The Importance of Your Health as told by Poop

Nobody really likes to talk about poop. After all, it’s waste that your body is trying to get rid off, isn’t it? While that is true, it is also an indication of your body’s current health as explained by Nutritionist and Acupuncturist Melissa Ramos in the following TEDx talk.

Ramos’ talk comes timely with a research which shows that Parkinson’s is linked to gut and treatment is more effective if the patient’s gut was the target rather than the brain. Patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s often complained about constipation years before they were even diagnosed.

Conclusion? Your poop and whether you even poop or not is very important when it comes to your health.

Here are the important points that Ramos, the self-proclaimed Poop Whisperer, made during her talk:

1. You should be eliminating solid waste every single day. If not, your guts may be reabsorbing the toxins into your bloodstream and…that’s not good. “That’s essentially your body drinking up your poop,” as explained by Ramos.
2. Raise your feet up onto a stool when you use the toilet because physically, that’s the best way to completely eliminate all the poop. This is where the Asian squat comes in really handy!
3. The shape and texture of your poop shows whether you’ve drunk enough water, ate too much or too little fats, or whether you’re eating enough fibre or not.

What was both entertaining and insightful was when Ramos explained the different types of poop and how that translate into your current state of health. For example, if you have ‘rabbit poop’ which comes out in small pellets, that means that you’re not drinking enough water so your intestines have to work hard to get the waste out.

Interestingly enough, a lot of illnesses and even emotional stresses are related to your gut’s health! After hearing all these, wouldn’t you want to get your digestive system in tip top condition? As mentioned by Ramos as well as other nutritionists, you can maintain better gut health by:

• drinking at least 2 litres of water a day
• eat more fibre – consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day
• consume foods rich in probiotics, such as yoghurt, kimchi or kombucha; otherwise, you may want to take probiotics supplement

Remember – you only have one body, so take the best care of it!