that time I was severely constipated and it wasn’t until I decreased my fiber intake that I actually had regular bowel movements again!

And I’m not alone, many others have had similar experiences. For example one study of 63 people with idiopathic constipation (constipation with an unknown cause) looked at the effects of 6 months of no, low, and high fiber diets on bowel movement frequency. (1)

The 41 participants who completely stopped fiber intake had their bowel frequency increased from 1 motion in 3.75 days to 1 everyday. The 16 participants who reduced their dietary fiber intake, had their bowel frequency increased from 1 motion per 4.19 days to 1 per 1.9 days. The 6 participants who remained on a high fiber diet had no change in the frequency of bowel movement with 1 motion per 6.83 days. (1)

There was also a correlation between lower fiber intake and lower incidences of symptoms associated with constipation as seen in the table below. (1)

Overall, I recommend keeping your fiber intake on the lower end and experimenting to find the right amount for you. You may choose to completely eliminate fiber, however that’s often not necessary and I should note that there are some benefits to including some fiber in your diet which you can find out about here.

2) Have A Routine

Try to go around the same time every morning. Pick a time when you can relax (so not 10 minutes before you have to rush off to work!) and sit on the toilet around that time every morning for 10-15 mins, regardless of if you have to go or not. Feel free to read or go one your phone during this time as it often makes it easier to relax. Eventually, it will start to become a habit and you can listen to your body over the clock.

3) Sit In A Squat-Like Position

Sit in a squat like position where your knees are above your hips and your legs are wide. This may sound strange, but it helps align your intestines properly and makes it easier to go. Think about how you’d go out in nature after all.

4) De-Stress

When you’re in a stressed state (sympathetic state) blood flow is not going to your digestive system. Think about it, a stressed state is designed to alert you of a threat, that’s why it’s called the fight or flight mode. When there’s a threat eating, digesting, and bowel movements simply aren’t a priority! Therefore, it can be very difficult to go regularly, if you are chronically stressed. If this is the case for you, I recommend finding ways to de-stress like reading in the sun, taking a walk, soaking in a tub or hot spring, simplifying your life, etc.

5) Focus On Overall Gut Health

Eliminations are just one part of the whole digestive system. By focusing on optimizing every part of your digestion system, regular eliminations will follow. For this I recommend:

• Eating slow + chewing your food thoroughly
• Avoiding gut harming foods like processed foods; alcohol; gluten; vegetable oils; and not properly prepared grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
• Leaving at least 3 hours between meals
• Exercising and moving regularly
• Drinking bone broth
• Drinking your water separate from meals
• Listening to your bodies hunger and full cues (Don’t overeat!)
• Avoiding environmental toxins

For more information on optimizing your digestive health, check out my 9 Tips For A Healthy Strong Digestion Article!

6) Stay Hydrated

Hydration is important because water softens stools and acts as a lubricant in the colon. As you can imagine it becomes very difficult and uncomfortable to pass stools when you’re dehydrated. For proper hydration, make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes too.

7) Get Plenty Of Minerals

Minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium are key for muscle contraction and relaxation both of which are key in moving feces through the bowels. Good sources of each include:

Calcium- dairy, bone broth, bone marrow, meat cooked on the bone, eggshells (ground into powder or cooked in broth), salmon roe, prawns, sardines, anchovies, and cuttlefish

Magnesium- bone broth, mackerel, tuna, halibut, sardines, anchovies, shellfish, pear, blueberries, strawberries, parmesan, and dark chocolate

Potassium- pork, beef, lamb, salmon, bananas, dates, avocados, potatoes, kiwi, guava, sardines, halibut, trout, anchovies, beets, acorn squash, mushrooms, shellfish, and coconut water

Sodium- high quality mineral salts and seafood

8) Cleanse

Sometimes cleansing is needed to help clear away a blockage and re-set your colon. Some options for a colon cleanse include:

• Enemas or colonics (You can find how to do an enema here)
• Herbal bowel moving supplements
• Parasite cleansing (Occasionally large parasites may block part of your colon, making it difficult for stools to pass through)
• A very simple easy to digest diet of warm soups, well cooked simple foods, and lots of hydrating liquids

While cleansing can be very helpful for getting your colon back on track, it’s meant as a short term practice. Don’t depend on regular cleansing in order to have regular bowel movements and don’t take laxative supplements on a regular basis (especially ones that cause dependence like senna). For more info on cleansing, check out my article: In Depth Guide On How To Detox And Cleanse Your Body.

* If you’re struggling with constipation, I feel for you. I struggled with it for over 10 years! 2-3 hard uncomfortable bowel movements was my norm, until I finally figure out how to overcome my constipation. Now for the last 4 years 7+ healthy bowel movements a week is my norm! If you’re sick and tired of guessing what to do with little to no results, then click here to book a free discovery call with me and I’ll share with you what I teach my constipated clients to get them having 5+ bowel movements a week in 2-4 months time!

Works Cited

1. Ho, Kok-Sun et al. “Stopping or reducing dietary fiber intake reduces constipation and its associated symptoms.” World journal of gastroenterology vol. 18,33 (2012): 4593-6. doi:10.3748/wjg.v18.i33.4593