Tag: Digestion

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Is It Good Or Bad To Eat Something Before Bedtime?

It’s amazing how many different opinions people have about eating before bed. Some people say it’s great for dealing with insomnia and others warn that it’s the reason you have trouble sleeping in the first place. What’s the truth?

Does Eating Before Bed Affect Your Sleep Quality?

If you have trouble sleeping at night, eating a lot of food before bedtime may be the reason why. Men are affected by this, but women are affected even more:

  • Making it harder to fall asleep
  • Waking you up in the middle of the night
  • Interrupting normal sleep cycles
  • Decreasing the amount of time you spend in restful sleep

It's important to emphasize that sleep issues are mainly caused by foods that are high in fat, sugar or calories. Snacking on potato chips, ice cream, nachos, pizza or pie — or eating a big meal right before bed — can definitely affect sleep quality.

Do Certain Foods Make You Sleepy?

The good news is that not all foods are bad for bedtime. In fact, some are great for falling asleep. Foods containing tryptophan, serotonin or melatonin can help you unwind, feel calm, and sleep better. Here are my favorite nighttime superstars:

  • Kiwi slices
  • Tart cherries/tart cherry juice
  • Almonds
  • Milk
  • Oatmeal
  • Bananas
  • Chamomile tea
  • Passionflower tea
  • Valerian root tea

I'm serious. Eat a kiwi before bed for a week and let me know how it goes. I didn’t believe it either, but it works wonders!

Does Nighttime Snacking Make You Gain Weight?

Some people gain a LOT of weight when they eat at night. Others actually lose weight! Why the difference?

It all comes down to portion control and calories. If you know you get hungry around bedtime, making yourself a healthy turkey sandwich an hour or so before bed won’t add to your waistline. In fact, it may help you eat more balanced meals the next day.

Some people like to eat a bowl of cereal, some fruit, or Greek yogurt. I prefer grabbing a portion of mozzarella cheese or some nuts.

Does a Healthy Diet Help You Sleep Better?

Do you remember how amazing you felt the last time you woke up completely refreshed? That’s how sleep is supposed to be all the time, but stress and health problems get in the way.

A healthy diet supports good sleep by giving the body has enough nutrients to produce lots of sleep hormones. Fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and antioxidants are all needed. Omega-3 fatty acids increase production of melatonin, the brain chemical that controls your sleep cycle.

To get plenty of omega-3s, add fresh fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines, etc.) to your diet a couple of times a week, or take a supplement. Eating a Mediterranean diet with lots of fresh veggies, fruit, olive oil and lean meats can be a great help, too.

Do You Really Need To Worry About Sleep Quality?

Your body doesn't start to repair itself at night until stage three of sleep (deep sleep). Stage four (REM sleep) is essential for brain health and memory. What this means is that waking up at night makes you miss out on health benefits.

That’s why you feel exhausted, sore or irritable. It’s why you have trouble concentrating or remembering. Your immune system suffers, too.

Falling and staying asleep is no joke. This is a pillow fight you need to win!

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What Your Poop Is Trying To Tell You

There’s virtually no way to have a conversation about poop that isn’t awkward, embarrassing or downright difficult. We all go, but most people — most adults, that is — don’t like to talk about it. The thing is, your poop can offer a wealth of useful information about your health.

What the Color of Your Poop Means

If your stool is brown, that’s a good thing. If it’s brown with just a hint of green, that’s a sign that all is well, too. If your poop scoots further along the spectrum, though, it may denote trouble.

Green

Green poop isn’t necessarily worrisome, but it does mean that food is zipping through your digestive system too quickly. Green stool may also be the result of eating certain foods, especially dark, leafy greens that are high in chlorophyll, such as spinach and kale.

Yellow

If your stool is yellow, it may mean its fat content is too high. It could also be symptomatic of celiac disease or an inability to absorb nutrients properly.

White

Poop that’s white, pale or resembles clay in color is often the sign of a blocked bile duct.

Black

Things start getting more serious if your stool is black in color. While it could just be the result of iron supplements or eating black licorice, it could also point to a bleed in the upper part of your intestinal tract.

Red

Like black stool, red stool may indicate bleeding, only this time it originates from the lower intestine. It could also mean hemorrhoids or simply that you dined on beets, Gatorade or other red food and drink recently.

