More or Less Bowel Movements? page

[donnieR32]

While some may consider it a taboo topic, I feel it's one that's relevant to my new lifestyle so I figured I would inquire. Since starting what I would consider about 90% primal diet I have noticed a significant decline on trips to the bathroom.

Mind you I went from rarely eating veggies and always eating grains to no longer eating grains and eating TONS of veggies. So, is my body just absorbing and using a lot more of the food I eat because it is actually valuable, thus I'm producing less "waste"? Or is my system still in shock?

Come on great primal minds, give me what you got.

[cave-e8r]

That's funny, I've noticed the same thing, but hadn't gotten around to asking the question yet. I make a lot fewer trips to the bathroom, and I'm not producing as much waste as before. I was wondering the same thing, is my body consuming all these natural foods?

[ZenGopher]

Trust me, the subject isn't taboo on here and various incarnations of bowel movement threads have taken place.

My own experience (and what seems to be many others) is that there is a definite decline in the frequency and volume, particularly if there is more protein consumption. Meat is processed very efficiently by our bodies and as such, leaves very little waste so there is less to eliminate. If a person eats a lot of vegetables it can increase the volume and frequency but it's still typically less than on a SAD diet. Lots of grain products = lots of poop.

[donnieR32]

Trust me, the subject isn't taboo on here and various incarnations of bowel movement threads have taken place.

My own experience (and what seems to be many others) is that there is a definite decline in the frequency and volume, particularly if there is more protein consumption. Meat is processed very efficiently by our bodies and as such, leaves very little waste so there is less to eliminate. If a person eats a lot of vegetables it can increase the volume and frequency but it's still typically less than on a SAD diet. Lots of grain products = lots of poop.

Makes a ton of sense and makes me think of corn fed cows that constantly shit (Food, inc). Thanks for connecting the dots

[DeeDub]

Since starting what I would consider about 90% primal diet I have noticed a significant decline on trips to the bathroom.

Oh yeah.

Very noticeable difference.

At first I thought something had gotten stopped up, but never had that "weighted lowers" feeling from constipation.

[BestBetter]

I noticed a significant reduction in BM when I went paleo and dropped grains. I used to go once a day, now I'm lucky if I go twice a week. I also have some autoimmune issues, and likely a leaky gut, so I'm never sure what's related to those issues and what's a result of "my body processing food more efficiently" as my husband tells me (still trying to figure out if this is true, too!). I can go 4+ days without feeling any need to go whatsoever, sometimes i have that "weight/pressure" telling me something's there waiting, sometimes i feel nada.

I keep hearing that we should be going a minimum of once a day...is this also true of Paleo/Primal folks?

I just started incorporating small amounts of coconut oil into my diet, maybe I need a little lube

[tcb]

my #2's went from a pre-primal twice a day to once every other day or so...

[donnieR32]

my #2's went from a pre-primal twice a day to once every other day or so...

This is on par for me as well. Your avatar is very suitable for this discussion.

[Lily Marie]

So, do you think there's any truth to keeping the feces in your system too long? I've read that the bad stuff starts getting reabsorbed through the intestinal walls if it's sitting around for too long.

I've heard that a healthy body is supposed to go after every meal - but that's probably a heavy veggie diet - even though my dogs seem to show this pattern - on whole prey model food. (Carnivore)

[TorMag]

It's cutting into my reading time........