What the Shape of Your Poop Means

Your stool’s shape is just as revealing as its color, if not more so. In fact, it’s so informative that there’s a scientific scale for it called the Bristol Stool Scale. It identifies seven stool types:

Type 1: Hard Pellets

Small, hard pellets that are difficult to pass mean you’re probably constipated, but it should pass soon (no pun intended.) If you’re still blocked up after several days, however, it's important that you talk to your doctor.

Type 2: Lumpy Logs

This also means you’re constipated. Once again, your discomfort shouldn’t last long, but you can help speed things up by snacking on fiber-rich foods and drinking plenty of water.

Type 3: Cracked Logs

Despite the unappealing description, this is one of the two types of “perfect” poop you want. It should be soft, easy to pass and roughly 2 inches long.

Type 4: Smooth Logs

Stool that is easy to eliminate and resembles a snake or a hot dog is also normal.

Type 5: Soft Pellets

Small, soft pellets that are quick and painless to pass often suggest you need to add more fiber to your diet.

Type 6: Mushy Blobs

If your stool is super-soft and disjointed with jagged edges, it usually means mild diarrhea. Be sure to hydrate to replace lost fluids.

Type 7: Watery Nightmare

You have the runs, a.k.a. diarrhea. This happens when stool races through your digestive tract so rapidly that it never has the chance to form into a solid.

What It Means If Your Stool Floats

Stool that floats typically means one of two things: First, it may mean that it’s high in gas or water content, making it light enough to bob on the surface. Second, it could suggest that your body’s not absorbing nutrients well. Malabsorption like this is usually accompanied by constipation.

If watching your preschool grandchildren play a 14-hour soccer game sounds preferable to talking to your doctor about your bowel movements, you’re not alone. You also need to steel your nerves and have that talk. Stool that’s suspect is almost always trying to tell you something important about your health, and having a tête-à-tête about poop is just another part of the job for your physician.

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4 Simple Ways To Make Yourself Poop

Everyone has a different frequency of bowel movements, but you can generally tell when something is off. If you need some help scooting things along, try a few of these simple tips to make yourself poop.

1. Go to Town With Fiber

Fiber is your best friend when it comes to pooping. Some types of fiber add bulk and signal your colon that it’s time to go. Other types of fiber act like a lubricating gel that absorbs water, softens your poop and helps it slide along smoothly.

Make sure you’re getting plenty of fiber by eating some of the following foods every day. Generally speaking, the more of these you eat, the more you poop:

  • High-fiber fruit: apples, pears, berries, bananas and papaya
  • Veggies: broccoli, avocados, leafy greens, carrots and beets
  • Legumes: lentils, green beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and split peas
  • Whole grains: rolled oats, whole wheat foods, barley, brown rice and popcorn
  • Nuts: almonds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, chia seeds and pecans

2. Grab a Big Glass of Water

Sometimes, constipation is caused by dehydration. Without enough water, poop turns into dry “concrete” in your intestines. You should be drinking plenty of water every day for good health anyway, but especially if you’re having trouble pooping. For the best results, drink a big glass of water at the same time you eat fiber, such as at breakfast.

3. Give Your Colon Some Gentle Encouragement

Did you know you can “push” poop through your digestive tract with a gentle massage? This technique is called colonic massage. It can provide many benefits including alleviating constipation, getting rid of gas and reducing the amount of effort you need while pooping.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Sit up or lie on your back with your knees bent.
  2. Massage your abdomen using your fingertips or palms.
  3. Follow the colon from the lower right in a clockwise direction.
  4. Put gentle pressure on the four corners of the abdomen, including under the ribs.
  5. End the circle by pressing gently under the belly and pulling up.
  6. Repeat from the bottom right again.

Some people make small circles as they massage around the abdomen. Others use small taps. The idea is to help your body “squeeze” poop through the intestine without having to strain your muscles.

4. Take a Hike (Literally)

Have you ever accidentally passed gas while working out? This is no accident. Exercise is great for stimulating bowel movements. As your body moves, so does the food in your gut. You decide whether to enjoy some high-intensity biking, a healthy jog or a laid-back walk.

Exercise also produces feelings of calm. Stress is a common cause of constipation, so relaxation can be an excellent remedy. If you live near an outdoor space, go for a hike. Physical activity helps your bowels and the fresh air helps your mind.

Make Time for Your Gut

The next time you’re having trouble with bowel movements, get up early the next day to make yourself a healthy breakfast. Enjoy some whole wheat toast with avocado, and make a smoothie with bananas and berries.

Put on some light music in the background. Take your time eating. Relax. Then, kick back and get ready for the show.